The maker of Lava phones has quietly brought HTC back to India — but with a phone that fails to impress

• Rather than launching a flagship device, HTC is going up against Xiaomi and Samsung in the entry-level segment.
  
• The phone only has HTC branding and has been manufactured by InOne Smart Technologies — the company that makes Lava phones.
• The Wildfire X will be available on sale for ₹9,999 exclusively on Flipkart starting 22 August.

HTC is back in the Indian smartphone market with the launch of their new device, the HTC Wildfire X.

Rather than going with a flagship launch and advertising its strongest features — like others brands — HTC has gone for a muted approach with an entry level device at the price of ₹9,999.

The phone isn't even made by HTC, according to XDA Developers. Instead, the company that makes Lava phones — InOne Smart Technology — has acquired the license to manufacture HTC-branded phones in India.

The phone will available for purchase starting 22 August exclusively on Flipkart. And, as a Flipkart exclusive phone, HTC seems to have missed another opportunity by not launching a flagship phone.

Flipkart's House of Flagships endeavour would ideally give HTC more visibility on the platform — especially since HTC was known for its flagship devices during its golden years.

HTC Wildfire X features that fail to impress

It should be noted that Xiaomi's already corners the majority market share for entry-level and budget smartphones so in order to have a foothold, HTC's device should measure up to Xiaomi's value for money.

But even that doesn't seem to be the case with the phones adequate but unimpressive specifications.

HTC's Wildfire X is powered by MediaTek's Helio P22 chipset and a 3,300 mAh battery. There's a triple camera set up in the back — a 12-megapixel main camera lens, an 8-megapixel secondary wide angle lens, and a 5-megapixel depth sensor — as well as an 8-megapixel front camera.

The Wildfire X also retains the 3.5mm headphone jack and has a USB Type-C port for charging. But it's display is a mere 720p rather than at least Full HD or Full HD Plus like on most smartphone devices these days.

The phone's saving grace is that it at least runs on Android 9 Pie.

The base model with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage costs ₹9,999 and its upgraded variant with has 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage costs ₹12,999.

In comparison, Xiaomi's Redmi Note 7S house a more powerful processor — the Snapdragon 660 — a bigger battery, a 48-megapixel primary camera as well as Full HD Plus display for ₹11,743 on Flipkart.

Even Realme 3i and Samsung's Galaxy M20, both under ₹10,000, offer more value for money.

See also:
Best Samsung phones under ₹ 10,000

Best phones under ₹10,000 in India

Best camera phones under ₹ 10,000 in India