HTC expects a solid first quarter, but the One M9 may not make a difference

Following a good end of the year, HTChopes 2015 will continue on an upward trajectory.

For Q4 2014, HTC posted a small profit, as well as the first quarterly increase in revenues in three years. The growing revenue is especially important because it means that HTChas managed to sell more devices (or increase the average selling price of its phones) compared to the previous quarter. While HTCremained profitable throughout most of the year, staying in the black was thanks to slashing costs, rather than increasing revenues.

Today HTCpublished consolidated results for Q4 2014, showing small differences from the preliminary figures published on January 6. Quarterly revenue was NT$47.9 billion, while net profit was NT$0.5 billion.

What’s more interesting is HTC’s outlook for Q1 2015. Peter Chou’s company is forecasting between NT$41.5 billion and NT$45 billion ($1.32 billion and $1.43 billion) in revenue, a decrease compared to Q4 2014, but roughly 30 percent more than the same quarter in 2014.

Most electronics companies go through a lull in the first quarter of the year compared to the holiday quarter, but the fact that HTCexpects a slowdown suggests the M9 won’t be available for enough time in Q1 to make an impact on revenue. The device will be introduced at the beginning of March (last month of Q1), but it may be weeks before the device becomes widely available.

All in all, HTCappears to be on a good path, but a lot depends on what the company will show us on March 1. Samsung has a lot weighing on the success of the Galaxy S6, due the same day, and it will be fun to see these two major players trying to one-up each other.