HTC, the company that once rivaled Samsung for the adulation of Android smartphone fans, has sunk to the role of a discount player. Its new flagship device, the U Ultra, launched only last month, but it’s already subject to a $150 discount this week, which takes it from its unreasonable $749 sticker price to a more palatable $599. Even at a fifth less, the U Ultra is hard to recommend, owing to its peculiar mix of bad ideas and poor execution.
Other phones in HTC’s range are getting even bigger cuts during this week-long Easter sale on HTC.com. The One A9, for example, is getting a full $300 off, while the HTC 10 gets $200 off, and the HTC Bolt is $150 cheaper than usual and is bundled with a free clear case. Evidently, HTC is doing a bit of spring inventory cleaning, which is all good for the older models, but doesn’t speak especially well for the success of the 2017 U Ultra. Then again, all this discount action can also be read as making room for a new premium model, which could perhaps right some of the company’s recent wrongs.