Android
HTC One Release Date Delayed
The HTC One, which was thought to be coming to the United Kingdom, will evidently not arrive until much later in the month with March 29th now pegged as the device’s release date, at least at one retailer.
Read: Best Buy Teases HTC One Launch In Store.
According to UK retailer Clove, the HTC One release date, which it claimed to have been March 15th, just one day after the Samsung Galaxy S4 launch event, has now been delayed until March 29th, much later in the month and a much longer wait than many had expected.
The HTC One release date has been delayed, according to Clove UK.
HTC did not officially announce a release date for the HTC One at the event, only saying that the device would be arriving in March. Clove had heard from HTC that the release date was March 15th, and we also saw Vodafone confirm the same date, but now appears that HTC has advised Clove that the release date, at least is March 29th. How this affects carriers and retailers around the world remains to be seen.
We previously had heard that a carrier in Singapore, which had seemingly planned to put the phone on sale early, said that it would not be offering the phone this week and instead would be offering it later. So it could be that the device has indeed seen its worldwide launch pushed back for unknown reasons.
Read: HTC One Release Could Be Hampered by Shortages.
Previously, we heard that the HTC One release could be hampered by shortages due to the Ultrapixel camera. It could be that HTC ultimately decided to postpone the release so that it could shore up its supply in areas that were going to be affected by the supply shortage.
What this means for the United States release is unclear. So far, no carriers have confirmed release dates and the rumored March 22nd release date is fast approaching. It’s also much sooner than the March 29th release date given by Clove. Typically, HTC launches its phones first in Europe and later in the United States so it’s possible that we could see a delay in the U.S. as well, possibly into April.
HTC has followed up and said that it “will start fulfilling pre-orders by end March in certain markets and will roll out to more markets as we approach April.” So it could be that many of those who pre-ordered the phone will receive the phone in March but others could possibly be waiting until April. The only carrier that is shipping the phone right now is O2 in Germany though there is no telling how long that might last.
jeff
03/12/2013 at 2:59 pm
Sounds like the S4 will destroy an already crippled HTC… their worst nightmare is that they have to compete with the S4 on release timing and it looks like that is exactly what will happen.
mdn
03/17/2013 at 7:27 pm
When I initially heard that Samsung could conceivably release its new Galaxy S4 on the heels of the HTC One, I worried that early adopters of the latter might suffer from buyer’s remorse. But, after reading Engadget’s preview of the S4 (https://www.engadget.com/2013/03/14/samsung-galaxy-s-4-preview/), I’m starting to reconsider.
While Engadget’s preview is just that — a preview of what it anticipates Samsung’s new flagship to be — early photos of the Galaxy S4 indicate that it won’t be as ground-breaking a device as last year’s Galaxy S3. If the HTC One is as good as Engadget, Gizmodo, BGR, and other say it is, I don’t believe that Samsung releasing a merely updated Galaxy device will put a huge dent in its sales.
Of course, when you’re not Samsung, and dent is significant.