HTC RE is not a GoPro killer, it is a new camera category

It is rare for a smartphone company to branch off into
a completely new vertical. But HTC is doing just this
with its new RE camera, what the company internally
calls a “remarkable little camera”.
While everyone is tempted to start calling this simple,
uncomplicated handheld camera a rival for the GoPro,
which has almost acquired cult status across most of
the globe, HTC Corporation CEO Peter Chou doesn’t
agree. “We are very different, we are mobile, we don’t
need a PC and we are cloud based… we are for
everybody,” Chou told IndianExpress.com during an
interaction on the sidelines of the launch in New York.
And this is going to be the USP of the RE. The camera
for the everyone. To start with, this camera has just
two buttons — one to shoot and another to initiate slow
motion. The camera does not have a power button as it
switches on when you hold it in your hand.
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HTC USA head Jaon Mackenzie says this shape is ideal
to grip, but then you can attach it to a whole lot of
places from your arm to the front of a bicycle. A single
press on the main buttons gets you a 16MP still image,
while a long press starts Full HD (1080p) video
recording. Things couldn’t be more simpler.
But then this is a device for the mobile generation. It
does not need to be tethered to a PC at any time and
can be controlled by an app. HTC has launched the app
for all Android devices with version 4.3 upwards and
even iOS. A clear indication that it is taking this
camera very seriously.
The camera does not come with internal storage, so the
app lets you save images and videos to the cloud. You
can also add an SD card of up to 128GB.
Perched on a bottle top, the HTC RE records a conversation
with Chia-Lin Chang, HTC’s President of Global Sales and
Chief Financial Officer
HTC RE has a distinct price advantage too, given that it
is priced at $199 in the US. You also don’t need to
spend much on accessories as it is already waterproof.
The RE will become available in India by November
and we estimate it to be priced between Rs 15,000 and
Rs 20,000. HTC might try and go a bit below this price
point. Consider that with the starting price of around
Rs 30,000 for an older GoPro model. HTC really has a
chance to create a mark for itself in this category.