HTC sets mid-June for its U11 India lift-off

Taipei 

Premium smartphone maker HTC is readying plans to launch its water-and dust-proof flagship 4G handset U11 by mid-June in India, which was unveiled here today at around 750 euros for the European market.

Also read: Sale of iconic Nokia 3310 to start in India from May 18

"HTC U11 will be launched in India by mid-June. Global launch is in the first week of June. We are still negotiating the price at which we can sell HTC U11 in India. There will be differences between India and the European market. It will be competitive on global pricing," Faisal Siddiqui, HTC President for South Asia, told reporters here.

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HTC has introduced a device operation technology in U11 with HTC edge sense that will allow users to control its function by applying different pressures of their grip on the edge of the phone. The sense-based control can be customised by the users.

U11 will start selling in some regions from the next week and the rest of the market, starting June. In Europe, it will sell for around 750 euros, that is about Rs 53,000 a unit, from the first week of June, a company official said.

The pricing of the phone will vary across countries due to tax structures and operational cost, Siddiqui said. "HTC will focus on only high-end segment because it is difficult to sell innovations at low price. In India, we are looking at the best ways to ease buying of HTC phones. For HTC U11, we plan to provide sales through easy monthly instalments in partnership with companies like Bajaj Finance, Home Credit and banks," Siddiqui added.

The company has launched variants of U11 with different storage capacity and colours that have reflection feature similar to that of liquid surface.

It plans to sell a high-end variant in India that will have 6 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage expandable up to 2 TB or above 2000 gigabyte with the help of an external memory card.

The phone comes with 12 megapixel main camera with HDR boost technology.

Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 mobile chipset, HTC U11 has 3000 mAh battery that the company claims can be completely charged in 90 minutes and support up to 24.5 hours for voice calls.

HTC, Siddiqui said, will focus on the mid- and premium-range segment.

"In India, we are planning to launch various models of 4G VoLTE-enabled Desire series smartphones that will be priced between Rs 10,000-30,000 a unit. We don't plan to sell smartphones below Rs 10,000," Siddiqui clarified.

HTC has a retail reach across 400 cities in India. But the company plans to focus on top 200 cities and branding in top 100.

The company makes Desire series phones in India, but is still to start manufacturing of its high-end segment. —PTI