The HTC One will indeed get the Nexus treatment.
HTC will sell a Google Edition version of its flagship One smartphone with
the stock Android operating system, CNET has confirmed.
Word of a version of the phone without its trademark Sense user interface
popped up earlier Friday on Geek.com, with a reported time frame of two weeks.
HTC is indeed planning to launch the phone, but the only indication of timing
was summer, a person familiar with the company's plans told CNET.
HTC has bet heavily that its Sense user interface will set its products
apart from the rest of the Android pack. The move follows a similarly surprising
announcement by Samsung Electronics that it would launch a version of its Galaxy
S4 with stock Android. The phone strips out the many Samsung touches that were
loaded into the phone.
The One has been critically lauded, but many feared its sales would be
dampened by the launch of the Galaxy S4 and the accompanying marketing blitz by
Samsung. But an HTC executive told The Wall Street Journal that it had sold 5
million units in the first month, indicating a strong start.
HTC has recently faced concerns about its longevity after The Verge
reported several key employees had left the company. HTC continues to see
shrinking sales and profits.
While there are some fans of Sense, there are many other Android fans who
prefer a "pure" version of the phone with stock Android, which enables faster
updates and the latest from Google.
There's no word on which carriers will sell the phone, or whether there
will be a subsidy. The Galaxy S4 Google Edition is available only on select
carriers and sold at its unsubsidized price of $650.
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