HTC grows smartphone shipments 93 percent

A 93 percent rise in smartphone shipments has helped Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer HTC to a 68 percent increase in income for its fiscal third quarter of 2011.

The company announced the 68 percent rise in income to TWD18.68bn (£390m) for the three-month period ended 30 September on Monday, attributing the revenue gains to "strong brand recognition" and a "leading product portfolio".

During the period, HTC launched a number of handsets running either the Google Android — such as the music-orientated Sensation XE and XL Beats audio handsets — or the Windows Phone operating system, such as the Titan and Radar.

In total, the company shipped 13.2 million handsets, a rise of 9 percent in a quarterly comparison with its previous three months, and a 93 percent increase when compared with the same period during 2010. In comparison, Apple's most recent quarterly figures from October showed that it sold 17.1 million iPhones in the three months previously.

HTC's net profit for the quarter totalled TWD38.05bn, up from TWD22.93bn in comparison to 2010, representing a 65.9 percent increase in profits, despite an increase in average selling price of just 0.6 percent during the same period.

Looking ahead to its final three months of the year, HTC said it expects further year-on-year revenue and shipment increases, and that it will continue to invest in R&D to "drive innovation and create differentiation".