Microsoft proudly announced this week that it had signed up nine new hardware partners - including Lenovo, LG and ZTE - to join its Windows Phone platform. But while the company mentioned each of the four existing manufacturers that have already launched Windows Phone devices, it gave no hint of what to expect from any of them.

Nokia’s future in Windows Phone is a given, since the company’s devices and services business will soon be eaten by Microsoft. But for the remaining three brands – Samsung, Huawei and HTC – support for the platform has been limited, with very few devices having been released.

While the future of Samsung and Huawei devices remains ambiguous, we do at least now know that HTC’s Windows Phone future is secure. Re/code reports that Jason Mackenzie, president of HTC America, told them that Windows Phone remains on the company’s roadmap.

Mackenzie said that new HTC Windows Phones are on the way, adding: “We’ll continue to partner with Microsoft.” He did not, however, offer any indication of when to expect these new devices.

An educated guess might point to the middle of the year, shortly after Microsoft formally announces Windows Phone 8.1 at its BUILD conference in early April. The 8.1 update will introduce a large number of major new features to the OS, and it is likely that HTC, among other manufacturers, will be considering launching devices to coincide with its release.

The executive also confirmed that HTC is working on wearable devices, as part of a broader and more diverse product portfolio across the company.

Source: Re/code