HTC One Max clears regulatory approval in Taiwan

Taipei, Oct. 1 (CNA) Taiwan's HTC Corp. declined to comment Tuesday on the approval for sale of its HTC One Max smartphone by the National Communications Commission (NCC), Taiwan's top broadcasting regulator.

The gargantuan version of HTC Corp.'s flagship phone received the regulatory approval for sale Sept. 30, according to an online document from the NCC, indicating that the handset might go on sale in Taiwan in the coming weeks.

The long-rumored HTC One Max reportedly sports a 5.9-inch full-HD 1080p display, a 2.3GHz quad-core processor, a 2GB internal memory, a massive 3,300 mAh battery and a fingerprint scanner.

A recent report by Taiwanese phone news site ePrice said the HTC One Max is scheduled for an official launch Oct. 17.

In comparison, the stripped-down version of the One series phone, the HTC One mini, was launched in Taiwan Aug. 9 after obtaining NCC approval July 25.

The approval of the HTC One Max came after an August announcement by Ben Ho, HTC's chief marketing officer, that the company plans to unveil a variant of its flagship One series in the fourth quarter of this year.

Despite the new product launch, analysts have expressed concern that HTC's fundamentals are getting worse without any positive catalysts to spark a rebound in the highly competitive smartphone market.

The Taiwanese phone vendor warned in late July that it was likely to post its first net quarterly loss in history in the third quarter because of high inventory in its distribution channels, higher cost structure and a lack of economy of scale.

Japanese brokerage Nomura Securities has predicted that HTC will reach only the low end of its third-quarter sales guidance -- between NT$50 billion (US$1.69 billion) and NT$60 billion -- with an operating margin of minus 5.8 percent.

HTC shares edged up 0.76 percent at NT$133 Tuesday compared with a 0.16 rise in the broader market.

(By Jeffrey Wu)ENDITEM/J