Taiwan's HTC plays catch up with new smartphone, smartwatch

HTC Corp plans to unveil a marquee phone in March with improved camera and audio features, and its first smartwatch, according to a person familiar with the matter, as the Taiwanese company tries to stem three years of falling sales.

Codenamed M9, the phone features a 20-megapixel rear camera and an HTC UltraPixel front camera, the person said, asking not to be identified because the details are not public. The smartwatch will link with Under Armour's fitness service, building on a partnership announced earlier this month, the person said.

HTC will release the products around the time of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, where the world's biggest smartphone makers, including Samsung Electronics and Huawei Technologies, will showcase their models.

The smartwatch represents the latest effort by HTC to move beyond the slowing smartphone market after the introduction last year of the "Re" action camera.

HTC does not comment on unreleased products, it said.

HTC shares climbed 5.4 per cent to NT$155.50 (HK$38) at the close of trading in Taipei yesterday, the highest since May 30. Taiwan's Taiex rose 0.4 per cent.