About

HTC is one of the world’s best known smartphone manufacturers. Its reputation rides principally on the HTC One range, in particular the HTC One M9 which picked up a string of awards from gadget sites.

HTC One smartphones' strong points include their design and premium build quality, most obviously in the form of the One line's aluminium unibody construction that stands in contrast to some rival Android manufacturers' use of plastic shells.

Choose an HTC One phone and you'll also get an UltraPixel camera. These feature pixels that are twice the size of other handsets, enabling you to capture more light, as well as impressive 360-degree mode and a selection of photo effects.

HTC's BoomBass stereo technology and front-facing speakers also help its premium smartphones to stand out, as do advanced social networking capabilities with the HTC Sense user interface.

Alongside its top-end One smartphones, HTC caters for the 'value' end of the market with its Desire handsets. These are powered by the same Android/HTC Sense software and offer many of the same things that have won over reviewers and users.

However, they will typically be equipped with lower-grade cameras, less processing power and smaller screens.

History

HTC was founded in 1997 in Taiwan as an outsourcing company and original design manufacturer. However, it has subsequently moved into manufacturing its own range of powerful mobile phones, powered by Android and Windows Phone.

In its short history, the company has introduced a range of innovations to the market, including the first intuitive touchscreen to allow fingertip navigation, as well as the first ever Microsoft Smart Music Phone.

It was also responsible in October 2008 for the release of the first smartphone to employ Google’s Android software (the G1) and has been among the platform's key supporters ever since, with tablets such as the HTC Flyer and a steady stream of new smartphones. The close ties between the companies were born out when Google chose HTC to manufacture the joint-branded HTC-Google Nexus One.

HTC subsequently did much to break Android as a mass-market smartphone operating system with its huge-selling Desire phones. Its handset product line is now led by the One series, with the Desire brand reserved for mid-range and entry-level handsets.