HTC might re-enter the Indian smartphone market in August

HTC’s smartphone division has been on a decline for a few years as they failed to keep up with the competition and customer expectations. It led to HTC withdrawing its operations from some markets such as India.

HTC had been one of the top premium smartphone manufacturers with offerings such as the HTC One about half a decade ago. But over time, they succumbed to the Chinese competition, which brought a lot more to the table at more competitive prices. Naturally, HTC started ceding the market with them now having a negligible market share globally. As a part of their scaling back efforts, HTC had quit the Indian smartphone market, with the early 2018 HTC U11 being their last flagship in India.

As per a new report by 91Mobiles, HTC might be planning a re-entry to the elusive Indian market with a new series of smartphones. The smartphones are expected to be a range of high-end flagships, which may potentially debut in India before hitting the other markets. The source also suggests that it will offer a few industry firsts.

HTC was one of the most creative smartphone makers back in the day,  with bold design choices and innovative take on cameras and audio. This move comes as no surprise considering that India is one of the fastest-growing smartphone markets in the world. Just in the last couple of years, we saw brands like Xiaomi, Realme, and OnePlus begin operations in India and sprint their way to the top of the market owing to their great value-for-money offerings. In comparison, HTC currently holds less than 1% market share in the Indian smartphone market.

This new line of smartphones by HTC, much like the Samsung’s M series and LG’s W series , will enter as another legacy company looking to get a piece of the Indian market after almost being kicked out by the younger brands. The re-entry could involve Inone Technology playing a big role in the R&D process, as they own the HTC license in India.

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