HTC did not officially unveil their 2016 flagship at the same time as the Samsung Galaxy S7 family and the LG G5, instead HTC waited a few weeks before showing off the new HTC 10. This device is based around the same chipset as we’ve seen in the Galaxy S7 and G5: the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820. As with the competition, HTC have given this 64-bit, new generation chipset 4 GB of RAM and a 1440p resolution display; in this case, HTC are using a fifth generation, 5.2-inch SuperLCD panel. The device also comes with optically stabilised front and rear cameras, a 3,000 mAh battery, a USB Type-C port, device-wide 24-bit high resolution audio including a new generation BoomSound speaker set up. The HTC 10 runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow under HTC’s proprietary Sense interface, wrapped up in a metal chassis that is reminiscent of the 2013 HTC One M7 but bought up to date. Many of the HTC 10’s details were leaked prior to the official announcement, including the chassis design and all the core specifications, and HTC opened up the preorder webpage about a month ago.
Today, HTC announced via Twitter that for their American customers who preordered the new HTC 10 smartphone, they have started shipping orders “as they were received.” This means that if you jumped onto the preorder website as soon as it opened, your new device should be being shipped as you read this. If you preordered the device, you should receive an email message letting you know when it has been shipped but you can also visit your HTC account page. For HTC fans, it has been one of the longest months!
The launch of the HTC 10 is also notable because America’s second largest carrier, AT&T, currently have no plans to carry the device. This means that for those customers wanting to use the device on this carrier, they will need to pick up the unlocked device, which will support AT&T and T-Mobile USA but not Verizon Wireless. HTC’s website is showing the silver and grey 32 GB HTC 10 models are currently available for $699. Customers of other carriers can benefit from lower prices: Verizon has the device showing on preorder for $648 and they ship from May 5, Sprint release the device next week from $624 but T-Mobile USA’s website simply says due later this month. Meanwhile, HTC are stepping up their advertising for the new HTC 10. Earlier this week we saw the Ultra Selfie commercial for the device, shot using only the HTC 10’s optically stabilised front facing 5MP camera.