Speaking to Focus Taiwan at the launch of the new One M9+ in Taiwan, Tong said the HTC One Mini 2 from last year was the last of the line. “Overall, the industry is moving towards new phones over 5-inches in size,” he told the publication, adding that the HTC line-up was being tailored to fit in with that trend.
Since the end of last year, almost all HTC’s new devices have had screens at least 5-inches in size, including several Desire models with displays measuring 5.5-inches. The One Mini 2 was launched in May 2014, and still managed to pack a 4.5-inch screen, just half-an-inch smaller than the One M8 on which it was based.
Earlier in May, HTC reported a sizable 39-percent reduction in revenue over this time last year. Analysts blamed a poor response to the new HTC One M9, and while HTC apparently has no plans for a small version to bolster the range, it hasn’t been shy about remixing the flagship phone, producing the One M9+ and the similarly styled J Butterfly since then.
Interestingly, there haven’t been any rumors regarding an HTC One M9 Mini (or One Mini 3, as it may have been named), nor a Galaxy S6 Mini. Talk has also cooled regarding a new small screen iPhone recently. The decision to abandon the One Mini may be sound, based on recent research showing 21-percent of smartphones sold in the first three months of this year were classed as phablets, up from 6-percent during the same period in 2014. Also, at the beginning of 2015, Juniper Research stated big-screen phone shipments would increase by five times this year, and become the standard within three years.
However, LG may end up standing apart from its competitors. It’s linked with a smaller, mini version of the LG G4, rumored to arrive in the next few months. At this rate, it may be the only small screen flagship spin-off coming out this summer.
