HTC joins forces with Dr Dre in $309m deal

HTC prides itself on being "quietly brilliant" but things may get a bit louder after the mobile phone company secured a deal with rapper Dr Dre.

HTC yesterday announced it spent $309m in taking a 51 per cent stake in Beats by Dr Dre, which specialises in high-end earphones and speakers.

Peter Chou, chief executive of HTC, said audio was a "critical part" of mobile phone devices.