HTC is still grappling with Samsung for the high-end Android market, but while the HTC One M8 and Galaxy S5 are at one another's throats HTC is sneaking in a quick jab elsewhere: the US mid-range market.
The Taiwanese company has announced it's launching its Desire line of mid-range handsets, including the HTC Desire 610 and the HTC Desire 816, in the US for the first time.
These phones have some similarities with HTC's popular flagships, but with slightly gimped specs in exchange for more budget-friendly price tags.
And HTC says they're only the beginning, with more Desire phones launching later in 2014.
Little phones that can
The HTC Desire 610 has a 4.7-inch 540 x 960 display, 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 chip, 8GB of storage, 1GB of RAM, microSD support, and 8- and 1.3-megapixel cameras.
A slightly higher-end handset, the Desire 816 packs a 5.5-inch 720p screen, 1.6GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400, 8GB of storage, 1.5GB of memory and 13- and 5-megapixel shutters.
Both have some signature HTC features, including HTC BoomSound, HTC's built-in image editing and effects suite, and HTC Sense 6 with BlinkFeed, though neither can match the HTC One flagship family in raw specs.
Thankfully their prices reflect that: the Desire 610 is available through AT&T for $199 - no contract required - and the Desire 816 launches through Virgin Mobile for $299 with the carrier's Beyond Talk no-contract plan on August 12.
