When HTC released their new flagship phone, the HTC One, reviewers were impressed. Never had HTC made anything like this, and it stood out against every other Android phone. The design alone was enough to draw comparisons to Apple's fantastic phones, but it's also fast, has a good screen and camera, and for once, HTC's Sense UI wasn't as much of a hindrance to the phone as it had been in the past. There was just one big problem for Android users looking to get the best Android phone: it was only available on AT&T.
Finally, that's not the case, as Android's best phone is now available on Verizon.
HTC has had some issues recently. They've had mass departures of executives, and lower sales than yet expected. But I think this was a major source of their issues. When the iPhone was first released, back in 2007, it was only available on AT&T. It sold well, especially for the first generation of a device that redefined what we call a "smartphone". Their sales and marketshare skyrocket, however, when the phone became available on other carriers. Contracts and coverage make people feel as though they're stuck with their carriers, and that makes asking users to switch to get a new phone difficult. It's always better to give users a choice of carrier, as switching carriers isn't an option for all cellphone users.
Despite having a phone that is, by many accounts, far better than other competing Android phones, sales of the HTC One haven't been up to their expectations. They're offering smaller and larger versions of their phones, although the mini has also been exclusive to AT&T, and may not be available to Verizon anytime soon. By making their flagship phone available on Verizon, HTC just increased their market for potential customers by around twice what it was previously. It's an impressive amount, but will offering their best phone across multiple carriers be enough to bring HTC out of their free fall? The 32GB HTC One is now available on Verizon for $199.
Source: BGR
