Taiwanese handset maker HTC on Thursday launched its Android-based smartphone, Sensation, in the Indian market, priced at Rs 32,700 to take on the likes of Apple’s iPhone 4 and Samsung’s Galaxy S II.

The smartphone features a 1.2 Ghz processor Snapdragon (by Qualcomm), which will enhance the computing speed of the device.

“We have strong plan to penetrate into the Indian market in the next one to two years and want to be a leading brand in smart phone market in India. Products like these will help us in consolidating our position here,” HTC Corporation president (South Asia Pacific) Mr Lennard Hoornik told reporters here.

The handset is equipped with a 4.3-inch touch screen and an eight megapixel camera. The handset also comes with an ’instant camera capture’ feature, which offers faster shutter speed allowing users to click photographs faster.

Asked about the challenges the company faces in smart phone market in India, Mr Hoornik said though this is a huge market, it would take some time to reach out to the entire market.

According to industry estimates, current smartphone sales are about five million a year and it is expected to grow to about 8 million units in annual sales next year.

Growing smartphones sales are expected to get a further fillip with the roll out of 3G services in the country. 3G services, which offer high-speed Internet access, have already been doled out by operators like Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, Idea Cellular and Aircel.

India is the world’s second-largest market, after China, for telecom services with 826.93 million subscribers at the end of April, 2011.

US-based Apple has launched its iPhone 4 in India and rivals Nokia, Samsung and LG are also introducing newer smartphones to stay ahead in the heated smartphone race.

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