HTC Says Its Next Phone Is Delayed Because It's No Longer A 'Tier-One' Customer

Business InsiderHTC's street marketing team outside Samsung's Galaxy S4 launch event.HTC's new flagship phone, the HTC One, is facing delays because the company can't lock down the components its needs to produce the device.

In a surprisingly candid interview with WSJ, one HTC executive blamed the component shortages on the fact that suppliers no longer see HTC as a top-tier components customer.:

The company has a problem managing its component suppliers as it has changed its order forecasts drastically and frequently following last year's unexpected slump in shipments. HTC has had difficulty in securing adequate camera components as it is no longer a tier-one customer.

When HTC first unveiled the One a few weeks ago, it said the phone would launch in late March. Now it's shooting for April, but the timing will vary by market.

In the U.S., the HTC One will launch on Sprint, AT&T, and T-Mobile. There are also reports that Verizon will sell the phone, but HTC hasn't confirmed that yet. (HTC recently launched the Droid DNA as a Verizon exclusive, so there's a chance Verizon wants to a wait a bit before launching another top-tier HTC phone.)

The timing couldn't be worse for HTC. Samsung is expected to launch the new Galaxy S4 this spring, and that device has a lot more hype surrounding it than the HTC One does. A delayed HTC launch could give Samsung an even bigger advantage.