HTC ONE Nexus Edition with LTE at AT&T, T-Mobile after Galaxy S4 Nexus LTE Likely?

Rumors of a possible “Nexus Edition of HTC One” sparked off after Google announced the Samsung Galaxy S4 Nexus at its 2013 Google I/O event. The speculation arose because HTC is a strong rival of Samsung, but a new rumor is pushing us to really expect a HTC One Nexus. The information is unofficial, yet comes from @LLabTooFeR, a HTC tipster and developer well-known for leaking accurate inside information. It has some convincing details pointing to an August release of the supposed device though HTC has denied working on a Nexus edition.

With Samsung Galaxy S4 coming to the limelight at Google’s I/O conference, consumers started talking about a similar HTC One device mainly because of the avant-garde features of HTC One, especially its sleek, all-metal design. Until now, HTC First is the only HTC device running on Android without its proprietary interface, but it still has Facebook’s Home launcher.

Given that the twitter-originated leak comes from a source that has given accurate information before, we can indeed look for a HTC One Nexus device. From HTC’s perspective, it must strive to keep up with Samsung, so a Nexus version of its 2013 flagship device is the best way to reach out its brand to more consumers. In fact, HTC One is being received well and its fans would be more than pleased to have a pure Google experience on it. From Google’s perspective, a Nexus version of HTC One would definitely help Google move up in its competition with iPhone 5S, and also bridge Nexus 4 and Nexus 5.

Well, there are chances that the leaked information simply wants to cool down the excitement triggered by the Galaxy S4 Nexus announcement. If a HTC One Nexus is really underway, Google could have announced it at its I/O conference, so perhaps, the leak is just a rumor that will fade away. But, the much-anticipated Nexus 4 LTE or Nexus 5 or Android 4.3 that did not appear at the conference is expected next month. So, we cannot rule out the probabilities of an unexpected release of HTC One Nexus.

If a HTC One Nexus edition does appear, it will be as expensive as the Galaxy S4 Nexus priced at $649. As a pure Android device, it will lack the HTC Sense interface, just as the Galaxy S4 Nexus is devoid of Samsung’s TouchWiz UI. Expect the same 4G LTE capabilities that are currently available for HTC One on AT&T and T-Mobile. The drawbacks of the original version – lack of microSD – are likely to remain.

By comparison, the LG-made Nexus 4 comes for almost half the price of Samsung Galaxy S4 Nexus and the supposed HTC One Nexus. The expensive price tag may not daunt developers, but it remains to be seen whether the hardware of Samsung or HTC are robust enough to turn them away from the humbler Nexus 4.