It's been a peculiar week for HTC and Samsung, both of which have been the subject of reports claiming a change in each companies' strategies. Since both of these large manufacturers are enlisted for Windows Phone 8 duty, these could have ramifications for Microsoft and the entire ecosystem. It'll get a little lengthy, so go ahead and jump past the break for the full breakdown of just what exactly is going on with two of Windows Phone's biggest players.

First up is HTC, a company which has had a rough 2012 after disappointing sales and investments gone sour. In an effort to regain a competitive edge, it appears the Taiwanese manufacturer is planning to slash prices to entice customers once more.

According to supply chain sources who spoke to My Drivers, the new pricing strategy will apply to Android and Windows Phone models both existing and in the future. One of the ways HTC may reduce costs is by removing the Beats Audio sound enhancements, as well as the branded headphones that were bundled with higher end models. Of course that's not exactly relevant to Windows Phone because we never saw a device with Beats, but this could mean we'll never see one now. This may just have to be a move HTC has to make, as the rest of their competition (like Nokia) have proven they can make compelling devices at lower price points.


A large reason for the turmoil at HTC is in part due to Samsung, who has been on the up and up with each Galaxy S, Note, and Tab released onto the market (legal troubles aside). Clearly the Korean manufacturer is aware of how to adapt and survive, supporting several operating systems. Now we've seen a few preemptive moves occur recently that may be part of the company's longer-term strategy.

According to Sammobile, the company has shuttered its plans for Bada devices in the remaining part of 2012 and has also pushed its launch of the first Tizen-based phones until next year. For those unaware, Bada is a Samsung-made OS that is primarily found in emerging markets and is likely best described as a hybrid of Symbian and Android. Meanwhile, Tizen is an OS that is in the gestation period of its life but has powerful partners such as Samsung, the U.S. carrier Sprint and others.

The fascinating thing about Samsung is that there's a chance that they may end up ditching Windows Phone and focusing their efforts on Tizen, assuming they get any sort of traction with it. We've heard rumblings in the past about Samsung making such a move, as soon as late 2012 into early 2013, but honestly we'd doubt it's set in stone right now.

So in the long chess game that is life, HTC and Samsung have made minor pawn moves that could play a larger role in the future. Thoughts?

Via: Unwired View, GSMArena
Source: My Drivers (Translated), Sammobile