Smartphone manufacturers HTC have launched two new handsets that are targetted at the lower end of the phone market. Recently the company have seemed a little preoccupied with releasing premium phones such as the Sensation XL and the Evo 3D but these two new handsets look set to prove a huge success with the masses. Here we take a brief look at the new HTC Rhyme and the HTC Explorer.

The new HTC Explorer is a simple phone that is a perfect stepping stone into the smartphone world for anybody who has never owned such a device before. Measuring just 102.8 x 57.2 x 12.9mm the phones is very compact although it is not quite as slim as some of the more premium handsets that are available. This compact design can be achieved thanks to a 3.2 inch display which is one of the smaller smartphone displays on the market. This screen can display an HVGA resolution of 320 x 480 which will never challenge the likes of the Apple Retina display but succeeds in producing clear and vivid images. This screen uses capacitive technology which means it is very responsive and perfect for browsing web pages and browsing various kinds of media. Speaking of the web the phone is really quite impressive in this area. A number of connectivity options ensure that you should never be without a connection and these include 3G which offers the fastest data transfer speeds whilst on the move. This enables a download speed of up to 14.4 Mbps and an upload speed of up to 5.76 Mbps.

The HTC Rhyme is a new breed of mobile handset in that it is designed with the female user in mind. This means that an array of accessories accompany this model including a docking station and a cord with a light on the end to enable you to find the handset if it is buried in a handbag. The specification on the model is slightly more impressive than the Explorer and finds itself sitting nicely besides the likes of the Wildfire S and the Desire S. Size wise the model measures 119 x 60.8 x 10.85 mm which is relatively compact and the depth is particularly impressive. A 3.7 inch capacitive display is offered on the screen which offers the perfect balance between the larger screened premium phones and more compact devices such as the Explorer. Resolution on this display is impressive at 480 x 800 which is on a par with best selling devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S2. The phone includes 4GB of internal storage capacity and this can be extended by a further 32GB thanks to a micro SD card slot.

Both of these new models add some real balance to the HTC range and they now offer a model to suit nearly every requirement. Expect both the HTC Explorer and the HTC Rhyme to be runaway successes over the festive period.