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HTC

The Taiwanese maker of the first major Android phone — now focused on virtual reality and XR

Transformed — HTC built the first big Android smartphones and was briefly a top smartphone maker. A steep decline followed, and the company pivoted to virtual reality and XR, where it now focuses most of its energy.

HTC was founded in 1997 in Taoyuan, Taiwan, as High Tech Computer Corporation, initially building devices for other brands. It gradually made its own name in mobile, becoming one of the biggest makers of Windows Mobile phones before the Android era.

In 2008 HTC made the first major Android phone, the T-Mobile G1, in partnership with Google. That put HTC at the very center of the smartphone revolution, and in the years that followed it became one of the world's leading smartphone manufacturers, with acclaimed devices like the HTC One series.

The smartphone market turned brutally competitive, and HTC was squeezed by Samsung, Apple and fast-rising Chinese brands. Its phone business shrank sharply. HTC pivoted toward virtual reality with the HTC Vive and, more recently, toward broader XR and enterprise products — a very different company from the one that defined early Android.

Quick facts

Founded

1997, Taoyuan, Taiwan

Breakthrough

First major Android phone (T-Mobile G1, 2008)

Peak

A leading smartphone maker around 2011

Decline

Eclipsed by Samsung, Apple and Chinese rivals

Now

Focused on VR and XR (HTC Vive)

Legacy

A pioneer of the modern smartphone

Sources

1. HTC - Wikipedia — Wikipedia (2026-09-05)
2. HTC's Revenue Stabilizes as XR Pioneer Pins Hopes on AI, Smart Glasses and Enterprise — Road to VR (2026-09-05)

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