Verizon HTC One Is Here: 5 Most Important Facts About Big Red’s Latest Device

The Verizon HTC One is now on the market and is selling for at $199.99 with a two-year contract and at $599.99 off-contract. The device is arriving on Verizon five months after its international release in March. Consumers may be familiar with HTC's 2013 flagship by now, but there is still much more to learn about the Verizon specific HTC One model. Here's a rundown of some of the most important information to know about the device.

Discounts

To keep the Verizon HTC One viable on the market, a number of retailers including Big Red itself are offering discounts on the handset. Customers can purchase their Verizon HTC One from Dell or Wirefly for just $149.99 with a two-year contract. Dell’s deal also includes a free pair of urBeats Headphones. Additionally, customers can use the coupon code VERIZON30 at check out and pay $170 after a $30 discount.

Colors

The standard colors for the HTC One are Glacial silver and Stealth black; however, other color options are expected to release in the future. Sprint recently launched its red HTC One, which will be exclusive to the now network. Verizon is also expected to have its own exclusive color: Blue. Currently there is no indication of when a blue Verizon HTC One will be released; however, with leaks confirming the device’s existence many are sure it’s just a matter of time before it is on the market.

Locked Bootloader

The Verizon HTC One bootloader was able to be unlocked through HTCdev for all of one day after the device was released. However, now Big Red has disabled that ability, which makes it more difficult for users to install custom ROMs or make other modifications of their HTC One handsets. Verizon is known for not unlocking its devices or not allowing its devices to be unlocked through official means. It appears to be a fluke on Verizon’s part that it’s HTC One was able to be unlocked for a short time on Thursday.

Android 4.3

HTC has confirmed that the HTC One will be will be receiving an update to Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, likely by the end of September. The HTC One on other carriers such as AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint has run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean since its release in March; however, the Verizon HTC One released with Android 4.2.2 on board. Still, Big Red’s handset is also expected to see the system update. HTC President Jason Mackenzie stated via Tweeter that the HTC One will be updated to Android 4.3 across SKUs (model numbers), noting that the handsets on older software will skip a Jelly Bean version due to the jump between Android 4.2.2 and Android 4.3 being minor. Verizon is expected to update its HTC One after other carriers have rolled out the new system, as is common for the carrier.

Competition

While the HTC One is a popular 2013 flagship, it will soon be one of many. A host of highly anticipated phones will be released in the coming months including the iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C, HTC One Max, LG G2, Moto X, Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Sony Xperia Z Ultra. However the HTC One may still have chance to one up the competition since Verizon tends to release all devices onto its network much later than other carriers. This could give the Verizon HTC One possibly a few months on the market relatively by itself. Currently its only real competition would be the recently released Droid MAXX and Droid Ultra, which are exclusive to Verizon.

Is there anything else you want to know about the Verizon HTC One? Let us know in the comments below.

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