The Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC has seized the trend for selfies by releasing a dedicated new handset with a front-facing camera as big and powerful as the conventional rear-facing camera.
The HTC Desire Eye has a 13-megapixel camera and dual LED flash above the screen where the phone’s speaker normally sits. It is the highest resolution front-facing camera fitted to a smartphone, complete with auto-focus and 1080p video recording.
“It’s a smart move by HTC to introduce the Desire Eye, given the consumer frenzy around selfie pictures,” said Ben Wood, chief of research at CCS Insight. “The company has undoubtedly beaten others to the punch with this design and rivals will watch closely to see whether it is a capability that appeals to consumers.”
‘A clever way of differentiating’
Most smartphones, including the iPhone 6 and HTC One M8 have front-facing cameras that do not match the cameras on the rear of the phones, lacking auto-focus among other common camera features.
Unlike HTC’s high-end One M8, the Desire Eye is a cheaper, mid-range smartphone costing approximately £300-£400, but has specifications similar to the £550 One M8.
The Eye has a 5.2in 1080p screen and the same quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor with 2GB of RAM as the flagship One M8. It is also waterproof to 1m for 30 minutes with a plastic body.
“Beefing up the front-facing camera is a clever way of differentiating this phone from the sea of homogenous rectangular smartphones,” said Wood. “If it gets a positive reception you can almost guarantee Samsung and others will take a similar approach in 2015.”
‘HTC is desperately trying to break into new categories’
HTC also unveiled a 16-megapixel action camera the Re Camera, which connects to both Android phones and iPhones and features a periscope design, looking like an asthma inhaler.
HTC claims the Re is the action camera for those living normal lives, not extreme sports fans who might already own the market-leading GoPro action camera.
The Re Camera will cost $200 (£123) in the US and will have a tough time convincing users that they need another camera for general shots, considering most carry a smartphone with a camera.
“The decision to launch the RE Camera signals HTC is desperately trying to break into new categories as competition in smartphones reaches new, uncomfortable heights,” explained Wood.
HTC has struggled to differentiate itself in the increasingly competitive smartphone market dominated by Apple and Samsung. Cheaper smartphones from China are squeezing the bottom end and HTC is joined by Sony, LG and Motorola in the high-end space where Samsung and Apple dominate
Whether the Desire Eye and Re Camera will sell in enough volume to help HTC climb out of its downward trajectory is unknown.
• HTC One mini 2 review: selfie-camera ready for action
• HTC One M8 review: a lightning-quick, five-star smartphone
- This article has been amended at 17:30 to remove reference to Three’s exclusivity.
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