Connect with us

Android

Why the Verizon HTC One Isn’t Worth Waiting For

Published

on

Several weeks ago, Verizon announced the HTC One, a device that landed on AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile in the month of April. And while Verizon has announced the phone for arrival this month, the device still doesn’t have any features, any pricing or a release date. So is the Verizon HTC One worth waiting for? Read on to find out.

In February, HTC took the stage in New York City and showcased its brand new flagship smartphone, the HTC One, a device that replaced the HTC One X and the HTC One X+ from 2012. The device is a powerful device and arguably the best device that HTC has ever built.

It features a 4.7-inch display, speedy quad-core processor, Ultrapixel camera with great low-light capabilities, full metal design, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and soon Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, and of course, the new Sense 5 user interface which offers a great deal of features including HTC BlinkFeed and HTC Zoe for the camera.

We could see a Verizon HTC One at the Verizon announcement.

The Verizon HTC One, for most people, isn’t worth waiting for.

Suffice to say, the phone has been eaten up by consumers around the globe, including here in the United States where HTC decided to launch the phone on several carriers rather than just one. In April, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile all launched the device on their 4G LTE networks as a rival to the iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S4. However, rumors both before and after those launches pointed to a Verizon HTC One lurking in the distance, a device that was made official just a short time ago.

After months of speculation and rumor, Verizon announced the HTC One and said that it would be coming later on this summer. However, Verizon didn’t say more than that and the carrier, and HTC, remain tight lipped about information including features, pricing and release date.

There are many people that were and are exciting about a Verizon HTC One release but at this point, many people are likely wondering whether it’s a device that’s worth waiting for?

Why the Verizon HTC One Isn’t Worth Waiting For

At this point, given the lack of information, the months of rumors, and the ridiculous approach to this launch in general, there are only a select few that should be waiting for this device. And even then, it’s a stretch.

The Verizon HTC One is an appealing device. It will likely come with all of the features of the other HTC devices though it’s expected to have Android 4.2 Jelly Bean on board as opposed to Android 4.1. It also will benefit from Verizon’s massive 4G LTE network which dwarfs those of other carriers. It will also be appealing to those that wish to keep an unlimited data plan on Verizon as the carrier still allows those grandfathered in to keep their plan, so long as they pay the full price of the smartphone.

But is all that enough to justify waiting for HTC and Verizon to announce something? In our humble opinion, it isn’t.

Counterpoints

While Verizon boasts the largest 4G LTE network in the land, AT&T is making great strides to catch it and should complete its 4G LTE roll out by the end of 2013. Sprint will also be launching plenty more 4G LTE networks around the U.S. in 2013 and T-Mobile is expected to cover 200 million Americans in LTE by the end of year. So at the moment Verizon may seem like a fantastic choice, but there are other options too.

In terms of Android, the other carriers likely won’t be far behind when it comes to Android 4.2. We imagine that Sprint, at the very least, will roll it out quickly though we imagine that there is the potential for all of them to roll it out relatively fast. Translation: Verizon’s advantage, if there even is one, won’t be an advantage at all.

And finally, grandfathered users are going to have to pay a steep toll to keep that plan. The HTC One price on Verizon hasn’t been announced, but it’s likely to be $650 or so. For those with deep pockets, this won’t be a problem, but for most people, this isn’t going to be very attractive. Instead, power users can simply move to Sprint where unlimited data still exists.

So there are counterpoints to all of Verizon’s strengths, now let’s look at the Verizon HTC One’s weaknesses.

Weaknesses

First, it likely won’t come in 64GB form because AT&T has a stranglehold over that variant. With no microSD card slot, internal storage is a prized possession on the HTC One so those that need more storage simply aren’t going to want to wait to be disappointed by Verizon.

It also won’t come with any sort of a discount. Verizon is not known for offering permanent deals on its devices until a new device is on the way so we don’t expect Verizon to challenge AT&T, Sprint and Verizon with a discounted price. Look for it to be $199.99 on-contract like the others.

Verizon is also notoriously slow at rolling out its Android updates. Those who buy the HTC One on Verizon will need to mentally prepare to be last to just about every single Android update that rolls out to the HTC One.

HTC One sales are at 5 million while the Galaxy S4 sales hit 10 million earlier this month.

Is it?

Is It Worth It To You?

When it comes to buying a new smartphone, it’s all about whether the phone suits a users needs. The Verizon HTC One will suit the needs of many, but for many others, there are not only other HTC One options on the table, but plenty of other Android and non-Android phones on sale and on the horizon for later this year.

The Verizon HTC One launch will likely come sooner than later, but for many of those waiting, it may not be worth the headaches.

30 Comments

30 Comments

  1. w3rdsmyth

    06/14/2013 at 11:31 am

    Lol, yeah….just go ahead and hop on over to Sprint…it’s great….except for being rated absolutely horribly for both speed and coverage in reports as recently as 17 hours ago. Other than that, Sprint is great….

  2. gui

    06/14/2013 at 12:14 pm

    What a useless post. 650 dollar price point? That’s like that with every single carrier without a contract. Most likely, it’ll be 199.99 like every other carrier with a two year contract or upgrade, and I’m sure the special deals off the HTC website for 79.99 will apply for Verizon as well too during holiday seasons or special events. Why don’t we wait for an official post off of Verizon to make sure of the official pricing instead of telling users off the bat not to buy the phone unless they have deep pockets.
    Right now, the big red has the largest 4G coverage judging by your post, but you want people to convert to other carriers for a promise that their 4G coverage will get better by the end of the year? I used to work for Sprint when they acquired clearwire and when 4G was a promise back in 2009; let me tell you even after six years they have NOT delivered. What’s present is present, the results from speedtests are now, and if Verizon has great 4G coverage in your area as of now then it’s a wise decision to wait for the HTC One because simply put, in your area it’ll be worth it. You should be removed from google’s top search for HTC One inquiries with this non informative and useless post.
    Waiting for the HTC One isn’t giving me a headache, this highly biased assumption based post is. Thank you for wasting my time for reading the most useless article on the planet.

    • e

      06/14/2013 at 12:47 pm

      damn straight

    • w3rdsmyth

      06/14/2013 at 1:40 pm

      You sir, win the entire internet. You said what was on my mind.

    • PTCS

      06/14/2013 at 3:03 pm

      Can I get an “Amen Brother!!”

    • Lilly

      06/14/2013 at 4:10 pm

      nuff said

    • Tony

      06/15/2013 at 12:42 pm

      This article is a useless post. he probably has nothing better to do than to produce a post like this.

    • Naga VH

      06/16/2013 at 4:48 am

      The right people read this post. None of whom work on this blogsite.

    • Richard

      06/27/2013 at 9:10 am

      I’m sorry but you came out as an idiot. Of course there will be the $200 option but that’s to renew your context and lose your unlimited data that was grandfathered in.

  3. The Garden Master

    06/14/2013 at 12:46 pm

    Finally an unbias report! Thank you!

    • e

      06/14/2013 at 12:48 pm

      not sure if you know what ‘unbiased’ means

  4. Nathan

    06/14/2013 at 2:29 pm

    I’m sure you just skimmed over this, did you even READ PEOPLE WHO ARE GRANDFATHERED INTO UNLIMITED DATA??????????. I’m sure you only use 500mb of data and that’s OK, but people like me who signed up with unlimited data and use 10gb a month and don’t want to pay a shit ton on there bill paying full price is the only option we have.

  5. Tony

    06/14/2013 at 7:25 pm

    The author makes few good points. VZW is coming to the HTC One party late. Not sure of their reasoning and why they will not provide more details. It is also true that other carriers are making strides in building out their LTE networks. While not where VZW is at the moment, at least AT&T and TMO should be more than adequate by year end. TMO lights off in several cities during the next two months including the city where I live and their HSPA+ already beats VZW upload/download speeds, which surprised me. People at work using TMO constantly beat me when running the Speed Test app, can’t wait to see what their LTE will be like. Never sure about Sprint. The author also makes a good point about VZW being slow on their Android updates. If I wanted the One, I would not be afraid to jump to AT&T. I have had both VZW and AT&T and both provided me with good service. Sometimes I think VZW is getting a little too arrogant. They remind me of Apple, take it our way or no way.

  6. John Andrews

    06/15/2013 at 10:14 am

    I think VERIZON is holding off the release of the release HTC-ONE so it will not hurt the SALES of all their other phones , coincidin with pressure from the suppliers of all their other phones!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

  7. JJ

    06/15/2013 at 12:54 pm

    I’m on ATT & have the HTC One with 64G of memory. It’s the best phone I’ve ever owned. If I was on Verizon, and planning to stay on Verizon, I’d wait for the HTC One rather than buying another manufacturer’s phone. I can’t say enough good things about this phone.

    I convinced my cousin to buy one when it launched on ATT, she’s always been a Samsung user (last phone was an S3) but she loves her HTC One and says she’s never going back to Samsung.

    So, is it worth waiting for? You bet. Did Verizon bungle the launch? Definitely. But I’d still wait for this phone if I was a Verizon customer.

  8. bb

    06/15/2013 at 2:44 pm

    Ok…. Your “why it’s not worth waiting for” had zero reasons to not get it. If you got paid to write this, I’d suggest giving that money back…

  9. GM

    06/15/2013 at 6:55 pm

    Worst part about this is that the article states that it’s unknown why Verizon is delaying the release, and then goes on to say that it should launch with 4.2 which hasn’t rolled out to other carriers’ versions yet. CONNECT THE FREAKIN’ DOTS!!!

  10. pent

    06/15/2013 at 10:16 pm

    Actually, you don’t have to pay full price to stay grandfathered in, Verizon told me I can keep my unlimited plan even if I renewed my contract because I had unlimited before the new rules took place, so your statement is false

    • VinylTaco

      06/16/2013 at 12:55 am

      They lied to you. I have been told over and over again that you will lose your plan if you upgrade. You are signing a new contract,….

      • GamesweiveR

        06/16/2013 at 5:09 am

        Wouldnt be the first time.. Verizons employees are some of the most underhanded people I’ve ever met. 4 years ago when I got my 1st smartphone I didnt want data on it, as I was coming from a flip phone and didnt see the need for it. Well, the salesman told me to my face, in the store that smartphones dont actually require data plans to work.. Well, come to find out when I go into the store the next day to make the purchase the manager actually shows up and says, “Umm, all smartphones require data in order to activate.” I said, “Well, one of your salesmen told me that wasnt the case..” Know what he said back? “I’m sorry but youre mistaken, all of our salesmen are trained in company policy and would never say such a thing”. F-U, I now buy my phones, cases and renew contracts from Amazon (for almost 50% less than the stores price).

      • Jeff Winston

        06/18/2013 at 5:04 am

        Well I upgraded very recently and was able to keep my unlimited plan…

    • Heywood Smith

      06/16/2013 at 7:40 am

      They absolutely lied to you

    • Sheryl Barnes

      06/25/2013 at 4:06 am

      No it’s not I renewed my contract 2 weeks ago and lost my unlimited data. I could have kept it if I paid 700.00 for my new phone….

  11. Naga VH

    06/16/2013 at 4:47 am

    The editors of this non-authority website seem to think insulting a company (however weak) will bring products for their reader base. This type of blogging is pathetic, unbecoming and otherwise a total distraction. The HTC ONE has been a boon for websites such as this and sidhtech who repeat their own bathroom speculations over and over again under new titles and repeating the same tired rumors to capture more page views. Regardless, I refuse to view anything on AOL or Gawker media; but acknowledge the quality here really isnt much better at all.

  12. Kaz (@TheKaz1969)

    06/17/2013 at 5:23 am

    I think you miss the point — there are many many users who want to stay on Verizon. For those, the option is (1) get a new phone now, or (2) wait until the HTC One comes out. In this case, it is definitely worth waiting for.

    Those on other carriers aren’t going to switch to VZW because the HTC One is already out on their network. Those who didn’t want to wait for VZW, already switched to get this phone.

  13. John

    06/27/2013 at 4:07 pm

    You reallt want LTE? Get verizon but realzie they have AWFUL device support and selection. Want lots of exclusies? Red S4, 64GB HTC One, LG optimus G pro, SD card on the optimus G, and more and you want good coverage and speed Att is way to go. If you want alot of exclusives like evos and very special versions of devices and dont care about the price but want the most data go sprint. If you want no contract go tmobile but has bad coverag outsid eof big cities.

  14. Eddie T

    06/29/2013 at 11:08 am

    I switched from Verizon to Sprint for this phone in May, and I am sorry I did. Sprint’s data is HORRIBLE. I love the phone but I miss Verizon. The only good thing about Sprint is their customer service, which Verizon’s sucks.

  15. Paul Ciarlo

    06/29/2013 at 7:58 pm

    Haha good luck with that unlimited data plan on Sprint. You’re lucky if you can download anything at all on that network

  16. pent

    06/30/2013 at 10:51 pm

    Actually, it is true, when I upgraded to the iPhone 5, I kept my unlimited plan because I had a 4g LTE phone already, so it is true, I am a Verizon customer and my plan remains the same, I should know, the media is lying to you about losing your plan once grandfathered in on Verizon, I don’t know about all the other carriers but with Verizon, you keep your unlimited plan if you had 4G phone before the deadline when the announcement was made, you can even verify it with Verizon Customer Service,

    I should know because I did upgrade with discounted price and still kept my unlimited plan, so you are wrong

  17. pent

    06/30/2013 at 11:02 pm

    A lot of you are getting confused, if you didn’t have a smart phone with 4G while grandfathered in , then yea you would lose your unlimited plan once you do upgrade to a 4G phone, the key is if you had a 4G phone grandfathered in, then once you upgrade to another 4G phone , you will keep your unlimited plan

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.