HTC Criticism of Samsung Galaxy S4 – the Last Cries of a Dying Company?

HTC's head of marketing has criticised the Galaxy S4 as "more of the same" in a statement which smacks of desperation, as HTC clings on for dear life.

There is no getting away from a the fact that the launch of Samsung's Galaxy S4 was slightly underwhelming - in spite of the vaudeville antics on stage at Radio City Music Hall. The Galaxy S4 is an evolution of the hugely popular S3, with slightly updated hardware and design and a raft of new software features.

While many technology watchers complained about the lack of big new features, it was still surprising to hear HTC's new head of marketing Benjamin Ho openly criticise his rival's latest product.

"With a continuation of a plastic body, and a larger screen being the most obvious physical change, Samsung's new Galaxy pales in comparison to the all-aluminium unibody HTC One," Ho said.

Adding: "This is more of the same. HTC remains the best option for those people looking for the best technology wrapped in premium design. Our customers want original cutting-edge technology, mouth-watering design and a premium feel from their mobiles, which is why we created the HTC One."

Whether or not you believe the criticism is valid (and I for one do), it smacks of desperation from the Taiwanese company which knows it cannot compete with Samsung in terms of marketing push and will therefore struggle to sell its flagship device in large numbers.

The HTC One has been overwhelmingly well-received by technology reviewers across the world, but as I argued earlier this week, making the best smartphone in the world is no longer enough.

Different

I wish it was different. I wish we lived in a world where the pinnacle of design and manufacturing was rewarded with huge sales while lesser phones are consigned to the scrapheap.

But that's not the world we live in. Samsung has ten times the marketing budget for its phones than HTC does and this means that the HTC One is likely to be buried under the coming tidal wave of Galaxy S4 promotion.

I can understand Ho looking to defend his product, but having a pop at a company like Samsung, with the resources to buy your company many times over, is possibly not the most sensible tactic.

HTC has launched a single smartphone in 2013 and there is no sign of others on the horizon, meaning the company will sink or swim depending on the success of the HTC One.

But we have been here before. In 2012 I felt the HTC One X was a better phone than the Galaxy S3, but while one became the best-selling phone for months on end, the other disappearing without a trace.

While companies like Huawei and ZTE continue to grow market share, they are essentially feeding from scraps left by Samsung and Apple who dominate the smartphone landscape. They are capturing the low-end of the market while the Galaxy S3 and iPhone 5 dominate at the top.

The problem for HTC is that with the One going toe-to-toe with Samsung and Apple's flagship devices, and no other new smartphones on the horizon, it has put all its eggs in One basket.

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