[Minirant] Verizon HTC One pricing

[gadgetrants]

Just a quick rant to let off some steam: I'm looking forward to Verizon's release of the One -- and it doesn't really bother me that they're several months late to the party (or HTC is, whatever) -- but WHAT DOES bug me is that when it appears, it will probably start out at the typical this-is-brand-new-so-pay-through-the-nose price. ARGH.

Guess what...at Amazon right now the AT&T version is $160 (2-year contract, new or renewal) and $80/$150 (new/renewed contract) with Sprint.

I assume it'll be $199 (or more?) at Verizon for a while. I guess that's not gawd-awful for a starting price on a very impressive phone, but why-oh-why couldn't Verizon say, "Hey, since there's so much competition out there right now, let's try to pull in some new One owners by matching or beating the other guys."

Oh well, maybe Wirefly or somewhere similar will have a decent price.

Any word on when? I thought I heard "end of June" (or maybe I'm just not good at waiting).

-Matt

 

[Brightonbrad]

I believe the note 2 was 300$ for renewal. I would not be surprised if its that. I mean it is vzw we're talking about.

 

[gadgetrants]

I believe the note 2 was 300$ for renewal. I would not be surprised if its that. I mean it is vzw we're talking about.

You're not helping reduce my frustration at all -- in fact, you're going the wrong way! LOL

Sadly, $300 sounds totally plausible.

EDIT: and stupidly, what it will end up doing is driving me to the Galaxy S4 which will be $50 for renewal by then. There are also some out there encouraging me to wait for the Moto X, but I think they may be delusional!

-Matt

 

[Brightonbrad]

You're not helping reduce my frustration at all -- in fact, you're going the wrong way! LOL

Sadly, $300 sounds totally plausible.

EDIT: and stupidly, what it will end up doing is driving me to the Galaxy S4 which will be $50 for renewal by then. There are also some out there encouraging me to wait for the Moto X, but I think they may be delusional!

-Matt

After having a phone from pre-google owned Motorola and now having one that was made after Google bought them I will say that the new moto phones are amazing. Although I feel with all the hype that the moto x will be around $250. Unfortunately there is no way around. Vzw likes gouging us in the price department. Here's hoping I'm wrong but we will have to wait and see

 

[Malkavian]

Just a thought. I think the reason Verizon delaying the phone is due to deals with HTC and AT&T. Here is my thinking, bare with me. I personally think a red version of this at 32gb or 64gb would be cool. Most phones now are black and white and getting a bit boring, silver is a nice change. AT&T got the exclusive on the 64gb Silver and Black phone that deal was with HTC. My theory is that Verizon made a deal with HTC to exclusively carry the HTC One in Red, but they also wanted the 32gb and 64gb versions in that color, but AT&T had the exclusive on the 64gb version. Verizon then went to AT&T and said lets deal about you releasing early, say 6 months, with your versions because we want the 64gb version. We will keep quiet and not say anything about a release date for our version or any specs. It's a trade off. AT&T gets people to re-up before Verizon comes out with their version and AT&T people are locked in. Verizon, on the other hand, may lose some customers to AT&T because they have the 64gb version, but their core diehard Verizon users will wait. Plus, Verizon could wait on Android 4.2.2 and say that their version has it out of the box, no need to wait for a download. And, the other carriers have field tested the phone and any issues/bugs have been ironed out before Verizon releases their version. AT&T may lose a few people when the red version comes out, but that will most likely be minimal.

It also could be that Verizon wants more and more of their software on the phone and HTC is dragging their feet.

This is all speculation, pretty much pulling it out of the air, but not impossible.

Michael

 

[gadgetrants]

Just a thought. I think the reason Verizon delaying the phone is due to deals with HTC and AT&T. Here is my thinking, bare with me. I personally think a red version of this at 32gb or 64gb would be cool. Most phones now are black and white and getting a bit boring, silver is a nice change. AT&T got the exclusive on the 64gb Silver and Black phone that deal was with HTC. My theory is that Verizon made a deal with HTC to exclusively carry the HTC One in Red, but they also wanted the 32gb and 64gb versions in that color, but AT&T had the exclusive on the 64gb version. Verizon then went to AT&T and said lets deal about you releasing early, say 6 months, with your versions because we want the 64gb version. We will keep quiet and not say anything about a release date for our version or any specs. It's a trade off. AT&T gets people to re-up before Verizon comes out with their version and AT&T people are locked in. Verizon, on the other hand, may lose some customers to AT&T because they have the 64gb version, but their core diehard Verizon users will wait. Plus, Verizon could wait on Android 4.2.2 and say that their version has it out of the box, no need to wait for a download. And, the other carriers have field tested the phone and any issues/bugs have been ironed out before Verizon releases their version. AT&T may lose a few people when the red version comes out, but that will most likely be minimal.

It also could be that Verizon wants more and more of their software on the phone and HTC is dragging their feet.

This is all speculation, pretty much pulling it out of the air, but not impossible.

Michael

Michael, very persuasive argument. I've bounced it off a few friends and it makes a pretty convincing case. Today's announcement about the blue version is fairly underwhelming -- I'm crossing my fingers that you're right and something a bit more interesting will be here on the 15th!

-Matt

 

[Malkavian]

The blue HTC One didn't overwhelm me either. Although a red one would be cool. I want 64gb on the phone if you are not going to give me an expansion slot. Guess we are all waiting until the 15th. I can upgrade as of today, but nothing they are offering has the power this one does, so I'm sitting and waiting.

-Michael

 

[kparks]

The blue HTC One didn't overwhelm me either. Although a red one would be cool. I want 64gb on the phone if you are not going to give me an expansion slot. Guess we are all waiting until the 15th. I can upgrade as of today, but nothing they are offering has the power this one does, so I'm sitting and waiting.

-Michael

Or the 29th.....

 

[gadgetrants]

Or the 29th.....

I was feeling pretty demoralized, and then I realized the S4 was also released around April/May, meaning if I wound up with either phone they'd both be 4ish months old. Which is ANCIENT in phone years, but then I also remembered my plan all along was to give whichever phone I picked a few months to "work out the bugs" plus enjoy a bit of a drop in price.

The only snag in my plans -- should I decide on the One -- is the question I raised in the OP, which is: what will the Verizon launch price be? With the Moto X and the new Droids grabbing the limelight, I somehow don't see the One coming out with a firesale. I'm sad to say I expect it will be standard "new-phone" pricing. Sucks.

-Matt

 

[gadgetrants]

Well, there we go. $200. Kinda figures.

http://www.droidforums.net/forum/an...g-store-shelves-august-22nd-200-contract.html

-Matt

 

[alafferty82081]

They just announced the red version for att , so much for your theory on Verizon getting that first......otherwise nice write up.....