HTC eyes price drops to get back in the game

HTC eyes price drops to get back in the game
There's something a bit sad about this picture

It's no secret that HTC is having a taxing year, and the latest reports from the supply chain suggest it's planning some hefty price cuts to lure consumers back to its smartphones.

After selling off half of its Beats stake earlier this year, new handsets from the Taiwanese company will feature fewer (or no) audio enhancements, as well as doing away with bundled Beats headphones to keep costs a little lower.

But it's not just new devices that will be priced to move; older handsets, including the critically excellent but poorly-performing HTC One Series are said to be getting a discount too.

Salty sea dog

The rumour comes from an anonymous source within the supply chain speaking to Chinese site MyDrivers, so worth taking with a pinch of salt.

But given the abysmal year HTC has been having, we won't be surprised to see HTC take some drastic action which could well include pricing down its traditionally premium smartphones.

The company is also betting big on the enterprise market with its $35m (£22m) gamble on Magnet Systems.

Couple these bold moves with new Windows Phone hardware in September and, hopefully, new Android handsets not too far behind, HTC could yet turn it all around. Fingers crossed.

From MyDriver via Unwired View

News Editor (UK)

Former UK News Editor for TechRadar, it was a perpetual challenge among the TechRadar staff to send Kate (Twitter, Google+) a link to something interesting on the internet that she hasn't already seen. As TechRadar's News Editor (UK), she was constantly on the hunt for top news and intriguing stories to feed your gadget lust. Kate now enjoys life as a renowned music critic – her words can be found in the i Paper, Guardian, GQ, Metro, Evening Standard and Time Out, and she's also the author of 'Amy Winehouse', a biography of the soul star.