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The 8C’s of the HTC10: Why the price is more logical than you might think
June 12, 2025
When HTCannounced its10on Tuesday, the leaks and hype that had been seeping through the cracks for months now became official. The device is very much an HTCflagship, and very much the product that fans arguably expected the company to deliver last year. One thing that was perhapsnotexpected however, was the high price tag the Taiwanese OEM slapped on it. Unlocked, the1ocosts $699 in the United States,pre-tax.
To be fair,HTC is running a promotionin the States that takes a cool $100 off the retail price when ordered directly from the company’s website. With that said however, people inothercountries aren’t as fortunate, and even withinthe USA there is no telling when HTCwill drop the campaign, much like how itsOne A9 discount abruptly endedlast year.
Then there is the fact that pricing for the device itself will vary from country-to-country. In certain ones, like many in Europe for example, the end result will inevitably be a much higher premium to pay, likely several hundred dollars at worst.
Any way you slice it, the10is an expensive proposition to ponder, and even more so to physically purchase. Comments from readers on Android Authority and around the internet are awash with criticism of the price. In light of this, we felt it prudent to try and see things from the other side, namely HTCs. In this piece, we will consider just why the10is so expensive, as well as give some thought as to why that might ultimately cause problems.
The Initial Verdict
Let’s formally begin with some data, namely our own. Ina poll ran earlier this weekwe asked readers if they felt the HTC10 was overpriced. Here is the poll, followed by the results:
While the numbers are subject to change pending additional participation, at the time of publishing 4,889 users have responded. 56% have said, “Yes” it is too expensive, 26% “No” it’s not, 16% are “Indifferent” and the remaining 2% felt none of the above.
In HTC’s defense
While an overwhelming majority of readers believe that the10is overpriced, pointing the finger at HTCand saying “you’re wrong” isn’t necessarily right. Let us consider, for a moment, why the deviceisso expensive, and there are several points to address at that, which can be consolidated into “the 8C’s“:
The Company
HTC has been around for a relatively long time as far as mobile manufacturers go. Even before it was making its own flagships, it was producing them for others. It has, over the years, consistently charged a premium price for its products, especially the flagship ones. The M8 cost $600 at launch, and last year’s M9 cost $650. While $700+ might seem exorbitant for the10, its not exactly surprising. To put it differently, it’s not as if HTCwas known for pricing its halo products around $400 and suddenly it almost doubled.
The Condition
Anyone familiar with HTCby now is probably aware of the company’s dire financial plight. The problems and departures at the company are frequently publicized in the media, and in many ways the OEM has become the BlackBerry of Asia. To illustrate just how bad things are at the moment, take a look at thefinancial information from Q1 2016it disclosed just this month:
The take-away point from the above chart: Revenue in Q1 2016 was -64.31% of that from Q1 2015. Even worse, the data shows a trend of intensifying disparity between the months of January, February, and March when compared year-on-year. March in particular has seen a decrease in revenue of -79.30% this year when compared to March of last.
Suffice to say, HTCneeds to be making major masses of moneyif it wants to stay in business. Pricing its brand new, top-tier flagship at $500 or less simply isn’t going to solve the problem to the same extent it will pricing it at $700 and up.
The Carriers
Another aspect to consider is that carriers have frequently provided heavy subsidization for handsets in the past. How many times did you see an offer for Product X for $199 or Product Y for $299 when agreeing to a 2-year contract. News flash: these devices werenever$199 and $299 respectively. Their full retail price has likely always been at least double if nottriplethat figure.
The difference is that now, in part due to competition from the carriers themselves, the 2-year subsidized pricing model has eroded and now it’s all about installment plans. This means that to a mass, mass majority of the mainstream, they are finally being clued into what the real price for these products are. The Galaxy S7 isnot$299. The iPhone isnot$249.
Anyone who has purchased unlocked/carrier-free devices in the past can tell you, theyhave neverbeen cheap.
The Creation
Moving on, we need to consider the creation of the HTC10 itself. Unlike last year, where the OEM basically rehashed the One M8’s shell and called it the One M9, this year there is a substantially different, distinctive design. In fact, it’s neither a larger One A9 nor is it a more premium One X9. It’s an entirely new looking phone, and with that came massive financial expenditures from HTC. The design, the manufacturing process, the component positions, the testing…everything costs money, and it’s not exactly cheap unless you’re able to go from start to finish doing everything internally.
The Consideration
Ask yourself for a second, “What is a Non-Nexus flagship?”. Chances are the answer will list top-tier specs, a solid or premium build quality, and – possibly – a higher price tag. Now consider what would happen if a product had the first two points ticked off, but was priced at $400 or less,full retail. How would such an offering be approached by many of the mainstream customers?
Are there products that meet all three criteria in the market? Sure. Many of the devices come from Chinese OEMs. But these Chinese OEMs have made it their business model to sell at-cost or just slightly over, making their money from sheer sales volume. HTCisn’t going to be selling 50 million10s, and thus it very much needs to ensure its brand image and value is considered in terms of what it’s offering.
The Competition
Samsung has released what some feel is the best phone on the market today. TheGalaxy S7andGalaxy S7 Edgeare basically accepted as state-of-the-art premium products. HTC, if it offered the10at a significantly lower price, would basically be saying “the S7 is a better phone, that’s why it costs more.” No. It has priced the10at such a point to let people know that it’s every bit as competitive as Samsung’s offering, not to mention LG’s as well.
The Components
Look at the spec sheet for the HTC10. It has a Snapdragon 820, 4GB of RAM, a fantastic camera and audio system, is made of metal…going down the list there is nothing that stands out as being a concession. These components cost money in and of themselves, and then one must factor in the cost of making the shell for the device and the error ratio.
The Criticism
Much of the criticism of the price seems to be that it’s too expensive because (1) HTCis a failing company and should’t charge so much if it wants to sell the product, and (2) there are lots of rival Chinese devices out there that cost far less. For what it’s worth, a great many mainstream consumers, at least many of those in the USA, are not so trusting of companies like HUAWEI or Xiaomi simply because they are from China.
Likewise, they might not be so familiar with the OEMs. And yet another point: many of these OEMs don’t sell products that are readily available in a local carrier store; to buy them is to have some kind of knowledge they exist in the first place.
Devil’s advocate (considering the condemnation)
Let’s be fair here though: While we’ve just listed 8 reasons the HTC10 is “justified” to cost what it does, that doesn’t mean HTCis necessarily right for charging that kind of money. In fact:
Critical Mass (Wrap-Up)
It is here that we close the piece and adopt a wait and see approach. HTChas set its price in smartphone stone, and now it’s just a matter of time until the market ultimately decides just how good a decision that was. While we have considered just why the priceisso high, we have not – and will not – go as far as to say it’s inherently justified. When push comes to shove, a product’s success is less about what it can do so much as it is about who it does things for. Indeed Sony’s PS Vita is a perfect example of this conundrum: despite having infinitely superior hardware to the Nintendo 3DS, it has been deemed a commercial failure.
While we can not know the success – or failure – of HTC’s newest flagship, at the very least we can have a better appreciate for justwhythe company decided to price it at such a premium point.
What do you think? In light of the points raised in this piece – which are some, but not necessarily all of the puzzle – do you think the $700 price tag is justified? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!
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