HTC launches studio-quality audiophile smartphone

Audiophiles, this could be the smartphone for you. Taiwan-based smartphone maker HTC launched this week its first smartphone with studio-quality audio, to boost sales of high-end products in the last quarter of 2011. HTC's Sensation XE features sound technology from Beats Electronics, according to a report from Taiwan's Central News Agency. The phone will go on sale through open channels in October, with a price tag of NT$19,900 (US$653), and through Chunghwa Telecom Co. on Nov. 1. HTC North Asia operations president Jack Tong said they expect the new phone to become another growth driver of high-end product sales, after the original HTC Sensation was launched last May. "If our high-end products sell well, it will drive consumer demand for our mid-range products as well," Tong said at the launch of the Sensation XE. Last August, HTC announced it would acquire a 51-percent stake in Beats Electronics for US$309 million (NT$8.96 billion). It cited the success of Beats in harnessing the pop culture market among the younger generation through its stylish and trendy products. With a partnership with Beats, HTC said it will "bring high performance sound" to its phones in autumn. Specs The new phone has 4.3-inch touchscreen and runs on a Qualcomm 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, which HTC said promise studio-quality audio and "the ultimate sound experience." Powering the phone will be Google's Android operating system. Chen Chang-rong, vice president of Chunghwa's mobile business group, said sales of HTC smartphones through Chunghwa have been in line with the carrier's internal target during the first three quarters, with its annual sales target for HTC phones set at two times higher than last year. HK, Vietnam The HTC Sensation XE will also hit stores in Hong Kong and Vietnam in early October, Tong said. He said the Beats phone will enter the China market later, as sales of the original Sensation have just begun there. — TJD, GMA News