HTC, the Taiwanese company known for making Android smartphones, said it posted its first quarterly revenue growth in more than three years.
Fourth-quarter sales totaled $1.5 billion, up from $1.3 billion a year earlier. It’s the first gain the company has seen since the third quarter of 2011, according to Bloomberg.
The company attributes the rise in sales to its new tablet, which was the first one its manufactured in three years. The 8.9-inch Nexus 9 was made in partnership with Google, and received favorable reviews when it launched in November.
A bump in sales is a good place to start, however, it still has a long ways to go. Full-year revenue was down when compared to 2013. In addition, HTC reported that its profit hit NT$470 million during the fourth quarter, beating the NT$212 million average of 14 analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg.
As of recently, the company, which operates its North American headquarters in the Seattle area, has also been trying to diversify its line of products with more affordable options for developing markets. In addition, it also unveiled the “Re,” a new handheld camera for people who want to take self portraits.
Last year, Chairman Cher Wang started to play a more active role in the company, hoping to turn thing around. Her responsibilities include marketing and building relationships with wireless carriers that carry HTC devices, while CEO Peter Chou can focus on building new products and new product categories.
So far, the strategy appears to be working.
The numbers released today are based on unaudited results. The company will release full results in the coming weeks.
