Update, May 19: In an email to Phone Scoop, HTC head of communications Jeff Gordon said Jack Tong was misquoted and that he didn’t actually say that HTC isn’t planning Mini versions of its devices. “To be clear, I’m not confirming HTC is coming out with an HTC One M9 mini, only that Jack Tong didn’t say what some press are attributing to him,” said Gordon. There you have it – there’s still some hope left for fans of the One Mini series. Thoughts?
Original post, May 18: HTC will not release a successor to the One Mini 2, said Jack Tong, head of the company’s North Asia division.
Speaking at the Taiwan launch of the 5.2-inch One M9+, Tong said the industry as a whole is moving away from smaller phones and HTC sees no reason to fight the trend.
“Overall the industry is moving towards new phones over 5 inches in size and our product roadmap is close to that of the industry,” the executive said.
HTC released the original One Mini in July 2013, and followed up with the 4.5-inch One Mini 2, which was based on the One M8 and launched in May 2014. One Mini devices featured metallic designs closely resembling the top of the line One M7 and M8, but with pared-down specifications that put them in direct competition with budget-friendly phones like the Moto G. Given HTC’s decision to pull the plug, it’s safe to say people didn’t flock to buy the more expensive One Mini.
The news comes soon after HTC announced it won’t update the One Mini 2 to Lollipop, even if similar devices from other Android OEMs made the jump without major issues.
HTC is now focusing on the 5 to 5.5-inch range, with devices like the One M9+, One E9+, and the rumored hybrid One ME9.
With HTC giving up on the segment, fans of smaller designs have precious few options left. Sony will likely release an Xperia Z4 Compact and Samsung may follow up on the 4.7-inch Alpha later this year, but overall, sub-5-inch devices seem to be going the way of the dodo.
Are you disappointed in this decision? Or is it just inevitable?
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