HTC is drumming up new 2016 flagship buzz with the launch of the HTC 10 Tuesday morning. While smartphone manufacturers remain in silent competition, many also aim to stand out in the market with exclusive launch windows for new devices.
The HTC 10 won’t begin shipping until May . By that time, rival flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the LG G5 will have been on the market for several weeks and months. Fervor and marketing surrounding these devices will have died down, giving the HTC 10 time to shine without heavy competition.
“We didn’t want to get into a battle over who can spend the most money in March. We just decide they can have that,” HTC’s AVP of product planning, Nigel Newby-House told iDigitalTimes at a press briefing prior to the HTC 10 launch. “We’re equally happy to drop down a little bit later. We still get a window now where the buzz around GS7 is starting to subside.”
Consumers saw several smartphones announced in late February, the Samsung Galaxy S7, the LG G5, Sony’s new Xperia X line and foreign devices like the Xiaomi Mi 5. With all of that noise, it’s difficult for any one manufacturer to stand out. Top smartphone makers like Samsung, in particular, rely on their massive marketing budgets to move ahead of the pack. After several seasons of consumer disinterest, the Galaxy S7 is selling better than its predecessor, according to figures by Counterpoint Research .
HTC is also hoping to recapture consumer interest with the 10, but has recognized it can’t rely on a marketing strategy similar to Samsung’s to succeed.
“HTC has a limited marketing budget compared to Samsung and LG, so aiming for a relatively quiet period in the market gives it a chance to get to greatest impact from its marketing spend,” IHS Senior Analyst of Mobile Devices, Daniel Gleeson told iDigitalTimes.
“HTC’s marketing has been drowned out before by Samsung and it has never been able to win the high profile in-store displays either. This gives HTC a better chance of succeeding,” he added.
Now that the HTC 10 has been announced, consumers can expect to see the Taiwanese manufacturer champion its “world-class” camera and BoomSound speakers among its top features. Its main strategy will be heavily marketing of the 10’s top feature during this standout timeframe.
Imaging experts Dxomark rated the quality of the HTC 10 camera on par with the Samsung Galaxy S7, considered the industry best for 2016. HTC is one of the few manufacturers that puts a heavy focus on mobile audio quality; the handset supports 24-bit high resolution sound, which has proved impressive in first impressions .
Outside of these features, the 10 still bares a striking resemblance to older devices by HTC, while competitors are heralding standout design features to attract customers. HTC is following a more minimalistic ethos on the design of the 10, while introducing high-end hardware it has avoided for several older devices.
“There is a small possibility of some lost sales for HTC when users of its older devices look for an upgrade, that base is not very large to begin with,” Gleeson told iDigi.
“HTC is looking more to convert Samsung users and that can only be done without the cacophony of Samsung ads that accompany the launch of the new Galaxy flagship,” Gleeson said
But HTC isn’t the only company looking to carve out new, more exclusive launch windows for its devices. Consumers saw Samsung release its Galaxy Note 5 weeks ahead of schedule to get away from iPhone 6s buzz. Rumors currently suggest the Galaxy Note 6 could launch as early as July for that same reason.
HTC reminds us it was one of the first manufacturers to stake a claim to the early Spring flagship launch, which has now become a staple for many Android smartphone makers to show off their latest and greatest.
“With the M7 and M8, we were the ones that carved out that kind of late March, early April launch window,” Newby-House said. “We have one competitor that used to be about May time [launch] three years ago and they moved their window up to kind of match where we would have classically launched.”
