Just two months after it said it was buying a majority stake in Dr Dre’s Beats Audio, HTC has come up with a couple of souped up versions of its Sensation smartphone – the large-screen XL and speedier XE – that promise better-sounding music on the go.

Both phones will ship in Singapore with the well-endorsed audio technology by the end of the year, said the Taiwanese phone maker, at a media launch here on Thursday. The XL, which boasts a gigantic 4.7-inch screen, will sell for S$908 with bundled urBeats headphones, while the XE will cost S$868.

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Expect red Dr Dre-endorsed earphones to be draped around upcoming HTC phones and tablets this year, as the Taiwanese phone maker buys up a hefty stake in audio gear maker Beats Electronics to differentiate itself from rival phone makers.

HTC’s US$309 million investment will give it a 51 per cent stake in the brand made famous by rapper Dr Dre, the phone maker revealed today.

It will also enable HTC to include Beats Audio technology - proven in good if expensive headphones as well as Beats-powered HP laptops – in its mobile devices come Fall 2011.

As PCMag smartly points out, HTC’s move is not as much about the well-known Beats Audio technology as it is about buying street cred in a race to win over non-techie users.

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