The Taiwanese mobile company HTC will release six to seven android smartphones this 2017. HTC will reportedly drive its focus on core features as they compete against other big smartphone companies. This is a cut from last year's eleven to twelve models released, according to Mr. Chia-Lin Chang. The HTC U Ultra and HTC U Play are included in those six to seven smartphones mentioned, which means that by the end of 2017 we will only be getting 4 or 5 other new HTC phones.

Chia-Lin Chang is the president of Global Sales and is the chief financial officer of HTC. He supervises the company's corporate finance and accounting, sales and distribution, investor relations, strategic acquisitions and investments.

He suggested the idea of installing the new Sense Companion virtual assistant to the HTC U and HTC U Play, which is a combination of the device information, Google's Awareness API and third-party data. It is AI (Artificial Intelligence) based system that learns the user's app usage habits. Over time, the device masters your commuting pattern, dining preferences and app usage habits, in order to offer useful tips at the right time.

For instance, the device will be able to tell whether you walk, drive or take public transportation to work, and will eventually offer relevant departure times. It will even report weather alerts before you leave home or work.

"We're not trying to emphasize AI; we're trying to emphasize companionship. We are trying to launch a few Desire devices for the fun and affordability of our smartphones," said Chia-Lin Chang in an interview with Engadget.

The newly unveiled HTC U Play and HTC U Ultra are the first smartphones in the company's brand new U series which is also equipped with the new Sense Companion. These two models are expected to hit stores in March. Another highlight of HTC's U series is the USonic USB-C earphones which can easily scan user's ear canals with sonar pulse for better quality hearing audio. Both HTC devices will run on Android 7.0 Nougat and have 16MP front cameras along with UltraPixel mode.