A new report claims that HP will re-enter the smartphone game after years of absence with a $200 5.5-inch Android smartphone in the very near future.
HP has a knack about entering a market it sees others doing well in and since it's the biggest PC manufacturer, it can drive down the cost of manufacturing those devices. After the company saw the success Apple gained with the first-generation iPad, HP decided it too wanted a piece of the growing tablet market. It followed Apple by being in control of both the software and hardware that would power its tablet and acquired Palm and its stable of webOS-powered smartphones and TouchPad tablet in April 2010 for $1.2 billion.
Somehow HP sold its board on the future of smartphones and tablets powered by webOS and with that it instantly became a major player in both arenas. Its new status of being a serious force in the tablet game was very short lived, however, with HP cancelling all webOS hardware and software 49 days after it launched the TouchPad. HP chalked up its sudden exit on wanting to "focus on enterprise services". As the tablet market continued to grow without it, HP decided to re-enter the tablet world with low-end Android tablets in 2013. The company is now expected to launch a low-end Android phablet as well that will undercut Samsung's Galaxy Note series.
9To5Google is reporting that it has gotten word from sources inside HP that the company is about to release an inexpensive Android smartphone aimed at pre-paid and emerging markets. The smartphone reportedly resembles Samsung's popular Galaxy Note phablet, complete with a 5.5-inch display but at a very affordable $200 price point.
The site claims that it has heard an official announcement from HP could happen as soon as next week. The timing of HP's re-entry into the smartphone market coincides with recent reports and leaked images of Samsung's low-cost Galaxy Note 3 Neo. HP might be attempting to beat Samsung to the market by announcing its own inexpensive 5.5-inch smartphone next week, or it could be setting the stage for a Mobile World Congress unveiling in February.
We'll have to file this in the rumor category for now but we'll keep our eyes and ears open for HP's next move.
