HTC developing cheaper, plastic variant of One (M8) flagship: Report

While the Taiwanese manufacturer HTC has in the recent past been using an all-metal build for its high-end smartphones, it seems that the company doesn't want to lose customers from other segments too - if a rumour that suggests that the company is working on a more affordable plastic version of the HTC One (M8) is to be believed.

According to a report, HTC will soon release a much cheaper, plastic variant of the recently announced HTC One (M8) smartphone. Tmtpost reports that HTC sees the plastic version of the M8 as "the same set of different quality", and in addition to the outside body of the smartphone getting plastic, there will be no changes in the configuration and design of it. Notably, the existing HTC One (M8) comes with a body that's '90 percent metal'.

The report also speculates about the pricing of the alleged plastic One (M8), saying it is likely to be significantly cheaper (reportedly CNY 3,000 which is approximately Rs. 29,000) than the existing model priced at CNY 5,299 in China. Previously, HTC had unveiled the One (M8) in India in March, but the pricing is yet to be revealed for the country.

While we don't know if a plastic HTC One (M8) will actually hit shelves, the move is very much in line with the company's recently announced vision by HTC CEO Peter Chou while speaking at the New York unveiling of the HTC One (M8). Chou had said that the company is holding out hopes of gaining between an 8 to 10 percent of the global smartphone market share "in the long term".