Question, how many of you here know about HTC and its phones? My guess surely wouldn't be on many, I can bet on that haha. Some probably never even heard about the brand itself.
Yet, even if you did know about it, then the chances are that you probably forgot about it and its legendary phones. To be honest, it's tough to spot such underrated devices when people just want glamour, always chasing brand and image instead of performance or innovation.
People would rather have an Apple logo at the back of their phones. Even if there are better options to choose from, most would rather quite blindly choose to rock the Apple logo instead. Never even thinking for once, if this is actually the perfect fit for them in terms of features and the other things it has to offer. Now, I'm no hater of Apple or Samsung devices, I've used them both and I really can't say it was an all in all fun experience. Yes, phones are usually bought when a certain device suits someone's "style" and preferences. So, what suits me might not suit you.
Yet, there are some people who "think", that they now know it all, after being with one damn device or brand. After that most of them start preaching about that certain brand and device.
Mentioning repeatedly how that one brand is just full of next level innovation and tech. Making such statements without even having a look at the whole market. People should really try out some other brands and devices, or at least do some research on them.
Now, I wasn't always an HTC fanboy. I was just like the common bunch about a decade ago.
Nokia was without a doubt the hype back then. A time when everyone used to think that Nokia was invincible and truly irreplaceable, as if they made the best phones in the world and non even came close. And it was somewhat true you know, it surely did feel that way sometimes.
Starting from the classy metallic finish business class N series phones to the funky XpressMusic models and ending with the much cheaper Nokia 1000 series. Yet, if we're talking raw performance and build quality, then the cheaper options surely were the ones to go with. What a phone the Nokia 1100 model was, AS SOLID AS A GOD DAMN ROCK, you could kill someone with that thing lol.
So, just like the common bunch, I had quite luckily received the Nokia Xpressmusic 5800 as a gift, back in 2009 I'm guessing. It was my first phone and the gift came from China actually, sent by one of my father's clients. That day when I received that phone, quite suddenly, the air was fresher, life was sweeter and it was proven to me, that dreams actually do come true haha.
Soon after though, my everlasting smirk of having this funky phone in my hand had to come to an end. Because just a few weeks later me and my family went over to a relative's place for dinner. And quite sadly, yet gladly, on that day for the first time, I laid my eyes upon a HTC phone.
That phone was owned by my very geeky cousin and I have to admit, that man was one hell of techie for his age. He's probably the reason for me being this geeky when it comes to anything related to tech. He knew it all, phones, computers, music systems/players, you name it, the list goes on.
Now, the moment of truth, after we reached their place I went straight up to his room. Poor little me, I just wanted to showoff my new funky ass phone. Sadly, I got the UNO reverse card treatment instead hahaha. After a few minutes of showing off my Nokia, he brought out his HTC, it was the HTC Touch Pro 2 I think.
At first I thought it wouldn't be much. What even is a HTC? Sounded more like a disease than phone a company.
Yet, after just a few minutes, I was convinced that HTC was doing something right. They had plans and features which the common people didn't want or just didn't know about. The features it had were just too good compared to my Nokia. The more surprising part was that both phones cost the same too. The differences and features were mainly OS based, the HTC was simply a mini computer, running on Windows. Whereas my Nokia had the common and much boring Symbian OS.
That day I got to know two things, first being my knowledge on tech, it was absolute horseshit. All the knowledge I had was quite common, even the average Joe knew about it all. And the second thing was, that HTC was going be a big deal very soon.
Now, at present time about 13 years later, every tech geek and even the common techie knows about HTC. Well, the ones around me surely do know about HTC.
Sadly for us, HTC stopped making proper flagships phones for some reason. It seems that they're still making phones, but it's mostly mid-ranged phones with average tech and almost no signs of innovation.
The phone you see above, the HTC 10, this was their last proper and most loved flagship phone. It was released back in 2016, but I got it around mid 2017 when the price was a bit more affordable. I paid an exact amount of $420, no joke, that's how it is according to today's date and rates at least haha. And trust me when I say this, this thing is still going strong. I just changed the battery once back in 2019 and that's it.
Before this model the M9 was released, which was alright, but I myself didn't like it that much. I was using the HTC M8 back then, it was their best flagship and also the best phone in the market back in its time. Even that one ran for a strong 4 years straight.
This HTC 10 though, it went through some really rough and serious levels of mobile gaming back in 2017 and 2018. I surely don't know how it has managed to survive for this long. This phone and HTC itself, these are more than just phones or a simple company to me. The amount of memories I have with these phones and this brand, it's all inexpressible. From the many beautiful pictures I've taken on it, to the long gaming sessions with friends. The company's marketing strategies, innovative features introduced, some memorable joint ventures too, tough to forget about all these. It's all proper effort towards the love for technology and innovation.
HTC was probably the only brand that gave a damn about music, this phone right here had a goddamn built-in DAC AMP, a proper one. You music freaks surely know what that means haha. This thing was also rocking a 1440P resolution screen, even most of the phones these days have 1080P resolution on them. Not to mention the plastic or polycarbonate combo, it just feels cheap. This thing though, a full solid aluminum back and frame, it just feels different in the hand. It also adds to the phone's longevity and build quality, nothing comes close to this, not yet at least. Also, you'll have access to some of the most customizable options you'll find on a phone, even to this day.
If you want such features now, then you'll surely have to break the bank. Even then I doubt you'd get your hands on such a masterpiece. It's a phone that's way ahead of its time. I surely will miss using this thing, a proper handy and feature packed flagship phone. They truly don't make phones like these anymore, there's always something missing, a bit too much is compromised nowadays.
Too much focus goes into just making more money, instead of balancing it out like the old days. Back then, almost every aspect and category got proper attention, not just the money making business part of it.
Although, I do see some proper changes being implemented by a few companies, but it's just too early in the process to actually tell if all of it is gonna be worthwhile or not. Time will tell though, let's see where it all goes.
For now, I'll be taking a leave, it's been a long and tiring day today. Be seeing you folks on the next one. Take care now. 🥃