Taiwanese handset manufacturer HTC has been hit with record low quarterly profits figures, with on-going delays to the company’s flagship HTC One handset contributing to the problem.
With continuing HTC One release date delays causing the Samsung and Apple rival to miss its quarterly revenue targets, the company has revealed that Q1 income figures slumped a staggering 98 per cent year-on-year to just NT$85 million (£1.8m).
With the company’s share prices dropping 2.2 per cent ahead of today’s earnings call, Taiwan-based data analysts have suggested that the latest slump in the sixth straight quarter in which HTC has recorded declining profits.
Having been officially unveiled in the run up to MWC 2013 back in February, the HTC One is the manufacturer’s latest flagship Android handset, with the 4.7-inch device originally pegged for a March launch across 80 countries before manufacturing issues with the device’s 4-Ultrapixel snapper caused delays. Falling considerably short of targets, HTC managed to launch the One in just three territories before the end of the month, a figure that is still struggling to grow.
With continuing delays putting the HTC One firmly in the grasps of the upcoming April 26 Samsung Galaxy S4 release date, the aluminium encased smartphone now faces the risk of being overshadowed by its more high-profile rival.
“HTC One’s production shortage means lost sales in the first quarter will be lost forever, not just delayed,” Lu Chia- lin, a Taipei-based analyst at Daiwa Securities told Bloomberg. “HTC One has a good design, and they still have lead time ahead of the S4, so revenue has a good chance to rebound this quarter.”
HTC One Specs
A true powerhouse of the smartphone scene, the HTC One specs sheet is made up of a bevy of premium components, firmly placing the company back at the fore of the smartphone stakes.
With the handset’s 4.7-inch Super LCD display playing host to a stunning 1920 x 1080p Full HD resolution and eye-watering 469 pixels-per-inch resolution, the HTC One further benefits from a zippy 1.7GHz quad-core Qualcomm processor and 2GB of RAM.
With the revolutionary 4-ultrapixel rear-mounted camera partnered with a second, 2.1-megapixel snapper up front, the HTC One features list is further bolstered by 32GB and 64GB storage options, front-facing stereo speakers and a luscious, metal form factor.
Measuring in at just 9.3mm thick and 143g in weight, the HTC One partners Google’s latest Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean OS with its latest Sense 5 user interface.
