HTC Corp, the world's No.5 smartphone maker, said on Monday it will launch a new tablet model next year, its first since a debut model in February.

It's a market we would like to try and test, to see whether we can make ourselves stand out and prevent a me-too product, HTC CEO Peter Chou told a media briefing.

Last Monday, HTC warned its sales in the fourth quarter, traditionally a bumper sales season for smartphones, would drop below the previous quarter and analysts' forecasts as the Taiwanese firm struggles to compete against bigger rivals.

(Reporting by Clare Jim)

Htc Launch