HTC One Launch Delayed Until Late April

HTC One Launch Delayed Until Late April

Originally slated for launch this month, HTC said today that its flagship smartphone, the HTC One, will not be available until late April in most parts of the world.

“HTC has seen unprecedented demand for and interest in the new HTC One, and the care taken to design and build it is evidenced in early reviews,” the company said in a statement. “The new HTC One will roll out in the U.K., Germany and Taiwan next week and across Europe, North America and most of Asia-Pacific before the end of April. We appreciate our customers’ patience, and believe that once they have the phone in their hands they will agree that it has been worth the wait.”

The HTC One has drawn early praise from tech reviewers, but the delay is another setback for a company that has struggled to keep up with competitors like Samsung. Last month, the company reported that revenue fell 44 percent from the previous year.

But HTC isn’t going down without a fight. Just a couple of weeks ago, the Taiwanese cellphone manufacturer crashed the Samsung Galaxy S4 unveiling to pass out snacks and hot cocoa to those waiting in line for the event, while, of course, showing off the One. The company also handed out coupons offering $ 100 to anyone who traded in his or her phone for the One.

The HTC One will come out right around the same time as the Samsung Galaxy S4. The two Android devices offer comparable features. The HTC One has a 4.7-inch HD touchscreen, a four-megapixel camera and a quad-core processor, while the Galaxy S4 has a five-inch HD touchscreen, a 13-megapixel camera and a quad-core processor.

Both smartphones will be available from all four major U.S. carriers and, though pricing hasn’t been announced for either phone, I suspect both will be around the $ 200 range.

For a long time, HTC’s tagline has been “Quietly Brilliant,” and while the company doesn’t have the marketing dollars to match Samsung, HTC President Jason Mackenzie said it will be more aggressive with the HTC One.

“As a consumer, you will see us,” he said in an interview with AllThingsD. “You will know there are things that make the HTC One great.”

Update: An earlier version of this story stated that the HTC One has an eight-megapixel camera. It has a four-megapixel camera. Apologies for the error.