HTC One+ price set to cost more. Here's why it's worth the money
HTC really outdid itself when it launched the HTC One flagship smartphone last year. And now with rumours of its successor coming in thick and fast, HTC looks set to do it again.
So far, we’ve heard the device being called a number of things, from M8 and HTC One 2, to HTC One+. Irrespective of name, the next HTC smartphone is sure to blow us away with an impressive set of specs.
But all of this comes at a cost so we ask if the HTC One+ be worth the money?
Another HTC Fingerprint scanner?
It seems that these days, if your phone doesn’t have a fingerprint scanner, it’s not worth touching.
While the iPhone 5s kick-started this trend, HTC soon followed with the One Max’s own in-built fingerprint scanner. And so far, amongst all the HTC One+ rumours we’ve spotted, a fingerprint scanner is right at the top of the list.
So what will this do to the HTC One+ price? The HTC One can be picked up for almost £500 almost one year after it was launched into the smartphone market. So with the addition of a high-tech, almost futuristic security feature built in, it can only mean one thing for the One+’s price tag.
But will it be worth shelling out a little more for the HTC One+? For a built-in fingerprint scanner which puts it right at the forefront of technology, we’d say yes!
HTC One+ to feature Sense 6.0?
Again the HTC One revolutionised the smartphone scene with its smart-looking Sense 5, which brought us the dynamic HTC BlinkFeed.
But rumour has it that the HTC One+ will sport a brand new version of its user interface in the form of Sense 6. We’ve not managed to gather much more information about what Sense 6 will look like exactly, but if Sense 5 is anything to go on, we’re in for a treat.
Compared to hardware changes, new and improved software usually contributes very little to a smartphone’s price. However, what it will do is to attract yet more Android fanatics to the smartphone; with all new Android flagships more or less resembling each other, the HTC One+ with Sense 6 could mark it out as the smartphone to buy in 2014.
An improved UltraPixel camera
HTC broke the mould when it launched the One with only a 4 megapixel camera, which brought with it amazement that megapixels aren’t everything after all. Instead of simply packing in megapixels, HTC developed the UltraPixel camera, which lets in 300% more light than other 13MP camera phones on the market.
And based on the HTC One camera’s success, why would the Taiwanese firm break a winning formula with the HTC One+?
If HTC does choose to keep the One+’s rear-facing snapper exactly the same as its predecessor, we don’t imagine its price tag will be bumped up too much as a result. But based on our experience with the HTC One’s rear-facing snapper, we’d suggest that the One+ is definitely worth whatever price tag HTC gives it!
HTC One+ Power Boost
Another improvement that the HTC One+ is set to sport is an enhanced set of specs under the hood.
Although leaked benchmark tests suggest that the One+ will come with 2GB of RAM, rumours have circulated which hint at a massive 3GB of RAM, which would put the smartphone on a par with the Samsung Galaxy Note 3.
The current HTC One has a respectable quad-core 1.7GHz processor and a Snapdragon 600 chipset. However, One+ rumours are already predicting that the smartphone will feature either a Snapdragon 800 or an 805 chip, making it run at lightning speed compared to its predecessor.
Undoubtedly this extra boost of power will contribute to a higher price tag for the HTC One+, but for a much speedier experience, it will definitely be worth the additional investment.
Appearance: a double of the HTC One?
With every new release it seems that Android smartphones are getting bigger and bigger. And with the HTC One only sporting a 4.7-inch display, there’s always scope for the One+ to pile on the inches too.
And word on the street is that the HTC One+ will feature a 5-inch screen, similar to that of the Samsung Galaxy S4. So, going along with the belief that bigger is always better, a larger version of the HTC One can only be a good thing, right?
But will this affect the cost of the HTC One+? Our guess is probably not. In fact, it’s more likely that the materials that the device is made from will play a bigger part on the smartphone’s price tag. It is more or less confirmed that the rumoured HTC One+ is set to sport a metal jacket just like its predecessor, which is sure to pile the pounds on- and I’m not talking about weight.
But if there’s one single feature which makes splashing out worthwhile, it’s the phone’s chassis. The One+ will instantly stand out as a premium smartphone compared to many of its Android counterparts.
How much will the HTC One+ cost?
So how much will the HTC One+ cost? As with most smartphones before they’re officially announced, we can only make a guess at this. But based on previous HTC handsets, we could take a stab in the dark at a £500-£550 mark.
And taking a look at the wealth of HTC One+ rumours in circulation, we can guarantee that the smartphone will be worth the extra cost.