HTC has unveiled the Wildfire E3 Lite, a new budget phone with Android 12

HTC has never officially given up on smartphone production, but the “quiet” of the last few years, punctuated by small releases of devices in the budget range has been disappointing for the brand’s old fans. HTC’s newest model, called the Wildfire E3 Lite, doesn’t stray too far from the formula of recent years, offering basic hardware and limited capabilities, even for some in the mid-range.

Wildfire E3 Lite has low performance components with a big battery

HTC’s new Wildfire E3 Lite will definitely be a cheap smartphone. It’s powered by Android 12, which suggests it doesn’t have very high-performance hardware either, given that Android 13 has already been out since last fall and it’s already beta testing version 14.

It’s based on a very little-known processor, the Unisoc SC9863, and comes in two variants: with 3 GB RAM and 64 GB storage or 4 GB RAM and 128 GB storage. The phone does however benefit from a large 5,000 mAh battery, which might suggest that it will offer above average battery life given the low power consuming components.

The screen is a 6.5″ HD+ LCD with a notch for the 5 megapixel front camera. The camera on the back has a 13-megapixel primary sensor and also integrates a 2-megapixel secondary sensor with a macro lens.

However, this phone is equipped with dual card slot (with 4G connectivity), supports microSD cards up to 256 GB, has 3.5mm headphone jack, fingerprint sensor in the power button and charging via USB Type-C.

HTC has not yet announced a price or release date, but such devices are usually released shortly after the official unveiling. Given the specs, this model should come in under $200/euro.