In an attempt to appeal to a wider market and promote sales, HTC is reportedly considering rounding out its product portfolio with a line of low-end smartphones.
Although the company’s current product line is currently geared almost exclusively to premium smartphones, HTC has announced that it would be expanding its range to include some more affordable, mid-tier phones. Speaking during a conference call, HTC chairwoman Cher Wang commented on the fact that the company had focused on premium phones such as the HTC One, while neglecting other potential market segments.
In the past, HTC made a marked decision to place high-end smartphones at the center of its core business strategy; however the results of this business plan have been less than satisfactory for the company. On Monday, HTC reported that it had experienced a huge drop in revenue during the final quarter of 2013, narrowly eking out of profit of $10 million. Following this, the company is expected to make a loss during the current quarter.
With large markets in the developing world coming into play, smartphone makers around the globe are scrambling to come up with more budget-friendly handset options.