UPDATE: Check out our Hands on: HTC One review.
Speculation about HTC's next big smartphone the M7 (or HTC One depending on who you believe), has reached new levels ever since the company started the countdown teasing a Feb. 19 reveal.
Believed to be the successor to HTC's flagship One X and One X+, specs and photos have purportedly leaked for several weeks, and the company's CEO even got in on the excitement, but some important data points - such as U.S. pricing and exact availability - have been hard to come by.
As you may have guessed, that all changed today as we finally have some reports on how much the handset will cost here in the U.S., along with further confirmation on which carriers plan to carry the device.
What's more, it doesn't look like there will be too much down time between the presumed Feb. 19 reveal and the One's release date.
Priced to compete
Earlier this month, a European price point for the HTC One was leaked, suggesting the Android 4.2: Jelly Bean-powered smartphone would retail for €649.99, which converts to about $880.
While that might be an accurate estimation for an unsubsidized phone, some tipsters have hopefully softened the price blow just a bit.
Sources revealed to HTC Source that AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint are expected to carry the HTC One, with the 32GB version going for $199.99 on a two-year contract. The 64GB version is expected to run $299.99 with a contract.
Considering the HTC One is purportedly boasting a full HD 4.7-inch display, 1.5GHz quad-core processor, 13MP camera with ultrapixel technology, and 4G and NFC compatibility, the pricing seems to fall in line with devices housing similar specs, like the iPhone 5 and Galaxy S3.
HTC Source's informant also said that the phone will come with a metal casing and include front-facing stereo speakers. It should come in two colors - black and white.
However, most importantly these same sources indicated the HTC One will arrive stateside on March 22, which is slightly later than the March 8 date originally reported, but still not that far removed from next week's anticipated unveiling.
If you're wondering about Verizon, we may have an answer for that: another tipster indicated that the M7/One may come to Big Red as a Droid DNA refresh. The codename for that device is "DLXPLUS" and may feature slightly different specs, including a 1.7GHz quad-core processor.
It won't be long until we see which reports will turn out to be factual. But no matter what, it looks like HTC is about to drop another big competitor into the Android marketplace.
