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HTC One Nexus: 5 Things to Know

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Shortly after Google and Samsung announced the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S4 Nexus, a rumor involving another Nexus, an HTC One Nexus, flared up, leaving consumers excited about the arrival of another Nexus based on a 2013 flagship smartphone. Details remain scarce, but there are certainly some important things that prospective buyers should know about an HTC One Nexus.

At Google I/O 2013, instead of a Nexus 4 LTE, white Nexus 4 or Nexus 5, Google announced another Nexus smartphone in the form of a Samsung Galaxy S4 Nexus, also known as the Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition, a device that still has no official name but will be arriving on June 26th with a hefty price tag and some impressive features.

Read: HTC One Nexus Rumors Flare Up.

The HTC One Nexus is rumored for later this year.

The HTC One Nexus is rumored for later this year.

Like the Samsung Galaxy S4, the Galaxy S4 Nexus is likely going to arrive with high-end hardware including a 5-inch 1080p display, quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor, 13MP camera, slim and lightweight plastic design, and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Unlike the regular Galaxy S4 though, it’s going to come with vanilla Android meaning it won’t have any of Samsung’s TouchWiz features on board. Instead, it will be a pure Google Experience like the one found on the Nexus 4, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10.

The device is set to arrive on June 26th, several months after the launch of the Nexus 4 and likely many months before the arrival of the rumored Nexus 5. However, there are signs that point to it as having company at some point down the road, perhaps before the Nexus 5.

Shortly after the Galaxy S4 Nexus was announced, a rumor sprouted up claiming that an HTC One without Sense 5, an HTC One Nexus, might be coming out later on this year. Since then, information has been extremely scarce, leaving potential consumers on the edge of their seats, trying to decide if it’s best to wait for an arrival or simply buy into something now.

For those that are indeed interested in an HTC One Nexus, here are the five most important things to know about the rumored smartphone.

HTC One Nexus Could Be the Real Deal

The HTC One Nexus rumor comes by way of @LLabTooFeR, a known HTC leakster and developer who has been accurate with inside information before. He claims that the HTC One Nexus is a fact, not just a guess, and that it could show up before the end of summer, meaning it could arrive before the end of August.

While HTC has denied that an HTC One Nexus is in the works, we wouldn’t take that to mean that one isn’t on the way. In fact, it’s entirely possible that we could see an HTC One Nexus arrive at some point down the road.

First, @LlabTooFeR has been dead on in the past, so this isn’t just some random source spouting off at the mouth. Second, HTC needs to do whatever it can to keep pace with Samsung and partnering with Google to release a Nexus version of its flagship would be a good way of not only selling more units, but also getting the HTC and One brand out to a broader user base.

There is likely a huge demand for an HTC One Nexus, thanks to its metal design and many users simply wanting a smoother, more Google experience with their smartphone.

A launch would also benefit Google as it would have another option on the table to help battle the iPhone 5S, an option that would also help to fill the void between the Nexus 4 and Nexus 5.

Or Maybe Not

Of course, at this point, the only person claiming a HTC One Nexus is @LlabTooFeR. We haven’t seen any other signs, hints or leaks that point to an HTC One Nexus as being on the way though, we didn’t see the Samsung Galaxy S4 Nexus leak out until a day before its arrival. Still, there are some reasons why it may never arrive, reasons that potential consumers should know about.

First, while @LLabTooFeR is reliable, it’s possible that he was fed bad information, perhaps purposefully in order to slow Samsung Galaxy S4 Nexus excitement and sales.

The Nexus 4 is part of Google's new focus on design and build quality.

The HTC One Nexus could join the Nexus 4. Or perhaps not.

Second, if there was an HTC One Nexus, why didn’t Google simply announce it on stage at Google I/O alongside the Samsung Galaxy S4 Nexus? Maybe because there actually isn’t one.

Certainly, there are signs, good signs that an HTC One Nexus is on the way, but at this point, prospective buyers should know that nothing is set in stone and there are definitely more questions than answers when it comes to this device.

There Won’t Be a Big Launch Event

The rumor stated that the device could arrive at some point this summer. And while we don’t expect it to arrive before the Samsung Galaxy S4 Nexus on June 26th, we could see its arrival come unexpectedly.

At Google I/O, Google decided to keep the product announcements to a minimum, instead choosing to focus on many of the services it already has in place. That unfortunately meant that rumored products, like Android 4.3, Nexus 7 2, white Nexus 4 did not make an appearance. Rumor has it though, the white Nexus 4 and Android 4.3 will arrive in early June.  And if that’s the case, we could see the HTC One Nexus sprout up at a random date without a major launch event.

Instead, Google could simply choose to announce it, perhaps through a press release and put it on sale alongside the Samsung Galaxy S4 Nexus and Nexus 4. If the HTC One Nexus was going to be a part of a major launch event, it would have arrived at Google I/O. Instead, expect it to arrive more suddenly.

Similar Perks to Galaxy S4 Nexus

If a HTC One Nexus does indeed arrive in the next few months, expect it to arrive with the same perks as the Samsung Galaxy S4 Nexus. That means the same design as the regular model, that means 4G LTE capabilities – the HTC One is available on AT&T and T-Mobile like the Galaxy S4/Galaxy S4 Nexus, and that means all of the perks of a Nexus device.

Quick updates from Google, unlocked bootloader for installing custom ROMs, and again, vanilla Android 4.2 or Android 4.3, Google’s latest software void of HTC’s Sense 5.

Similar Flaws Too

Like the iPhone 5, the HTC One has a non-removable back. The HTC One Nexus likely will as well.

Like the iPhone 5, the HTC One has a non-removable back. A HTC One Nexus likely would as well.

Of course, consumers should know that the HTC One Nexus will likely have the flaws of the regular model too. That means, lack of a microSD card despite an HTC One model headed to Asia with one on board. That means 32GB of storage, not 64GB. The Galaxy S4 Nexus is coming in 16GB only despite there being a 32GB model available.

Know that it will also have an expensive price tag. If it does arrive, Google won’t play favorites with pricing.

Instead, it would likely command the same $650 price tag as the Samsung Galaxy S4 Nexus, a price that checks in at the same rate as the unlocked iPhone 5, but is vastly more expensive than the Nexus 4 which starts at $299.

2 Comments

2 Comments

  1. Richard

    05/22/2013 at 7:56 am

    “Google announced another Nexus smartphone in the form of a Samsung Galaxy S4 Nexus, also known as the Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition.”

    The phone was announced by Google as the Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition not as the “Samsung Galaxy S4 Nexus.” It has a Nexus experience in the sense that it has vanilla Android and updates provided by Google, hence the name “Google Edition.” If the design and hardware of the device was collaborated on between Samsung and Google it would have been given the Nexus stamp, which it wasn’t. Don’t mix the 2 since we will probably see more “Google Edition” smartphones that aren’t Nexus devices.

  2. mack

    05/22/2013 at 8:59 am

    there was literally no point to this article

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