There was a time when the idea of seeing the likes of Samsung and HTC offering us “Google Edition” devices free from their own user interfaces seemed crazy. Now it’s almost becoming the norm for the latest flagships. It began with the Galaxy S4 at Google I/O last month, and then Android head Sundar Pinchai announced the HTC One Google Edition at D11 last week.
Now a rumor claims that we’ll get a Sony Xperia Z with stock Android next month.
HTC has increased the price of the unlocked HTC One from $574.99 to $599.99. The company has not released an official statement to explain why the device got a $25 price bump, but I have an inkling it has something to do with Google’s upcoming “Nexus Experience,” which is set to launch on Google Play for $599.99 on June 26.
We first caught a glimpse of the smaller, cheaper HTC One back in early May when a leaked press shot made its way around the web, and today it’s getting shown off again alongside its big brother in a gallery of nice comparison shots.
The HTC One is set to receive its Android 4.2.2 update in mid-June, according to HTC Russia head Kormiltsev Andrey. The device launched with Android 4.1.2 pre-installed, but HTC promised back in April that an update to the latest Android release wasn’t far away.
It’s taken several months, but Verizon has finally confirmed today that it will be offering the flagship HTC One this summer. The device will be identical to that already offered by other U.S. and international carriers — with an added Verizon logo, of course — and Verizon will not be renaming it.
