The HTC One is one of the world's best phones - but amid talks of delays to shipping and unconfirmed pricing, when will you actually be able to buy one?
Don't worry - we've spent some time browsing the relevant catalogues and come up with the prices, plans and pontifications you need to worry about before thinking about shelling out your hard-earned.
Here's the bad news first: HTC has sent the following missive to us regarding the launch of the new HTC One: "We will start fulfilling pre-orders by end of March in certain markets and will roll out to more markets as we approach April." This is a stance re-iterated when asking the firm on 20 March about why the delay has happened - sorry we can't give you any more information at this point, but we are digging.
It's not confirmed why this has happened, but rumours range from the complexity of the camera module to suppliers just not considering HTC as big a deal as in years gone by... either way, it's not good if you've pre-ordered, especially as our HTC One review showed that this is one of the best phones on the market.
EE
The first network to decide it's worth bringing you the new HTC handset, this network is also one of the most pricey. It's offering the One ASAP and will cost you the princely sum of £69.99 up front and £41 a month from then on - and that's on a 24 month deal.
On the plus side you get mega speeds, movies and other assorted treats - but they may not be enough to make up for the lack of food in your life given the amounts you'll be spending.
- Greatest data allowance plan cost: 3GB allowance on 4G: £69.99 for phone, £41 a month
Vodafone
The red network has decided you can get this handset on a pretty good deal - if you think a free phone from £42 a month is such a thing.
The good news is that you can get this handset in BLACK rather than just boring ol' aluminium / silver - and apparently our eyes are deceiving us when we argue it looks heaps like the BlackBerry Z10.
The phone is being badged as '4G-ready' too, something that many manufacturers are doing given they're getting ready to make, you know, 4G ready.
- Greatest data allowance plan cost: 2GB of data: free phone, £42 a month
Three
Three was another early one to chat about its HTC One aspirations - dubbing it 'Ultrafast ready' rather than 4G, although that incorporates the next-gen network.
You can pre-order the phone right now, and it even comes on PAYG for £479.99 - that's if you've got that much spare change just sitting around. It comes in black on the numerical network, which is a plus if you want one to match your Batman outfit.
- Greatest data allowance plan cost: £69.99 for phone, £36 a month for the One Plan
Orange and T-Mobile
The two EE sub-brands are still fighting for customers below their EE overlord, and are offering the HTC One on some lower contracts as they look to nab those that aren't overly fussed about 4G.
It's interesting to note that neither offer a delivery date, and vary pretty dramatically in terms of cost, simply because Orange doesn't offer an unlimited plan.
- Greatest data allowance plan cost: £29.99 for phone, £41 a month for 3GB data on Orange / £69.99 for phone, £36 a month for unlimited data on T-Mobile
O2
The bubbly network isn't going to be left out when it comes to the HTC One, but it's not going to be the cheapest if you're desperate to get your hands on the new phone with this supplier.
You do get the normal amount of treats though, such as O2 Priority, but many will see other networks as massively cheaper. And it doesn't even come with a charger - although this is a pretty eco-friendly move, and you've probably already got one.
- Greatest data allowance plan cost: £29.99 for phone, £47 a month for 4GB of data
Phones 4U
If you toddle down to one of 11 Phones4U stores now, you can be among the first in the world to have a go on the HTC One (which we already have, no big deal). You'll also be able to pre-order the handset with a few freebies for early orderers helping to sweeten the deal.
You'll be able to get the HTC One handset from Phones4U for free on a £36 per month contract on several networks from March 15. Want it in silver? Want it in black? Want it in gold? You can't get it in gold. Sorry. But there are headphones on offer as well - Dr Dre will be happy.
- Greatest data allowance plan cost: Free phone, £41 a month for 3GB of data on Orange
The Carphone Warehouse
As for Carphone Warehouse, the first 1000 people to pre-order the HTC One will get a free pair of Beats headphones, as well as being offered in black and silver.
You'll have to make like it's 1996 and call up to do that (the number is 0800 925 925), or you can hang on until March 15 when the handset will be available in-store and online.
- Greatest data allowance plan cost: Free phone, £40 a month for unlimted data on Three. (But no Beats headphones).
HTC One features
Of course, there's more to life than how much something costs - the HTC One comes with a whole host of new features that we've rounded up in a lovely and efficient manner below:
HTC One makes its debut with snap-happy Zoe on its arm
HTC's newest flagship Android phone: the HTC One has finally landed in all its aluminium uni-body, feature-packed glory. It's a good looking phone, slim with rounded corners and a premium look.
It's rocking a 4.7-inch Full HD display with a quad-core 1.7GHz Snapdragon processor on the inside. There's also 2GB of DDR2 RAM to play with and the handset will be available in 32GB and 64GB models.
Read HTC One makes its debut for the full story
Hands on: HTC One review
It's well-documented that HTC hasn't had the best of it recently, with the profits slumping and market share down. So the HTC One is the firm's new attempt at a market-leading handset, and with an all-aluminium body, super-high-res 4.7-inch HD screen and futuristic camera technology hint that this could be something of a winner. So how does it stack up?
Check out our Hands on: HTC One review for our early verdict
HTC One vs Samsung Galaxy S3 vs Sony Xperia Z vs iPhone 5
A few years ago, if you weren't on an iPhone or a BlackBerry, chances were you were rocking an HTC Android device with a big clock on the homescreen. But times change - and Samsung got busy with its Galaxy line, ultimately stealing the top Android spot from HTC and making HTC wince. We've compared the HTC One against the S3, the Xperia Z and the iPhone 5 to see how it fares.
Read the full HTC One vs Samsung Galaxy S3 vs Sony Xperia Z vs iPhone 5 article to see how the One compares with its rivals.
Source : techradar[dot]com
Post a Comment