HTC U11 enjoys strong sales

Taipei, June 15 (CNA) HTC Corp.'s (宏達電) new flagship smartphone, the U11, has delivered strong sales since its launch in late May, a company executive said Thursday.

The U11 received good reviews when it was unveiled May 16, and less than a month after going on sale, it has sold better than its predecessors, the M10 and the M9, said Chang Chia-lin (張嘉臨), president of HTC's smartphone and connected device division.

The shortfall in global demand for the new model will be filled probably only in early July, Chang said during a shareholder meeting.

Also in the meeting, HTC Chairwoman Cher Wang (王雪紅) said her company's future is promising and will produce satisfactory financial results next year, despite posting a net loss of NT$10.6 billion (US$349 million) in 2016.

HTC has seen an "excellent opportunity" in the rapidly growing market for virtual reality (VR) products, she went on.

In 2016, HTC invested more than NT$3 billion in VR technology, and the percentage of revenue generated by HTC from VR products was the highest in the world, she said.

According to Wang, the HTC Vive headset is currently regarded as the best product in the global VR market and she expressed confidence that it will continue to remain the world's No. 1.

Chang, meanwhile, said that a homogeneous market in which increased sales do not necessarily mean increased profits is a challenge faced by HTC in the transition from 4G to 5G mobile connectivity.

To overcome the challenge, HTC is hoping to minimize its operating costs and reduce the number of new smartphone models launched to three or four a year, he said.

In addition, the company will re-focus its R&D work in preparation for the launch of 5G services in 2020, he added.

(By Jeffrey Wu and Y.F. Low)ENDITEM/J