HTC One Hits India at Rs 42900, Availability April End: Will You Buy the UltraPixel Heavyweight?

Surprise! HTC has announced the launch of its current flagship smartphone - One in India today, without much fanfare. Last month, the Taiwanese giant went around different metro cities in the nations showcasing the new behemoth' s features and specifications and how the newly arrived HTC One is better than the other market competitors including Galaxy S3, iPhone 5, BlackBerry Z10 and Nokia Lumia 920.

Gizbot was present at an event held in Bangalore where, Manu Seth, Marketing Director, HTC India exclusively informed that, "HTC One would hit the retail shelves in India by second half of April 2013, most probably between the third or last week of the month." Further, an inside source revealed that the smartphone might be priced between Rs 40,000 to Rs 45,000 approximately.

Well, the information did turn out to be authentic as HTC One has been launched in the nation with a price tag of Rs 42,900 and it will be available for purchase from the second half of April (late third week or early last week). Moreover, HTC has collaborated with Reliance Communication to release the handset, wherein the GSM subscribers will receive freebies including 1GB 3G data free for 3 months alongside 3 months free subscription to BigFlix.

Click here for more HTC One images...

Click here for more HTC One images...

Based on Sense 5.0 UI, HTC One will come with a plethora of software features including the ones explained below.

Blinkfeed is a notifications aggregation centre for news and social information including Facebook, Twitter, pre-defined news feeds and some select photo gallery content based on location. The information feed will get updated every two hours with data connection and quite frequently with Wi-Fi.

Simplicity - a standard Android homescreen that allows users to add app shortcuts and widgets for easy access. Also, there is a clock widget that is stuck to the top of the customizable homescreen.

The HTC One is the first smartphone to come with BoomSound, which involves front-facing stereo speakers with a dedicated amplifier and an amazing full HD display that enable users to enjoy music, videos, games and the YouTube clips with superior quality.

Likewise other HTC smartphones, One comes with BeatsAudio integration, which offers rich and authentic sound while listening to music, watching a video or playing a game.

HTC Sense TV transforms the new HTC One into an interactive program guide and remote control for most TVs, set-top boxes and receivers. Tapping the power of the cloud, Sense TV makes it simple and intuitive to see what's on and find that favourite show.

Further, One uses an UltraPixel camera, which takes in 300% more light than a standard smartphone sensor. This should give the handset far better low light performance than other high-end smartphone cameras. Better low-light performance translates to less grainy and underexposed images in poor lighting conditions and improved focus.

To remind of specs, HTC One houses a 4.7 inch Super LCD 3 capacitive touchscreen display with a full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, 1.7GHz quad core Qualcomm APQ8064T Snapdragon 600 processor, Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean OS, 4MP UltraPixel rear camera with BSI sensor, 2.1MP front camera for video calling, 2GB RAM, 32GB/64GB internal storage, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, 4G, high speed HSPA+, micro USB and a 2,300 mAh battery.

Commenting at the launch, Faisal Siddiqui, Country Head, HTC India said, "People today immerse themselves in a constant stream of updates, news and information. Although smartphones are one of the main ways we stay in touch with the people and information we care about, conventional designs have failed to keep pace with how people are actually using them."

He added that, "A new, exciting approach to the smartphone is needed and with the new HTC One, we have re-imagined the mobile experience from the ground up to reflect this new reality."

Also, Nilanjan Mukherjee, Chief Revenue Officer, Reliance Communications Limited said, "We are happy to exclusively partner with HTC to bring the new HTC One in India. Every Reliance GSM subscriber can now avail 1GB of 3G data free for 3 months along with free sharing of unlimited text, music, pictures and videos through WhatsApp and Facebook for 3 months. We are also offering free BigFlix subscription for 3 months that will enable Reliance 3G users to watch the latest movies on the go without having to worry about any additional data charges."

He added, "Our bundled offers on RCOM's superior 3G network is set to provide a compelling new experience with incredible affordability to Smartphone users across the country".

Looking at all the features of the phone, the new HTC One is definitely one killer smartphone, and has proved to deliver a decent performance in some of the benchmark tests performed by tech experts last week, the heavyweight came out to be second to South Korean giant S3 successor - Galaxy S4. At the same time, the ultrapixel camera enthrusted in the phone is also a USP comparing to the likes of Lumia 920. However, price wise HTC has again given a high end smartphone - a huge tag of Rs 42,900. Hence, let us know in the comments section below, will you consider buying the new HTC One at the market price tag listed or will you wait for Galaxy S4 instead?