In an exciting turn of events this week at D11, it looks like the Samsung Galaxy S4 stock version is going to have competition after all. It had been rumored as coming, but now it has been made official at D11 – a Nexus version of the HTC One will also be available on the Google Play Store this Summer.
It means that those whispers on Twitter from an apparent ‘insider’ that we told you about here, were actually correct – who would have thought it? Google’s Sundar Pichai revealed the exciting information at D11 just hours ago, confirming that the HTC One with a stock version of Android, presumably Android 4.3, will go on sale for $599.
That price relates to a fully unlocked smartphone, with support for T-Mobile and AT&T networks – just like the Samsung Galaxy S4 Nexus. However, the major difference that we can see is that while Samsung will offer a Galaxy S4 Nexus 16GB for $699, HTC will be offering a 32GB version of the One for $100 cheaper.
Then again, you also need to take into account, that the Galaxy S4 Nexus can expand its 16GB memory with MicroSD card – the HTC One Nexus will be stuck on 32GB. These memory differences could end up as the key factor in our opinion, as in terms of pure hardware specs – both phones are amazing.
Like the Galaxy S4 Nexus, the stock version of the HTC One will now be first in line for software updates thanks to the Nexus program. June 26 is the big date for when you’ll find the device on the Google Play Store and a date when you can finally kiss goodbye to Sense UI if you are not a fan.
Consumers who are looking for a new phone in 2013 now have some amazing choices. Let us know your reaction to the announcement and whether you will be opting for the Galaxy S4 Nexus, the HTC One Nexus or even waiting for Motorola’s Moto X phone.
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