Google Play HTC One M8 - $700

[Peter Simpson]

Two really silly prices imo. I woke up in a bad mood this morning, then I was put in an even worse mood, then I read this post and laughed my head off as these prices are just ridiculous.

Please please please please please HTC tell me this is an April fools day joke. At $700 even I would recommend an iPhone instead...

Meanwhile, for those who don’t really care for HTC’s Sense user interface at all, then we have good news. The Google Play edition of the HTC’s latest and greatest is now up for grabs. It is compatible with AT&T and T-Mobile in the United States, with no mention of Sprint or Verizon. Your wallet is sure to cry at the $700 price tag, but if industrial design is your thing, it can be yours in 2-3 weeks.

For those who winced at the price tag and want something cheaper while maintaining that industrial design, the Google Play edition of the original HTC One got a $100 price drop in the wake of its successor’s announcement. The HTC One Google Play edition can now be yours for $500.

 

[NJDude]

You have to understand that those prices are for UNLOCKED devices, so, you pay full price.

 

[eps]

The HTC One is an excellent phone!

 

[DonManfred]

wait a few months and it will become cheaper

 

[Peter Simpson]

My Nexus 4 and nexus 5 are unlocked, and they cost me $300 and $350 respectivity @NJDude. Okay so they have to add another speaker to the HTC ONE and ONE M8, and also manufacture an aluminium housing for it. Is it really worth $350 more than my Nexus 5, I don't think so

Using industrial CNC machines to create the housing in high quantities is not that expensive. Just look at how much it cost Apple per housing, I think it was something silly like $55(apparently), that's not a lot really. So $350 more, no thank you, I'll stick with my N5...

 

[NJDude]

Like I said on my previous post, unlocked devices are always expensive, I have an HTC One and I paid $36 for it with a 2 year contract (the $36 is the insurance), we can argue until kingdom come about advantages and disadvantages of "contract phones" but the bottom line is you save money at the end, in fact, you can even get the HTC One M8 for FREE from Sprint (family plan).

 

[Peter Simpson]

I'm not arguing, just saying. It's just the fact that I always get 12 month SIM only deal then purchase a phone separately, I've done that for years as it works out cheaper especially over 2 years @NJDude maybe I'm just being selfish lol.

Over here I'm on the SIM only One deal. That's gives me unlimited internet(4G), 5k 3 to 3 minutes and 2k anytime minutes, That's £15 or about $25 per month, good deal.

I purchased an HTC ONE last year and used it for a few months, It's one hell of a nice phone. The sound that comes out of it absolutely destroys the competition and the screen is awesome too. I will admit it, I got a huge discount for the HTC ONE phone with a voucher so I purchased it.

The M8 is a nice quality phone for sure, but at $700 it's not exactly a drop in the ocean. That's 2 Nexus 5's and a nice Saturday night out with a few pint to boot

Right I'm off out to watch Manchester United and also to have a curry...

 

[NJDude]

Well, if you are just saying that $700 for a phone is too much, then we agree, I mean, a Nexus 7 tablet is only $229 (WiFi only) and I can get a kickass laptop for $700 and maybe a little less.

 

[Peter Simpson]

Dam, we drew 1 - 1 against the current European champions and the raining German champions we should have won.

Anyway you are 100% correct with what you the laptop comparison @NJDude. Quality wise you will be hard pushed to beat the HTC 8M, but it's just really the price that is getting me. If it was $500 I would never have created this post.

Personally having had both the iPhone 5s(brother in-laws) and the HT One(mine from last year) in my hands at the same time. Both my brother in-law and myself gave it to the HTC. Mainly screen brightness and those twin speakers.

You can get a really nice Samsung i5 laptop for about $700. If you add another $200 - $250 then you can get yourself a really nice i7 laptop.

I'm not knocking the quality, that would be plain silly of me, it's just that price.

Most Americans work really hard for their money. I'm not sure how much things cost in America, but $700 which is currently £420.95. £420.95 easily covers my car insurance for 12 months and leaves me with £125 spare.

 

[Beja]

"Unlocked" cell phones .. unlocking is a scam.. this is the only country in the world where companies lock phones, even if you paid the full price, then you have to pay another $20 to $30 to unlock it.
The practice should be the other way round.. they must always sell unlocked, simply because you paid the price and it is your property. then when you sign with them they can lock it.
What's going on now is kind of extortion.. unfortunately consumers are unaware of their rights.. just imagine if you buy a car and pay full price, only to discover the engine is locked, then you have to tow it to a dealer to unlock it for a additional cost.