The rumour of a ‘Google Edition’ HTC One has been doing the rounds since the announcement of the Google Edition Samsung Galaxy S4 at this Google IO, the existence of which was debunked immediately by HTC.
In the last couple of days however, the rumours have been gaining momentum and there’s certainly been more and more credible sources adding weight to the mix. The team at Android Central have confirmed through their own private sources that the rumours of the ‘Google Edition’ HTC One are true.
The official announcement of “Google Edition HTC One” is expected in around a week from now. The great thing about having a stock Android device is clearly the update times are minimised, with updates being delivered directly from Google you’re no longer relying on the manufacturer to update their skinned version of Android to the latest version.
There’s a downside to stock Android on the current generation of phones too. Specifically enhancements to features such as the camera which utilises the ISP on the SOC in conjunction with software enhancements in the camera application such as the ‘Zoe’ feature. Other Sense based customisations such as Blinkfeed will also be lost. It is unclear as to whether features such as Beats Audio would be included as well.
At this stage, there has been no official announcement of the device and therefore there is no official release date. It is also highly likely to be a US only release at launch, similar to the ‘Google Edition’ Galaxy S4 but there’s always hope that those of us outside the USA may get access to these phones at some stage down the track.
Would you prefer a Google version of the HTC One to the Sense enhanced version? Let us know in the comments below.
Want
Definitely prefer Google version. This would likely be my next phone. Or I’d consider Google version of S4 if they turn the menu button into a multitasking button. Does HTC one require long press for multitasking?
Double press for multitasking
Only of the Nexus 4 doesn’t get a refresh.
Gimmie gimmie gimme gimme!
apart from PPI, which only matters if you hold the phone close to your face, like in bed, the ONE X is BRIGHTER, has better viewing angles, has the floating icons/display effect. and the htc one x is more ergonomic
beats audio = gimmick, cm10.1 the speakers sound better and much louder, you just have to reduce the first 2 EQ lines in DSP (reduce the bass) whats with HTC claiming 93 decibels, when this thing doesnt come close to that with SENSE 5
100% prefer it to the s4