An HTC official explained the absence of a microSD slot in its flagship device HTC One to lack of space. The smartphone, which was considered the best Android phone for its innovation and one of three mobile units given five stars by TechRadar, does not allow owners to boost its storage capacity because of the absence of the microSD slot.

Jeff Gordon, senior global online communication manager of HTC, explained that the Chinese version of its flagship phone has a microSD slot because it was designed specifically for smaller Chinese radio bands which provided more space inside the device to accommodate the slot.

It is not just the absence of the slot that has bothered some HTC One owners, but also the aluminium case which makes it impossible to replace the device's battery or even fix it when the unit is broken.

Another thing broken in HTC is its relationship with some employees following the resignation of Eric Lin as product strategy manager at the company. Mr Lin did not just quit, he also encourage other HTC workers to also leave their jobs.

"To all my friends still at HTC - just quit. Leave not. It's tough to do, but you'll be much happier. I swear," was his tweet earlier this week.

Mr Lin is the latest to leave the tech firm after Greg Fisher, senior vice president of global marketing; Kouji Kodera, chief product officer; Jason Gordon, global communication VP; Rebecca Rowland, global retail marketing manager; and John Starkweather, digital marketing chief, left the company in the past few months.

On Wednesday, TechCrunch reported that Lennard Hoomik, HTC Asia CEO, and Elizabeth Griffith, head of global digital service, also resigned from their respective posts.

The Web site attributed the spate of resignations of senior staff to the tendency of HTC CEO Peter Chou to make snap decisions.

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