HTC insists it is not quite dead yet with plans for new 5G phones and extended reality equipment to launch in 2021

Given LG's ultimate withdrawal from the competitive Android smartphone market, one might be forgiven for thinking HTC might be next. Much like its South Korean ex-rival, it was once synonymous with alternatives to iPhones in their nascency only to dwindle into comparative obscurity since.

Nevertheless, DigiTimes claims to have heard that HTC has new 5G phones in the works for 2021. The media outlet, quoting its "industry sources", also reports that it will continue its line of VR and AR products for business this year. Its Vive brand is quite active in this market, and might thus be applied to the new hardware and other new offerings from the OEM this year.

Both measures are reportedly being taken in order to drum up sales at HTC. In that case, it might be advisable for the company to re-think its pricing structure for smartphones this year. It has only just discounted its U20 5G to 13,990 new Taiwanese dollars (NTD; ~US$492) in its home country; nevertheless, many similarly-spec'd devices continue to be a better deal.

On that note, the newer Desire 21 Pro 5G launched with a price beaten out of the gate by comparable phones such as the OnePlus Nord. Accordingly, its reported ambitions to start rebuilding its presence in markets such as Europe through carrier partnerships hopefully come with realistic attitudes to starting prices this time.

HTC posted a year-on-year (YoY) loss of 11.63% in revenues for 1Q2021, a quarter for which it reported total earnings of 1.18 billion NTD (~$41 million). Then again, 455 million NTD (~$16 million, and 99.7% up YoY) of that amount was made in March 2021.

The HTC Desire 20 Pro is now on Amazon