by Craig Buck

Created on: March 05, 2013   Last Updated: March 06, 2013

2013 promises to be an interesting year for Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer, HTC. Following on from a far from impressive 2012 where sales and profits hit an all time low, the company will need to hit the ground running as it aims to compete with big players such as Apple and Samsung. There has never been any denying that the HTC products have been of a high quality but competing with the vast marketing bugets of Apple and Samsung has meant that the HTC share of the market has dwindled as more and more people enter the smartphone market.

As the first quarter of 2013 comes to a close, HTC have announced their new flagship device which they hope will capture the imagination of the public prior to any announcement from its competitors. The new HTC One Android device was revealed on February 19th and has already been collecting awards even before its release. The handset was voted best new smartphone or tablet at the recent MWC show in Barcelona. HTC have been very clever when releasing the One, not only is it an amazing handset but it also comes with new features that all have catchy names such as BlinkFeed, Zoe and BoomSound. All of these features are pioneering in the world of smartphones and if they catch on, HTC will be able to claw back a significant portion of the market.

HTC have also been radical when it comes to the camera on their new handset. Although the HTC One sees a reduction in the number of megapixels on its camera (going from 8MP on the One-X to 4MP on the One), HTC have introduced their own proprietary technology called the Ultrapixel. Ultrapixel technology concentrates on pixel density rather than the raw number of pixels, making for sharper images and increased brightness.

If early reviews are anything to go by, the HTC One could be the handset to revive HTC's fortunes when it is released in March 2013.

As well as competing on the Android platform, HTC are also set to continue promoting their Windows mobile phones. After the successful launch of the HTC 8 range in late 2012, the company look set to capitalise on this momentum with further handset expected in 2013. Although the Windows mobile platform is only a small market in comparison with Android, HTC still view this as a market worth investing in as the only real competitor is Nokia who are having problems of their own. 

HTC finally appear to be getting their marketing strategy up to a level required to promote their excellent hardware. Having recently agreed a sponsorship deal with UEFA, HTC now have their branding and products visible on Champions League and Europa League matchdays. As these are the competitions attract a worldwide audience, HTC will gain massive exposure which will open up their devices to a new audience. The 2012 final was reported to have been watched by over 300 million TV viewers.

Although HTC still have a lot of ground to make up on Apple and Samsung, the company is definitely going in the right direction. Analysts will be monitoring the company's results with interest but early indications are that 2013 looks set to be a good year for HTC.

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