The Evolution of HTC's Design Language: A Journey Through Time

HTC's design language has undergone significant transformations over the years, with each new phone introducing innovative features and aesthetic changes that have shaped the company's identity. In this article, we'll take a journey through time to explore the evolution of HTC's design language.

The Rise of Facebook Phones

In 2010, HTC launched its first Facebook phone, the HTC Salsa, which was designed specifically for teenagers and twins. This move marked a significant shift in HTC's strategy, as the company began to cater to specific demographics. The success of this phone led to the launch of the Bliss, another Facebook phone that appealed to a younger audience. The design of these phones was vastly different from traditional smartphones, with features such as polycarbonate bodies and vibrant color schemes.

HTC One Series: A New Direction

In 2012, HTC launched its new flagship series, known as the One Series. This marked a departure from the company's previous design language, as the phones featured a curved polycarbonate body that was both sleek and futuristic-looking. The HTC One X was the first phone in this series, followed by the HTC One S, which boasted an anodized metal chassis that many fans considered superior to its flagship counterpart. This new direction showed that HTC was willing to experiment with different design languages.

The Minimalist Design of the HTC First

In 2013, HTC released the HTC First, a phone designed specifically for Facebook. The minimalist design of this phone was a departure from the usual flashy and premium designs that HTC had previously offered. The lack of ornamentation on the phone's body made it stand out in a crowded market, and many fans praised its understated elegance.

The M7: A New Premium Design Language

In 2013, HTC released the M7, also known as the HTC One M7. This phone marked a significant turning point in the company's design language, as it adopted a new premium design aesthetic that would become the foundation of future HTC designs. The M7 featured an aluminum body with micro holes that comprised the earpiece and speaker, giving the phone a symmetrical appearance that was unlike anything else on the market at the time.

The M8: An Overhaul

In 2014, HTC released the M8, which built upon the success of its predecessor. The design of this phone remained largely faithful to the M7's aesthetic, with some minor iterative changes such as rounded edges and a Polish finish. However, it was the new dual camera system on the back that truly set the M8 apart from its competitors.

The Desire Line: A Shift towards More Fun Designs

In 2014, HTC also released the HTC Butterfly 2, which was essentially a polycarbonate version of the M8. This phone marked a shift in HTC's strategy, as the company began to focus on more fun and colorful designs that would appeal to younger audiences. The Desire line continued this trend, with phones such as the HTC One E9 Plus and the 1 M9 Plus offering unique design options for those looking for something different.

The HTC 10: A New Design Direction

In 2016, HTC released its latest flagship smartphone, the HTC 10. This phone marked a significant departure from previous designs, as it drew inspiration from both the One series and the HTC 1 A9. The result was a unique design language that blended elements of old and new in a way that was both familiar and innovative.

In Conclusion

HTC's design language has undergone significant transformations over the years, with each new phone introducing innovative features and aesthetic changes that have shaped the company's identity. From the rise of Facebook phones to the introduction of premium designs like the M7 and M8, HTC has consistently pushed the boundaries of what is possible in terms of smartphone design. As we look to the future, it will be interesting to see how HTC continues to evolve its design language in response to changing market trends and consumer preferences.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enso yeah the HTC 10 has been officially announced and it's about to embark on its journey into the hands of consumers one of the more delightful aspects of the phone is its updated design it's a testament to say the least since HTC has always been highly esteemed in the industry for its designs so it really got us thinking how the phone got here like what transpired throughout the years to reach this new design so with that in mind John Velasco here with Android authority and I'm taking you on a quick look at the history of of HTC's Android designs let's go back to the beginning of Android the year is 2008 and the code named HTC dream is the first commercially available Android smartphone to be released which many of us know as the T-Mobile G1 aesthetically this quy landscape handset look cute with its chin sticking out but it wasn't entirely impressive with its design it wasn't perfect and doesn't scream premium by today's standards but at the time it stood out to establish Android's identity in 2009 HTC released only two phones the first being the HTC magic known the us as the T-Mobile MyTouch 3G quite simply it was a keyboard lless version of the G1 so it had your typical slate design it wasn't Grandeur by any means just because it kept to that simple and cute manner from before for the latter portion of the year the company surprised many by coming out with the HTC Hero and boy did establish HTC on that path to premium with its one-of A- kind looks it was utterly premium in every way even featuring a Teflon coding to help it stay clean looking and would you believe it was HTC's first Android smartphone to feature a built-in 3.5 mm headset Jack 2010 brought us the very first Nexus branded smartphone the htcm made Google Nexus one it was an evolutionary leap just because it brought along a cleaner more refined design in fact it popularized the unibody design a casing fashion from one piece of material this one in particular had a Teflon coating as well to resist dirt and debris not long after the Nexus 1 HTC came Swinging with a variant in the form of the HTC Desire it remained faithful to its siblings design but swapped out the track ball in favor of a trackpad while also fusing a metal frame with a mostly plastic rear casing now after backto back impressive designs many were blown away by the HT C Legend it was the true successor to the HTC Hero you can say that HTC's legendary expertise in design was it fullest with Legend given that the body was fashioned from one piece of aluminum now it's really hard to imagine where HTC is currently without paying homage to the HTC legend for the rest of 2010 however we didn't see another handset with the same level of prestige this was when we began to see the company recycling its designs phones like the HTC Evo 4G the Droid Incredible Wildfire Arya Desire HD and inspire all seemingly were variations of the original HTC Desire despite the underwhelming options HTC did end the a with some stunning designs both the T-Mobile My Touch 4G and the G2 were serious upgrades to the respective predecessors they were far more premium looking and solidly constructed by the time 2011 rolled around HTC established itself as a premier maker with its stunning design the designers's design language was a particular favorite of theirs given that the HTC Thunderbolt desire s ReSound and EVO 3D all kept to the same theme don't get us wrong some of them still offered a metal chassis but there wasn't anything majorly new or different with them then in mid 2011 the HTC Sensation was released to prove again that the company was capable of producing something original yes the desire resemblance was there but the sensation boasted an evolutionary design that consisted of an aluminum chassis a beveled glass display and an eye-catching tricolor pattern design with its rear casing Beyond The Sensation HTC managed to experiment with other peculiar looking designs the HTC chaa and Salo are two examples of that as these so-called Facebook phones appeared vastly different they catered to the teens and twins demographic they sought after the company's decision to cater to specific audiences became more evident with the Bliss fully designed HTC Rhyme a phone specifically designed for women it fashioned together characteristics from the desire and sensation but was arguably most recognizable for its color Choice Plum to be exact a shakeup occurred in 2012 HTC seemingly settled on a new franchise name the one series the brand new HTC 1X was a departure from the norm for them because they decided to go with the curred polycarbonate body it was a surprising turn of events however they still managed to forge An Elegant phone now metal was entirely removed given that the mid-ranger in the new series the HTC 1S was bless with a Sleek looking anodized metal chassis in certain instances some folks regarded the HTC 1S as being Superior in design than the flagship 1X people question whether the company was expunged of any new ideas at this point since most of the remaining releases of 2012 were nothing more than variants of the new devices in the one line in 2013 one of HTC's most baffling design choices came in the form of the HTC First design-wise this Facebook phone was a star contrast to what HTC was doing the minimalist design was obvious everywhere it wasn't flashy or premium but it was oddly different from the rest of the stuff in its stable the most ambitious design in HTC's history came with the HTC 1's arrival code named the M7 many people will certainly agree that this was and is HTC's finest looking phone adopting a new premium design language that would be the foundation of others to come later after going with polycarbonate the previous year the M7 went back to more premium design with a body made out of aluminum it also introduced micro holes that comprise the earpiece and speaker giving the phone a symmetrical appearance like nothing before it the design can still hold up today showing to us that designs can carry a phone very far for the M7 successor in 2014 the M8 made some minor iterative Improvement M ments you still had an unmistakable metal design one that now comprised 90% of the phone featured edges that were more rounded a Polish finish to accentuate its premium industrial design and a switch to onscreen buttons while it was an overhaul the M8 did manage to become a pleasantly designed phone worthy of being the M7 successor well you could say that the minor changes were probably overshadowed by the fact that the M8 featured a new dual camera system 2014 ended up being one of the slowest year for HTC they scaled back with product releases instead they announced variants of the M8 as well as devices in its desire line the next phone designed that stood out came with HTC Butterfly 2 essentially a polycarbonate version of the M8 you could say it was in response to the water resistant construction of the Samsung Galaxy S5 at the time the design appeared lukewarm without the premium attachment but it showed us that HTC was willing and able to go outside the box to reach a particular feature hard times of late didn't make 2015 an eventful year as well the first notable phone to arrive was the HTC1 M9 sadly though its design wasn't as widely claimed because there wasn't anything profound with its design choices the changes to it were minimal at best such as the jewly grade dual tone finish of the body we ended up seeing Hardware alterations to the phone resulting in devices like the HTC1 E9 plus and the 1 M9 Plus at the same time the desire line was still alive and well choosing to favor designs that were more fun and colorful to Target Millennials that don't want to spend a huge fortune on a phone it wasn't until late 2015 when we saw another major design shift when the HTC1 A9 was introduced as a lowcost premium alternative many critics panned the phone for resembling the iPhone but it had a premium design without the premium cost so the last few years haven't been kind for HTC than have changed dramatically since they launched the T-Mobile G1 we're nearing the halfway point of 2016 already and HTC went back to the drawing board with its latest Flagship smartphone the HTC 10 design is yet another Testament to the company's legendary reputation producing an original design it draws inspiration from the previous flagships as well as the recently launched HTC1 A9 now HC has increasingly become more selective with what it releases so it'll be interesting to see what HTC comes out with next I know the video was kind of long but I hope you liked it so if you want to learn about any of the handsets I talked about in this video you can check our website androidauthority.com your source for all things Androidso yeah the HTC 10 has been officially announced and it's about to embark on its journey into the hands of consumers one of the more delightful aspects of the phone is its updated design it's a testament to say the least since HTC has always been highly esteemed in the industry for its designs so it really got us thinking how the phone got here like what transpired throughout the years to reach this new design so with that in mind John Velasco here with Android authority and I'm taking you on a quick look at the history of of HTC's Android designs let's go back to the beginning of Android the year is 2008 and the code named HTC dream is the first commercially available Android smartphone to be released which many of us know as the T-Mobile G1 aesthetically this quy landscape handset look cute with its chin sticking out but it wasn't entirely impressive with its design it wasn't perfect and doesn't scream premium by today's standards but at the time it stood out to establish Android's identity in 2009 HTC released only two phones the first being the HTC magic known the us as the T-Mobile MyTouch 3G quite simply it was a keyboard lless version of the G1 so it had your typical slate design it wasn't Grandeur by any means just because it kept to that simple and cute manner from before for the latter portion of the year the company surprised many by coming out with the HTC Hero and boy did establish HTC on that path to premium with its one-of A- kind looks it was utterly premium in every way even featuring a Teflon coding to help it stay clean looking and would you believe it was HTC's first Android smartphone to feature a built-in 3.5 mm headset Jack 2010 brought us the very first Nexus branded smartphone the htcm made Google Nexus one it was an evolutionary leap just because it brought along a cleaner more refined design in fact it popularized the unibody design a casing fashion from one piece of material this one in particular had a Teflon coating as well to resist dirt and debris not long after the Nexus 1 HTC came Swinging with a variant in the form of the HTC Desire it remained faithful to its siblings design but swapped out the track ball in favor of a trackpad while also fusing a metal frame with a mostly plastic rear casing now after backto back impressive designs many were blown away by the HT C Legend it was the true successor to the HTC Hero you can say that HTC's legendary expertise in design was it fullest with Legend given that the body was fashioned from one piece of aluminum now it's really hard to imagine where HTC is currently without paying homage to the HTC legend for the rest of 2010 however we didn't see another handset with the same level of prestige this was when we began to see the company recycling its designs phones like the HTC Evo 4G the Droid Incredible Wildfire Arya Desire HD and inspire all seemingly were variations of the original HTC Desire despite the underwhelming options HTC did end the a with some stunning designs both the T-Mobile My Touch 4G and the G2 were serious upgrades to the respective predecessors they were far more premium looking and solidly constructed by the time 2011 rolled around HTC established itself as a premier maker with its stunning design the designers's design language was a particular favorite of theirs given that the HTC Thunderbolt desire s ReSound and EVO 3D all kept to the same theme don't get us wrong some of them still offered a metal chassis but there wasn't anything majorly new or different with them then in mid 2011 the HTC Sensation was released to prove again that the company was capable of producing something original yes the desire resemblance was there but the sensation boasted an evolutionary design that consisted of an aluminum chassis a beveled glass display and an eye-catching tricolor pattern design with its rear casing Beyond The Sensation HTC managed to experiment with other peculiar looking designs the HTC chaa and Salo are two examples of that as these so-called Facebook phones appeared vastly different they catered to the teens and twins demographic they sought after the company's decision to cater to specific audiences became more evident with the Bliss fully designed HTC Rhyme a phone specifically designed for women it fashioned together characteristics from the desire and sensation but was arguably most recognizable for its color Choice Plum to be exact a shakeup occurred in 2012 HTC seemingly settled on a new franchise name the one series the brand new HTC 1X was a departure from the norm for them because they decided to go with the curred polycarbonate body it was a surprising turn of events however they still managed to forge An Elegant phone now metal was entirely removed given that the mid-ranger in the new series the HTC 1S was bless with a Sleek looking anodized metal chassis in certain instances some folks regarded the HTC 1S as being Superior in design than the flagship 1X people question whether the company was expunged of any new ideas at this point since most of the remaining releases of 2012 were nothing more than variants of the new devices in the one line in 2013 one of HTC's most baffling design choices came in the form of the HTC First design-wise this Facebook phone was a star contrast to what HTC was doing the minimalist design was obvious everywhere it wasn't flashy or premium but it was oddly different from the rest of the stuff in its stable the most ambitious design in HTC's history came with the HTC 1's arrival code named the M7 many people will certainly agree that this was and is HTC's finest looking phone adopting a new premium design language that would be the foundation of others to come later after going with polycarbonate the previous year the M7 went back to more premium design with a body made out of aluminum it also introduced micro holes that comprise the earpiece and speaker giving the phone a symmetrical appearance like nothing before it the design can still hold up today showing to us that designs can carry a phone very far for the M7 successor in 2014 the M8 made some minor iterative Improvement M ments you still had an unmistakable metal design one that now comprised 90% of the phone featured edges that were more rounded a Polish finish to accentuate its premium industrial design and a switch to onscreen buttons while it was an overhaul the M8 did manage to become a pleasantly designed phone worthy of being the M7 successor well you could say that the minor changes were probably overshadowed by the fact that the M8 featured a new dual camera system 2014 ended up being one of the slowest year for HTC they scaled back with product releases instead they announced variants of the M8 as well as devices in its desire line the next phone designed that stood out came with HTC Butterfly 2 essentially a polycarbonate version of the M8 you could say it was in response to the water resistant construction of the Samsung Galaxy S5 at the time the design appeared lukewarm without the premium attachment but it showed us that HTC was willing and able to go outside the box to reach a particular feature hard times of late didn't make 2015 an eventful year as well the first notable phone to arrive was the HTC1 M9 sadly though its design wasn't as widely claimed because there wasn't anything profound with its design choices the changes to it were minimal at best such as the jewly grade dual tone finish of the body we ended up seeing Hardware alterations to the phone resulting in devices like the HTC1 E9 plus and the 1 M9 Plus at the same time the desire line was still alive and well choosing to favor designs that were more fun and colorful to Target Millennials that don't want to spend a huge fortune on a phone it wasn't until late 2015 when we saw another major design shift when the HTC1 A9 was introduced as a lowcost premium alternative many critics panned the phone for resembling the iPhone but it had a premium design without the premium cost so the last few years haven't been kind for HTC than have changed dramatically since they launched the T-Mobile G1 we're nearing the halfway point of 2016 already and HTC went back to the drawing board with its latest Flagship smartphone the HTC 10 design is yet another Testament to the company's legendary reputation producing an original design it draws inspiration from the previous flagships as well as the recently launched HTC1 A9 now HC has increasingly become more selective with what it releases so it'll be interesting to see what HTC comes out with next I know the video was kind of long but I hope you liked it so if you want to learn about any of the handsets I talked about in this video you can check our website androidauthority.com your source for all things Android\n"