HTC One Unlocked Edition Questions

[austriak]

I'm sorry if I sound ignorant but I have been an iphone owner for a long time. I have been watching Android phones for awhile and have been wanting to try it out. I'm tired of a small screen, not being able to choose which app will be used by default (e.g.; click on an address in a web browser and it will only open in Apple maps with no option to open in Google maps), and IOS 7 looks terrible in my opinion.

After much research, I have decided that HTC One is the phone that I think I might really like. I'm not up for an upgrade and didn't want to throw down $600 so I checked ebay and was able to purchase an HTC One in mint condition (based on pictures and description) at $420. It should arrive tomorrow. I figure that at that price, if I love the HTC One, I can sell my iPhone 5 for at least that much and if I don't like it more than my iPhone, I can sell it for at least as much as I paid for it.

The ebay listing posted it as an AT&T version of the HTC One. This morning, I was drooling over the pictures again and noticed that the box and the back of the HTC One in the pictures do not have AT&T logos. The posting also included the UPC code off the box, which I could also see in one of the pictures. I googled the UPC code and it turns out that this is not the AT&T carrier edition but the unlocked US edition that sells for $599 on HTC's website. This was a pleasant surprise.

Other than being unlocked to use with any sim card from any carrier, are there any other advantages? Will there be zero bloatware? Also, since updates do not have to go through the carrier for it, should it in theory receive updates more quickly?

Thanks.

 

[jfs101]

Hi, I have the US unlocked version. It doesn't have any bloatware. As for the updates, not even the developer edition has received the 4.2.2 update yet.

I read somewhere around this forum that the unlocked version is based on the AT&T software, don't take my word for it. But still I assume that it will get updates before the carriers.

Regardless of it being on 4.1.2 this is a great phone. Just remember not to constantly compare it with your iPhone. Don't get frustrated if you're stumped by something that you could do with you iPhone and can't figure it out with Android. Ask around, someone will most likely have an answer for you.

 

[anon(4697585)]

Just a bit of advice from someone who has been caught out before buying on eBay... those pictures aren't always of the one you will get. The seller could have a few devices and just use them as a generic photo!

I'm in the UK and the unlocked version got the 4.2.2 update the same day as all the network ones. I too moved from Apple and haven't (and will not) looked back!