HTC Is Growing Fastest In United States [HTC Gaining Brand Recongition, Support From Carriers In United States, "Quietly Brilliant" Manufacturer Gaining Mindshare]

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The slogan on HTC’s logo is “Quietly Brilliant”, which has to be one of the most fitting corporate slogans ever. HTC has been for the past few years one of the best (if not the best) handset manufacturer (in terms of quality) in the world, but they’re often overshadowed in Western markets by companies with names like Motorola and Nokia. The Taiwanese manufacturer could be gaining ground in the US however, as they’re growing faster than the other handset manufacturers.

Speaking to HTC’s CEO Peter Chou, the Wall Street Journal reports that HTC is doing very well in the US. Last year they shipped 5.5 to 6 million handsets. Chou expects them to do better this year (no numbers named, however) and he even estimated they’re doing better than others, saying “It looks like the growth in the U.S market is faster than others.”

According to a report we covered earlier, the US is the biggest country in the world for smartphone usage – based on data traffic – so it’s huge that HTC is making in roads in the States. According to Chou, some high-profile phones really got HTC on the map in the US, so to speak. He credits the Nexus One (designed by HTC for Google) and the HTC EVO 4G has helping them get attention of the US carriers with their phones.

The carriers are starting to recognize HTC and their handsets. Chou says, “They [Verizon and T-Mobile] started treating us as their first-tier suppliers last year.” According to Chou, Verizon Wireless (the largest carrier in the US based on total customers) had no interest in carrying HTC devices as the Taiwanese brand is virtually unknown in the US among the mainstream. But Chou says that Verizon had a “180-degree change” in perception as they’ve begun carrying HTC devices.

HTC hopes to introduce more models – some lower-cost ones – to increase their global brand recognition. Their internal goal is to become the #3 handset manufacturer by the year 2012. When asked about the pending lawsuit against Apple, Chou only said that they would defend their rights.