Consumers are not generally a fan of exclusivity when it comes to a smartphone and a carrier, especially when the smartphone manufacturer is HTC and needs to have as many outlets selling its new HTC 10 as possible. When it became clear earlier this month that the HTC 10 was going to be an exclusive on the Bell network until July 1, all kinds of thoughts popped up – and it looks like one of them is coming to fruition. A new report is now stating that sources close to them are confirming the HTC 10 will cost $349.99 on a 2-year contract at Bell on April 29, with an outright price of $899.99. The $349.99 contract price is $50 higher than the Samsung Galaxy S7, which comes in at $299.99.
While the HTC 10 is an excellent example of a flagship smartphone, it by no means should command a higher price than the other flagships coming in from Samsung and LG. The HTC 10 certainly has its fair share of issues, as most devices have. The weaken Canadian Dollar does not help matters and is artificially raising the prices, but those weaker dollars are the same for all brands of smartphones. It will be interesting to see how pricing comes in once the HTC 10 is available to all networks.
HTC desperately needs a hit to help their bottom line, and they seem to have done everything right with the new HTC 10. The all-metal exterior has taken on a more chiseled and bold look. HTC finally started using a QHD display that comes in at 565 pixel-per-inch (PPI). The 5.2-inch display may be small for some users, but is a good size for the masses. HTC picked the hottest processor on the market – the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 quad-core coupled with an Adreno 530 GPU to handle any graphics you can throw at it. It is packing a full 4GB of DDR4 RAM and 32GB of internal storage that is expandable to 2TB via a microSD card. HTC also included a solid camera this time around with a 12MP UltraPixel setup for the primary camera and a 5MP for the front-facing camera (FFC) for selfies and video chatting. A 3,000 mAh non-removable battery with Quick Charge 3.0 provides the power. Let’s hope that the high pricing does not scare anybody away from the HTC 10.