14 DAY TRIAL // Following yesterday’s HTC One M8 announcement, the Taiwanese company released two variations of its new flagship smartphone, Google Play and Developer editions.
This isn’t surprising given HTC’s previous history, so fans should be pleased that the handset maker continues the tradition and releases these models for everyone to purchase.
The new HTC One M8 Google Play is now available for pre-order via Google Play store in the United States and the UK. Potential customers will have to come up with no less than $700 (€505) upfront in order to own the Google Play edition of HTC One M8.
Unlike the unlocked version that can be purchased for $650 (€470), the Google Play edition doesn’t come with the HTC Sense 6.0, instead it offers an Android stock experience.
Those who prefer stock Android over other skins may want to give this special edition a try. According to Google, those who pre-order the HTC One M8 Google Play edition are likely to receive it within two or three weeks.
Keep in mind that HTC One M8 Google Play edition supports the following network bands: GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900; WCDMA: 850/AWS/1900/2100 with HSPA+ up to 21Mbps; LTE: 700/850/AWS/1900 (B17/B5/B4/B2, carrier aggregation B4+17;B2+17), and roaming 2600/1800 (B7/B3).
But this is not the only HTC One M8 variant launched by the Taiwanese company. The handset maker has also confirmed the upcoming availability of the HTC One M8 Developer edition, which is now available for pre-order for $650 (€470) outright.
This version of HTC One M8 comes with unlocked bootloader and, as the name suggests, it is aimed at developers who wish to test their applications in a bloatware-free environment.
The Developer edition of HTC One M8 also comes with unlocked SIM card, so owners will be able to use it just about anywhere in the world.
Aside from price and some software tweaks, the HTC One M8 Google Play and Developer editions are similar with the standard model that was announced yesterday.
This means that they will still be powered by Android 4.4.2 KitKat operating system and they pack the same 2.3GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor.
It is also worth mentioning that the smartphones boast 5-inch Super LCD3 capacitive touchscreen displays that support full HD (1080p) resolution and feature Corning Gorilla Glass coating.
Unlike the previous HTC One model, the M8 comes with microSD card slot for memory expansion (up 128), aside from the 16GB of storage included by default.
Another strong point of the HTC One M8 would be the dual 4-UltraPixek camera that features autofocus, dual-LED flash and full HD (1080p) video recording. HTC One M8 is expected to go on sale in more than 110 countries and at about 220 carriers by the end of April.