The HTC One is finally available for pre-order from AT&T today; Sprint will open pre-orders tomorrow. Both carriers are offering HTC's flagship phone for $199.99 with a two-year contract and expect delivery Apr. 19.
The HTC One debuted earlier this year, but supplies have been short as HTC has struggled to source components for its new UltraPixel cameras, delaying the wide release of the One for several weeks. Inside sources say HTC is no longer considered a "tier one" customer after its unreliable order history during a sales slump last year, so suppliers are no longer prioritizing the company.
The embattled HTC has been trying to break back into a mobile market dominated by Apple and Samsung. Last year, it held less than 5 percent of the market, and the One was supposed to herald its comeback. It is an impressive device, but consumers can't get their hands on it, so the point is moot. CEO Peter Chou has much to lose; he has already said he will resign if the One fails.
The mid-April release date means the One will beat the Galaxy S4 to the market by nearly two weeks, but that isn't the six to eight weeks HTC was hoping for. Still, eager customers are bound to snatch up the phone as soon as it's available, and HTC is touting the pre-order options in an effort to lock in as many of those customers as possible.
No word yet on a Verizon version of the One, but it hasn't totally been rules out as a future release.
The HTC One features a 1.7GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor, 2GB of RAM, a 4.7-inch 1920x1080 pixel widescreen Super LCD 3 display, a 2300 mAh Li-Po battery, a 4-megapixel "Ultrapixel" camera with enhanced low-light sensitivity with 1080p HD video, up to 64GB of internal storage and runs Android 4.1.2.
Check back for the latest updates on the HTC One as they become available.
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