HTC has now officially entered the 5G phone race after announcing the launch of its latest smartphone, the HTC U20 5G. With HTC no longer the dominant force it once was in Android, it remains to be seen if the company’s latest offering is going to be enough to help its smartphone business.
2020 was supposed to be a big year for 5G. Not only were companies readying network availability in more cities, but smartphone brands were also expected to release more models. Together, the two were expected to increase the availability of 5G at the consumer level. However, that was before the COVID-19 pandemic started, and since then, major tech events and product launches have been delayed or cancelled. In addition, the expansion of 5G networks by the major carriers is also likely to have been affected, although not cancelled.
This week, HTC announced the launch of the HTC U20 5G. In fact, the company actually announced two new phones with the second being the HTC Desire 20 Pro. However, it is only the U20 that comes loaded with 5G support. Besides 5G, other selling points for the new HTC phone include, a 5,000 mAh capacity battery, quad-core rear camera setup, 32-megapixel front-facing camera, and a 6.8-inch display. While the HTC U20 5G is making its debut in Taiwan, the company confirmed on Twitter that it will be coming to other markets as well.
New Phone, But Same Old HTC
Originally, HTC was a major force within Android, and many who have used the operating system for long enough likely still have a fondness for the company’s mobile products. However, over the last few years, the company has not created the same buzz or made anywhere near the same impact with its newer devices. This has led to tough times for HTC’s smartphone division, and a continued decline in revenue for the company in general. As a result, whenever a new HTC phone is announced, there’s always the question of whether this one will be the one to help the company bounce back again?
In reality, it doesn’t seem like the U20 5G is going to be that phone. From the positive perspective, 5G phones are still too expensive, and it looks like HTC is pricing this one at a much lower point than the latest 5G smartphones from Samsung and the others. The problem is, this is not just a cheaper phone in price, but it is also a cheaper phone in general, due to the reliance on fewer premium specs and features. For example, the processor inside is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G, and that’s considered more of a midrange chip, albeit upper-mid-range and one that’s tweaked for gaming.
While the U20 5G will offer consumers an option to avoid spending absolute premium prices on a 5G phone, they will be accepting compromises in other areas. Furthermore, considering 5G is the main selling point here and availability of 5G networks is still so limited, that’s hardly going to be enough of a motivator for consumers to buy. Especially considering they could opt for a better phone, for the same price, without 5G support.
Source: HTC