Verizon recently started shipping its HTC 10 pre-orders, which indicated that the company had already started receiving its consignments from the HTC factories in Taiwan. Now, the carrier has started selling the device on its website as well as in its retail stores nationwide, with device payment plans starting from $22.83 per month for qualified customers, who’ll be eligible to get the handset with zero down payment on a 2-year payment plan. Subscribers with more modest credit, however, will need to make a down payment of $219.20 and thereupon pay $13.70 per month for the next 24 months. In an online-only offer, the carrier is also waiving off the activation fee on the device for a limited time. One thing to note is that only the 32 GB version of the smartphone is currently listed online with no word on when customers can expect to see the 64 GB model on sale. Verizon is also offering a time-limited $100 discount that will stay in place until May 9th.
Meanwhile, users wanting to grab the unlocked, SIM-free version of the device from HTC’s website are also entitled to the $100 discount. That particular model will work with both AT&T and T-Mobile, so AT&T subscribers wanting to give the HTC 10 a go have the option of doing so even though the carrier is not officially selling the smartphone on its network. However, while the $100 discount brings the price of the HTC 10 down from $648 to $548 at Verizon, users buying the smartphone straight from HTC will have to pay a $51 premium to get their hands on the device. It is originally listed on HTC’s website at $699, and will cost $599 post discount.
Even as U.S. consumers are gearing up to receive their HTC 10 units, consumers in China seems to have given the device a cold shoulder, with reports indicating that only 251 units have been pre-ordered in the 11 days since the device was listed on two leading online retail sites in the country. Sources quoted by sections of the Taiwanese media seem to be of the opinion that HTC’s decision to launch the lower spec HTC 10 Lifestyle in the country instead of the Snapdragon 820-powered global flagship is one of the main reasons for the reported low uptake for the smartphone in the country.