HTC Will Only Release 6 To 7 Smartphones This Year, To Focus More On Developing Core Features

HTC just announced the flagship U Ultra and mid-range U Play smartphones this week and it has spurred questions about the company’s other handsets for 2017. An executive from the Taiwanese manufacturer has revealed that HTC will only be releasing six to seven smartphones this year.

President of Smartphone and Connected Devices Business, Chialin Chang, confirmed the number of HTC smartphones scheduled for release this year to Engadget on Thursday. Chang claims that by cutting down on the number of smartphones this year, it will allow the company to focus on developing core features for its smartphones to be more competitive against its thriving rivals.

The HTC U Ultra and U Play are part of the said “six to seven” models this year, which means consumers should only expect four or five more for the rest of the year. Chang said that fans should expect “fun and affordable” phones from the Desire line this year. As for the One line, that isn’t being neglected either. “All options are on the table for the One line,” Chang told CNET.

Although the recently announced HTC U Ultra appears to be the company’s current flagship model, a successor to the HTC 10 is also in the works. However, Chang told Engadget that it won’t be called the HTC 11.

HTC’s planned number of smartphones this year is drastically lower than last year’s 11 or 12 models. Last year’s HTC 10 was an impressive handset, but it failed to meet sales expectations. The HTC Vive VR headset may have also been popular in 2016, but it didn’t help the company’s revenues overall.

By cutting down the number of smartphones in 2017, it seems as though HTC is playing it safe this time around. However, this does mean that HTC is focusing more on core features that could help make it stand out over the saturated smartphone market.

With the new U line, HTC introduced the Sense Assistant, the company’s own AI voice-activated assistant. This appears to be one of the first new core features that the company is focusing on right now.