HTC Corp (宏達電) yesterday unveiled the first made-in-Taiwan 5G smartphone and is to begin taking preorders on July 1.
The company last year released two mid-range smartphones — the HTC U19e and HTC Desire 19+ — as well as a second-generation blockchain mobile phone — the HTC Exodus 1S — which failed to help prop up its flagging sales.
The new HTC U20 5G, powered by Qualcomm Inc’s Snapdragon 765G processor and equipped with five camera lenses, is priced at NT$18,990.
Photo: CNA
While not the cheapest option on the market, the company’s new offering is still aimed at entry to mid-range consumers “who would like to try out 5G technology without breaking the bank,” HTC Taiwan president Darren Chen (陳柏諭) told a news conference at the company’s headquarters in New Taipei City.
The smartphone, which was assembled at HTC’s Taoyuan plant, is the “first made-in-Taiwan 5G smartphone in the world,” he added.
The handset is outfitted with a 6.8-inch full high-definition display and comes in two colors: green and white.
Photo: Wang Yi-hung, Taipei Times
It is expected to be ready to ship by August, Chen said, adding that certain certificates for the device are still awaited.
Seeking to first test the local market, HTC has yet to announce a release a date for the device in overseas markets.
“We are waiting to see how Taiwanese consumers react before expanding to a larger user base,” HTC chief executive officer Yves Maitre said, while hinting that he is looking to negotiate with some “familiar” European mobile phone carriers.
Prior to taking up his position at HTC late last year, Maitre served at French telecom Orange SA as executive vice president of consumer equipment and partnerships.
Maitre refrained from providing a sales target for the HTC U20 5G.
HTC also released an update to its Desire smartphone series, which was launched in 2010.
Priced at NT$8,990, the new HTC Desire 20 Pro is a more affordable option than the HTC U20 5G.
Powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 665 processor, the HTC Desire 20 Pro is equipped with a 6.5-inch full high-definition screen and is also outfitted with five camera lenses.
The smartphone, which is not assembled in Taiwan, would be ready to ship tomorrow, the company said.
JITTERS: Nexperia has a 20 percent market share for chips powering simpler features such as window controls, and changing supply chains could take years European carmakers are looking into ways to scratch components made with parts from China, spooked by deepening geopolitical spats playing out through chipmaker Nexperia BV and Beijing’s export controls on rare earths. To protect operations from trade ructions, several automakers are pushing major suppliers to find permanent alternatives to Chinese semiconductors, people familiar with the matter said. The industry is considering broader changes to its supply chain to adapt to shifting geopolitics, Europe’s main suppliers lobby CLEPA head Matthias Zink said. “We had some indications already — questions like: ‘How can you supply me without this dependency on China?’” Zink, who also
The number of Taiwanese working in the US rose to a record high of 137,000 last year, driven largely by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) rapid overseas expansion, according to government data released yesterday. A total of 666,000 Taiwanese nationals were employed abroad last year, an increase of 45,000 from 2023 and the highest level since the COVID-19 pandemic, data from the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) showed. Overseas employment had steadily increased between 2009 and 2019, peaking at 739,000, before plunging to 319,000 in 2021 amid US-China trade tensions, global supply chain shifts, reshoring by Taiwanese companies and
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) received about NT$147 billion (US$4.71 billion) in subsidies from the US, Japanese, German and Chinese governments over the past two years for its global expansion. Financial data compiled by the world’s largest contract chipmaker showed the company secured NT$4.77 billion in subsidies from the governments in the third quarter, bringing the total for the first three quarters of the year to about NT$71.9 billion. Along with the NT$75.16 billion in financial aid TSMC received last year, the chipmaker obtained NT$147 billion in subsidies in almost two years, the data showed. The subsidies received by its subsidiaries —
At least US$50 million for the freedom of an Emirati sheikh: That is the king’s ransom paid two weeks ago to militants linked to al-Qaeda who are pushing to topple the Malian government and impose Islamic law. Alongside a crippling fuel blockade, the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) has made kidnapping wealthy foreigners for a ransom a pillar of its strategy of “economic jihad.” Its goal: Oust the junta, which has struggled to contain Mali’s decade-long insurgency since taking power following back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021, by scaring away investors and paralyzing the west African country’s economy.
RSS