SEATTLE—HTC's flagship One X smartphone hasn't hit the U.S. yet, but here at the HTC Frequencies conference the company is showing off some cute-looking cases for the upcoming AT&T device.
HTC product planner Eric Lin said black, white and gray are the best colors for phones right now, with cases adding further personalization.
The cases are sleek and revealing, designed to make the matte white back of the One X show through while offering a bit of physical protection and a splash of color. They're made of a flexible plastic that snaps neatly around the One X's form, although they're hard rather than soft and rubbery.
"We know that's a big request from people, not only to have color but to choose colors," HTC creative director Claude Zellweger from One & Co said. "The case lets through the color of the device."
The cases will only be available for the One X so far, although HTC is thinking about making some for the slim One S, Zellweger said.
Users surveyed by HTC see brightly-colored phones as less serious and more targeted towards youth, while even young people want upscale, "marketable" looks, Lin said. Cases can help phone owners have both a basically serious look and a lively color when they want them.
"We took pink [phones] out to the carriers, and every carrier was like, 'you've got to be joking,'" he said. The purple HTC Rhyme for Verizon was a "special project," he added.
White has an advantage, though: it's considered a "serious" color and it's especially popular with women, Lin said.
HTC didn't give a date or price for the colored One X cases.
