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[Jigolo]

$599 unlocked for T-Mobile and AT&T.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/30/sundar-pichai-confirms-htc-one-with-stock-android/


June 26th release and will be sold directly from the Play Store.

Speaking to Walt Mossberg at D11 this morning, Google's Sundar Pichai confirmed that there is indeed a stock Android version of the HTC One coming soon and will be fully unlocked for T-Mobile and AT&T at the solid price of $599. It'll go on sale in the Google Play Store on June 26th, the same date as its counterpart, the Samsung Galaxy S 4 stock edition. The new version of the device -- which will be sold in the US initially -- will come SIM-unlocked, with an unlocked bootloader and 32GB storage.

HTC:

Response to the HTC One has been phenomenal with reviewers praising the gorgeous design and innovative features. We’ve paired the stunning all-metal unibody with innovative HTC Sense features and the result is something truly remarkable.

Now, we’re excited to offer HTC fans and admirers alike a new experience on what we think is the best hardware available today. Starting June 26, Google will offer a special edition of the HTC One with a “Nexus user experience” through the Google Play store.

This special edition device, priced at $599, will be available in the United States (initially) and supported on GSM networks. Out of the box, this special edition HTC One will run Android 4.2.2 with subsequent software updates provided by Google.

 

[Atenhaus]

Oh god yes.

 

[JCX]

I'm liking this new trend. I may never buy a non-stock android phone again.

 

[ComputerMKII]

US-only?

 

[SimleuqiR]

Dat price tag!

Hope they keep the low cost Nexus Phones going.

 

[Volotaire]

This is monumental -- this may very well be the future of Nexus. Instead of building dedicated Nexus devices, perhaps Google will just ship existing phones with a clean build of Android.

Pichai: "The goal behind Nexus was to guide the ecosystem. But that will continue as well." Ah, so that answers that! More Nexus devices to come!

 

[GK86]

If Google didn't spoil me with $300 unlocked phones, I would be all over this.

 

[Jigolo]

If Google didn't spoil me with $300 unlocked phones, I would be all over this.

I say $599 is a good price if it's the 64GB version.

I don't know what to do anymore. Buy this or wait for the next Nexus or the Moto X.

fuckkkkkk

 

[SimleuqiR]

If Google didn't spoil me with $300 unlocked phones, I would be all over this.

They might actually soil all over it and your next vanila Android device may cost you upwards of $600 beans.

Say goodbye to that sweet $300 price.

 

[Nesotenso]

what does it mean when they say stock Android ?

 

[Volotaire]

what does it mean when they say stock Android ?

No extra user interface that OEM put one like Touchwiz or Sense on top, just the pure OS.

It also means the features like Samsung smart scroll/others and stuff or HTC's Blinkfeed is gone.

 

[GK86]

I say $599 is a good price if it's the 64GB version.

I don't know what to do anymore. Buy this or wait for the next Nexus or the Moto X.

fuckkkkkk

I'm not saying it isn't a good price, just I like my $300 unlock lol.

Depends, what phone do you have currently?

They might actually soil all over it and your next vanila Android device may cost you upwards of $600 beans.

Say goodbye to that sweet $300 price.

Until that day happens, I will keep living the dream.

what does it mean when they say stock Android ?

They don't add (stupid) features. No bloated software. Pure android.

 

[Nesotenso]

No extra user interface that OEM put one like Touchwiz or Sense on top, just the pure OS.

It also means the features like Samsung smart scroll/others and stuff or HTC's Blinkfeed is gone.

ok, thanks

 

[W1SSY]

They might actually soil all over it and your next vanila Android device may cost you upwards of $600 beans.

Say goodbye to that sweet $300 price.

Not so sure about this. I think Google has shown they are willing to price the device low to get people to buy them. I would assume this is HTC pricing the phone and Google has nothing to do with it. They are most likely pricing it the same as an unlocked version with Sense.

 

[twofold]

No extra user interface that OEM put one like Touchwiz or Sense on top, just the pure OS.

It also means the features like Samsung smart scroll/others and stuff or HTC's Blinkfeed is gone.

I'm actually quite torn when it comes to Sense. HTC Zoe is pretty damn cool, and losing out on it would suck. I really hope Google will copy Zoe and add its camera features to the next version of Android.

 

[mattp]

i wonder how they will handle the buttons
how did it work in sense, double tap home for multitask, hold for google now?

edit: and more importantly, how will it handle the menu button in shitty old apps? is that on screen menu button someting htc added in sense or does android handle that?

 

[Jigolo]

I might just budge on this. HTC build quality always takes the cake for me and 4.7 inch screen size is perfect for me. Moto X has a bunch of sensors and stuff I don't really care about and the next Nexus may have a 5 inch screen (do not want).

I hope the rumor that Android 4.3 is releasing June 10th is also true.

 

[Polari]

Not so sure about this. I think Google has shown they are willing to price the device low to get people to buy them. I would assume this is HTC pricing the phone and Google has nothing to do with it. They are most likely pricing it the same as an unlocked version with Sense.

Exactly. They don't want to piss off the carriers who already have the phone and are selling it with a big contract.

 

[joeygreco1985]

Too expensive. Who drops $599 on a phone? You can get the same phone on contract for $150

 

[Ken Masters]

Stock HTC One? Damn


And no fucking Verizon support as usual

 

[VanWinkle]

Officially the greatest phone ever then. Great news. Of course, no Verizon bands.

 

[javac]

Too expensive. Who drops $599 on a phone? You can get the same phone on contract for $150

At the same time once your 2 year contract is up you end up spending more or less the same. Some people like paying that up front.

 

[DrFunk]

Too expensive. Who drops $599 on a phone? You can get the same phone on contract for $150

Missing the point. Contract free = bliss

 

[JCX]

(big) If the major carriers all moved to T Mobile's model, would we expect a decrease or increase in the cost of new phones?

 

[SimleuqiR]

Not so sure about this. I think Google has shown they are willing to price the device low to get people to buy them. I would assume this is HTC pricing the phone and Google has nothing to do with it. They are most likely pricing it the same as an unlocked version with Sense.

Exactly. They don't want to piss off the carriers who already have the phone and are selling it with a big contract.

What I'm trying to say is that there will be no Nexus 5, instead Google will request a flagship device from OEMs with stock Android to be sold through the PlayStore.

Why should they release a Nexus 5 in October/November when you have two beast of phones available with stock?

 

[W1SSY]

Too expensive. Who drops $599 on a phone? You can get the same phone on contract for $150

People who don't have service who subsidizes the phone price. It is not common in the US but I believe T-Mobile is going to plans without subsidizing phone prices. I think it's more common in Europe but could be wrong.

 

[Groof]

At the same time once your 2 year contract is up you end up spending more or less the same. Some people like paying that up front.

In my experience, you actually end up paying more in the end. If I had been capable of it, I'd've bought all my phones straight up with no contract.

 

[Zeppu]

For $50 I'd get the 64GB dev edition and install stock android on it.

 

[BertramCooper]

What I'm trying to say is that there will be no Nexus 5, instead Google will request a flagship device from OEMs with stock Android to be sold through the PlayStore.

Why should they release a Nexus 5 in October/November when you have two beast of phones available with stock?

Because they like having their own flagship device designed to their specifications.

The Nexus line isn't going anywhere.

 

[W1SSY]

What I'm trying to say is that there will be no Nexus 5, instead Google will request a flagship device from OEMs with stock Android to be sold through the PlayStore.

Why should they release a Nexus 5 in October/November when you have two beast of phones available with stock?

Google has said they are not going to stop making Nexus devices in the same conference that they announced this. Link

Because they like having their own flagship device designed to their specifications.

The Nexus line isn't going anywhere.

This is exactly right.

The idea with Nexus is to push on hardware as well," he told Walt Mossberg at this week's D11 conference, "so that will continue."

 

[JWong]

Anything is better than LG.

Google please do this on a Sony phone. =3

 

[btrboyev]

so if i have my current One's boot loader unlocked, it will be possible to flash to the official Stock Android when this comes out right?

 

[Tacitus_]

Too expensive. Who drops $599 on a phone? You can get the same phone on contract for $150

That's what you've payed anyway by the contract is done. This way you're not a slave to the contract either.

 

[SimleuqiR]

Because they like having their own flagship device designed to their specifications.

The Nexus line isn't going anywhere.

Google has said they are not going to stop making Nexus devices in the same conference that they announced this. Link


This is exactly right.

MMMhh...that's all peachy. But when was the last time a Nexus (Phone) pushed hardware? It's been a while. Lets see what happens. I'm getting "Google Reader" vibes from the Nexus (phone) project. Tablets (Nexus 7) are a big hit for Google, so yeah those are not going anywhere.

 

[btrboyev]

MMMhh...that's all peachy. But when was the last time a Nexus (Phone) pushed hardware? It's been a while. Lets see what happens. I'm getting "Google Reader" vibes from the Nexus (phone) project. Tablets (Nexus 7) are a big hit for Google, so yeah those are not going anywhere.

The Nexus 4 has pretty high end hardware minus LTE.

 

[Nicktendo86]

Anything is better than LG.

Google please do this on a Sony phone. =3

Why? The nexus 4 is an amazing piece of hardware.

Edit: at launch the N4 was pretty much the most powerful phone out, quad core with 2 gigs of ram at an amazing price.

 

[javac]

In my experience, you actually end up paying more in the end. If I had been capable of it, I'd've bought all my phones straight up with no contract.

Yeah that is the case a lot of the times. I usually buy all my phones off contract but I got my first contact recently with the s4 since I got a good deal with it and I hadn't bought a phone in 3 years lol.

I mean if you get a good deal with a good amount of minutes, texts and data then it's alright but to act like you only pay $150 for the phone is wrong because as you said you pay over the course of 2 years and in total it can become more costly especially since by the time you pay the contract off the phone would have devalued a lot.

 

[SimleuqiR]

The Nexus 4 has pretty high end hardware minus LTE.

I may be completely wrong but I think the S3 still had a better CPU and even a better camera. Better battery life? How is that pushing hardware?

Don't get me wrong, I love my Nexus 4 and I'm not big on specs, but the excuse that the Nexus project pushes hardware forward is poopoo. Software? Sure. But with stock OEM flagship devices who needs the hardware from Google?

 

[Nicktendo86]

I may be completely wrong but I think the S3 still had a better CPU and even a better camera. Better battery life? How is that pushing hardware?

Don't get me wrong, I love my Nexus 4 and I'm not big on specs, but the excuse that the Nexus project pushes hardware forward is poopoo. Software? Sure. But with stock OEM flagship devices who needs the hardware from Google?

The lte version of the s3 only had a duel core I believe and I THINK the s3 only had 1gb of ram, I could be wrong though.

 

[BertramCooper]

MMMhh...that's all peachy. But when was the last time a Nexus (Phone) pushed hardware? It's been a while. Lets see what happens. I'm getting "Google Reader" vibes from the Nexus (phone) project. Tablets (Nexus 7) are a big hit for Google, so yeah those are not going anywhere.

I may be completely wrong but I think the S3 still had a better CPU and even a better camera. Better battery life? How is that pushing hardware?

Don't get me wrong, I love my Nexus 4 and I'm not big on specs, but the excuse that the Nexus project pushes hardware forward is poopoo. Software? Sure. But with stock OEM flagship devices who needs the hardware from Google?

You don't seem to understand the point of the Nexus line.

It's not just about power and sales. It's about Google having their own device to use in Android development. It's about having a piece a hardware that clearly demonstrates their vision for the OS, and a way to share that vision with both consumers and OEMs.

I know that sounds painfully pretentious and esoteric for a phone, but it really is what Google aims to do with Nexus.

 

[Gamer @ Heart]

The lte version of the s3 only had a duel core I believe and I THINK the s3 only had 1gb of ram, I could be wrong though.

The us version was dual core but had 2 gigs of ram.

 

[NumberTwo]

This is like my dream phone! But I can't afford it.


Also, I welcome this "Google Edition" initiative with open arms.

 

[SimleuqiR]

You don't seem to understand the point of the Nexus line.

It's not just about power and sales. It's about Google having their own device to use in Android development. It's about having a piece a hardware that clearly demonstrates their vision for the OS, and a way to share that vision with both consumers and OEMs.

I know that sounds painfully pretentious and esoteric for a phone, but it really is what Google aims to do with Nexus.

I'm playing the Devil's advocate here. But people shouldn't be surprise if they just flat out decide to just stick with flagship devices going forward. They seem to be testing the waters with the S4 and HTC One.

 

[poppabk]

What I'm trying to say is that there will be no Nexus 5, instead Google will request a flagship device from OEMs with stock Android to be sold through the PlayStore.

Why should they release a Nexus 5 in October/November when you have two beast of phones available with stock?

Because they will release a $300 nexus 5 phone rather than a $600 phone.

 

[Phoenix]

I'm playing the Devil's advocate here. But people shouldn't be surprise if they just flat out decide to just stick with flagship devices going forward. They seem to be testing the waters with the S4 and HTC One.

Its pretty silly though. You generally don't have much control of those devices and you can't innovate in those devices. So now if Google wants to try out something new, they would have to get it to an OEM, have them keep it a secret, and then release it at a high price whereby Google cannot ensure that developers have access to it.

While I hate what Google I/O became (the free hardware party - fuck the conference), there was a LOT of value in Google being able to release new hardware features into the market and give stuff to developers cheaply so that they could build on the platform - kinda like what they are doing with the Pixel.

 

[Nicktendo86]

The us version was dual core but had 2 gigs of ram.

Ah yes that's right, and the international version was quad core with 1gig of ram. Thanks.

 

[BertramCooper]

I'm playing the Devil's advocate here. But people shouldn't be surprise if they just flat out decide to just stick with flagship devices going forward. They seem to be testing the waters with the S4 and HTC One.

I think it's more of a test for the OEMs than it is for Google.

I would guess that Google already has a pretty good grasp on the consumer demand for stock Android. It isn't enormous, but it's sizable enough, and quite fervent.

This will be a good way for HTC and Samsung to estimate how many people like their hardware but don't really care for their software additions. It might convince them to pare down their skinning in future versions of Sense and TouchWiz.

 

[poppabk]

Too expensive. Who drops $599 on a phone? You can get the same phone on contract for $150

Sprint unlimited everything $110
Tmobile unlimited everything $70
That $40 difference per month comes out to $960 over a two year contract. Plus after two years you are forced to upgrade on a contract otherwise you are subsidizing a phone you don't have.

 

[tyrone888]

I wish I could get this. All I have is the still awesome but bloated Sense version of the One!!!

 

[poppabk]

I'm playing the Devil's advocate here. But people shouldn't be surprise if they just flat out decide to just stick with flagship devices going forward. They seem to be testing the waters with the S4 and HTC One.

Google is in the business of selling software services, not hardware. Look at how many people balk at the price in this thread. A lower cost nexus device coupled with higher priced stock OEM devices allows for the largest audience. Only having $600 phones is going to limit the market they can attract. Meanwhile letting OEMs produce the budget devices is going to result in shitty user experiences on underpowered phones.