[4] Initially a manufacturer of notebook computers, HTC began designing some of the world's first touch and wireless hand-held devices in 1998.

[16] In April 2011, HTC surpassed Nokia as the third-largest smartphone manufacturer by market share, behind Apple and Samsung.

In August 2011, HTC confirmed a plan for a strategic partnership with Beats Electronics involving acquiring 51 percent of the company.

[29] In March 2010, Apple Inc. filed a complaint with the US International Trade Commission claiming infringement of 20 of its patents covering aspects of the iPhone user interface and hardware.

[34] On 10 November 2012, Apple and HTC reached a 10-year license-agreement covering current and future patents held by the two companies.

Previously, Apple ignored HTC's long held rights over the trade name Touch by calling its new iPod range the same.

Marketing problems were identified by HTC as the primary reason for its comparative performance, a factor that had been previously cited by the company.

Similar in design and features to the HTC One, the upgraded aspects of the One Max include a display measuring 5.9 inches (15 cm), a fingerprint sensor and a removable back cover for expandable memory.

[44] The product was released into the European and Asian retail environment in October 2013, followed by a US launch in early November 2013.

[46] In April 2014, HTC reported sales climbing 12.7 percent to NT$22.1 billion, the company's fastest growth since October 2011.

HTC ended its long relationship with Microsoft afterwards due to Nokia's dominance in Windows Phone devices,[49] and started focusing solely on Android.

[53] In February 2017, HTC reported that in the fourth quarter of 2016, its operating losses had decreased by 13% year-over-year, citing "robust sales performance" and sequential revenue increases throughout the year.

The transaction was completed on 30 January 2018; while HTC will continue to produce its own smartphones, the company has stated that it planned to increase its focus on Internet of Things and virtual reality going forward.

[61] On 5 February 2019, HTC released its first "Cryptophone", focused on providing universal finance through Bitcoin and creating a portal towards realizing a truly decentralized web.

[63] On 17 September 2019, HTC appointed Yves Maitre, former executive vice president of consumer equipment and partnerships of Orange, as CEO where Cher Wang will continue her role as chairwoman.

[66][67] The key trends for HTC are (as of the financial year ending December 31):[68] HTC's chairwoman and acting CEO is Cher Wang who is the daughter of the late Wang Yung-ching, founder of the plastics and petrochemicals conglomerate Formosa Plastics Group.

[78] In 2011, HTC also opened a research and development office in Durham, North Carolina, a location the company chose over Seattle and Atlanta,[79] to focus on multiple areas of wireless technology.

[85] Ahead of the 2015 season, Indian Premier League franchise Kings XI Punjab signed a sponsorship deal with HTC.

According to the agreement, HTC would be the team's official principal sponsor, and the company's logo would occupy the right chest position on the Kings XI Punjab playing jersey.

[88] At the end of 2015, the company also sponsored the creation of that year's SSBMRank, the annual rankings of the best Melee players in the world.