If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. On Wednesday, HTC announced that starting one week from today, it will launch a 24-hour online store in Taiwan where the manufacturer will embrace the Xiaomi way of selling hardware. The HTC eStore will commence operations at 10pm Taiwan time next Wednesday, and will initially offer two mid-range handsets. Both the HTC Desire 816G and the HTC Desire 826G will feature octa-core processors and dual SIM slots. HTC expects to add entry-level models to the store some time this year.
Xiaomi has been sizzling hot, tripling its smartphone shipments last year alone. The company uses eCommerce platforms along with flash sales to bolster its online presence. But unlike Xiaomi, HTC has long-standing relationships with carriers and retailers, and expects that only 10% of its sales in Taiwan will come from the new online store.
Other manufacturers have also copied Xiaomi. Sony employed Xiaomi's online strategy in Taiwan last year. At the beginning of 2014, such sales accounted for only 10% of the manufacturer's handset revenue in the region. By the end of the year, that figure had doubled to 20%.
The HTC Desire 526G will be one of two models initially available from the HTC eStore
Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
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