HTC Legend will be exclusive to Vodafone in UK, coming in April together with Desire

Vodafone has today announced that it will be the exclusive UK carrier of that aluminum-clad successor to the Hero: the HTC Legend. Advance registration pages for it and its family mate, the Desire, have gone live today and indicate an April launch date -- something we'd already expected thanks to Amazon's delivery estimates for unlocked handsets. The two HTC devices are flanked by Sony Ericsson's long awaited X10 and the Nexus One, with the latter lacking a release date. It's interesting that as things stand the Desire (HTC's own-branded Nexus One) will beat its precursor to the UK market. Same could be true of Spain, where Engadget Spanish notes that Vodafone has confirmed an April arrival for HTC's full family of new phones, including the HD Mini.

[Tes Posted Mar 15th 2010 9:11AM]

Just as long as T-Mobile UK is still getting the Desire on the 26th like they said. If they don't there will be hell to pay!

[cheesebanana Posted Mar 15th 2010 11:44AM]

@Tes nah doesn't look that way about the desire

check the source link. the legend says specifically "exclusive to vodafone" but the desire mentions no such exclusivity.

also the t-mobile site still lists it as "coming soon in april". so i think its a safe bet.

ps where did you hear the 26th date? mad looking forward to getting my desire. buying out the remaining 6 months on my contract, selling my current G1, and buying a desire on a new tmob contract, day one

cant wait

[Tes Posted Mar 15th 2010 12:08PM]

@cheesebanana

Here in this discussion with a T-Mobile rep on their official forum:

http://support.t-mobile.co.uk/discussions/index?page=forums&topic=801038ff269720126d11aaa5a007db1

I'm the guy humbly eating my words.

[emopoops Posted Mar 15th 2010 12:19PM]

@Tes omg ive been waiting for this to come to vodapone! OH EM GEE! wait till i tell my gurls about this!

[nodrog2994 Posted Mar 15th 2010 2:08PM]

@Tes and everyone the desire is already out in da carphone wharehouse on t mo and coz its in da carfon w.house it will be unlocked so go down there and pick one up why wait till da 26th

[Tes Posted Mar 15th 2010 3:27PM]

@nodrog2994

Dude. First up...no it's not, that's just a place-holder...notice they're "OUT OF STOCK". Second. You can spell. I know you can. I have that much faith in you. Do it.

[Incubuss Posted Mar 15th 2010 9:16AM]

Vodafone (or Google, as we don't know where the fault lies) have really screwed up by delaying the launch of the Nexus one by so much that its going to be released after the Desire.

[fpad77 Posted Mar 15th 2010 9:40AM]

@Incubuss
Not really, in terms of sales of Nexus One perhaps. But that's not the point; the point is its another brilliant phone propagating the Android OS. And that, ultimately, is their aim.

[MarkAnderson Posted Mar 15th 2010 11:14AM]

@Incubuss

No they haven't. The Hero was a success for them because it had Sense UI. Stock Android phones haven't sold as well.

Really tempted to go Android with this one - it's beautiful and I'm a Vodafone consumer and business customer.

[fpad77 Posted Mar 15th 2010 11:32AM]

@MarkAnderson
Just a note though the N1 isn't really a stock UI either as it doesn't have the 'drawer' tabs of normal android and whatnot.

[MarkAnderson Posted Mar 15th 2010 11:43AM]

@fpad77

It's close enough though. Sense UI is so easy to use and attractive it's what sold the phone. HTC realise this even if others don't.

[SteveDhalai Posted Mar 15th 2010 11:52AM]

@fpad77 That is stock UI... of 2.1 and onwards.

[sockatume Posted Mar 15th 2010 9:17AM]

Exclusive at launch, according to the site. So it's probably just a one- or two-month exclusive.

[elmo61 Posted Mar 15th 2010 10:08AM]

@sockatume
hopefully!

[b3n Posted Mar 15th 2010 9:29AM]

I can't decide whether to get the Desire or maybe wait and see the Incredible / Supersonic or the Samsung i8520 Halo (with Super AMOLED).

I am hoping to finally rid myself of T-Mobile! I get no reception at home or at work (even though their coverage chart says I should). Useless!

[thebettertwin Posted Mar 15th 2010 9:30AM]

whats the point in exclusives?
seems silly to me really, i dont think people really pick networks based on the phones they have.

[will18057 Posted Mar 15th 2010 9:46AM]

@thebettertwin
Does the iPhone ring a bell?

[thebettertwin Posted Mar 15th 2010 9:58AM]

@will18057 always one exception to every rule :P
and look where the iPhone is now, practically every network.
i base my contract more on how many mins/texts/internet they offer rather than how much they have paid to secure an exlusive phone for 2 months.

[Tes Posted Mar 15th 2010 10:25AM]

@thebettertwin

You certainly cannot get the iPhone on any network but O2 here in the UK.

[ChazClout Posted Mar 15th 2010 10:31AM]

@Tes Was that a typo?
http://iphone.orange.co.uk/
http://direct.tesco.com/p/inc/specials/iphone/
http://shop.vodafone.co.uk/iphone/

[thebettertwin Posted Mar 15th 2010 10:34AM]

@Tes
lol where have you been? orange and vodafone have been advertising about getting the iPhone for months ^_^

[Paul J Posted Mar 15th 2010 10:49AM]

@thebettertwin

Nice. I don't even live in the UK, and I know that!

[Paul J Posted Mar 15th 2010 10:50AM]

@thebettertwin

Nice. I don't even live in the UK, and I know that!

[Tes Posted Mar 15th 2010 12:34PM]

@thebettertwin

News to me. Happy enough on T-Mobile so I guess I never looked.

[TedJ Posted Mar 15th 2010 9:31AM]

I still can't quite get my head around the fact that the Desire is only about £20 more expensive than the Legend, when you look at the outright prices (ex VAT) being listed at vendors like Clove and Handtec.

I absolutely love the look of the Legend, but I would feel an idiot passing up the extra screen and CPU power of the Desire for just a few more pounds.

[ChechenTDG Posted Mar 15th 2010 9:33AM]

I personally would want a Nexus One over a Desire. The sense ui is amazing, but if I had a Nexus One I could just root it and put sense on it.

[oawalker Posted Mar 15th 2010 12:49PM]

@ChechenTDG
Yea i know so it's better just to get the desire.

[martinsikjaer Posted Mar 15th 2010 10:24AM]

More than one danish (denmark is in europe, for you people that didnt know) carrier says that they will have the legend from the 23rd of march aka next tuesday. They will have the desire sometime in april.

[ljm Posted Mar 15th 2010 11:44AM]

@martinsikjaer
Thanks for clarifying that...when you said danish carrier I thought you were saying that bakeries in Danland were selling the legend.

[martinsikjaer Posted Mar 15th 2010 11:47AM]

@ljm
Haha yea i figured i had to, so you didnt think i was talking about pastry :)

[grotiiy Posted Mar 15th 2010 10:31AM]

swedish operator telenor sells unlocked X10's for 590€. http://butik.telenor.se/DefaultFullWidth.aspx?cId=TerminalView&catId=Terminal&pId=SonyEricsson%20X10i

[HurricaneDC Posted Mar 15th 2010 11:24AM]

Why does the best stuff take forever to come to the US?

[Incubuss Posted Mar 15th 2010 11:56AM]

@HurricaneDC
Um, it doesn't?

[pika2000 Posted Mar 15th 2010 2:03PM]

@HurricaneDC Well in this case (Legend, Desire), they don't even come to the US.

[jroff Posted Mar 15th 2010 6:05PM]

@pika2000
I really need to know where you're getting that information from, because from what I've been reading, most people on engadget are pretty convinced that the legend will show up on sprint, and the desire will show up on ATT.

http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2010/02/23/att-picking-up-htc-desire-sprint-grabbing-htc-hero2/
^ They don't seem to disagree either.

[SteveDhalai Posted Mar 15th 2010 11:55AM]

I love the fact that finally (with the Desire) I can choose my own Network rather than have a Network chose for me because of the Smartphone I want.

[nomistake Posted Mar 15th 2010 12:58PM]

I'm standing at a crossroad here, buy the Legend, the Nexus One or the X10?? What is the best Android phone to buy if you are not in a rush but do intend to buy one somewhere around April? Any help guys?

[nomistake Posted Mar 15th 2010 1:00PM]

@nomistake
PS. And yes I am a European (Netherlands) :)

[pika2000 Posted Mar 15th 2010 2:05PM]

@nomistake If price is not a concern, obviously the Nexus One as it has the best spec, the latest OS, and probably the one that will get OS updates sooner.

[resistanz Posted Mar 15th 2010 2:25PM]

@nomistake
I would replace the Legend off your list of three with the Desire as the Legend has the slower 600 MHz processor and less RAM, unless it is the unibody look you are after, which will cost you some screen real estate too. The X10 is gimped from the get go by SE, with older Android and an incredibly useless panels interface (take it from an X1 owner). HTC Sense on the Desire / Legend will integrate all your social networking seamlessly just as the X10 will, although some may argue that the RAM boost on the Desire is to allow Sense to run more smoothly.

[nomistake Posted Mar 15th 2010 8:20PM]

@resistanz & @pika2000
Thanks for your replies, indeed money is of no concern. And the phone is actually a gift for my mother :) Last week she told me she wanted an android phone 'because they are wicked', seriously; I kid you not :)
But I do indeed think the Nexus is going to be a good one! I think I'm going with that one or indeed place it against the Desire.. maybe the 3G-issues and screen problems are solved with that one :) Oh and about the X10: yeah the panels are kinda useless as far as I can judge, however I came to understand they will be releasing it with the latest update ready.. Really looking forward to a retail review from Josh anyhow :)

[Johnny Rockets Posted Mar 15th 2010 2:46PM]

I can't wait for the Nexus One to come to Verizon.

I already have it for T-Mobile but it will be nice to finally see some real TV ads for the phone!

[Aaronneyer Posted Mar 15th 2010 5:13PM]

Have they announced anything about Desire release in the U.S. I can't wait to get my hands on that.

[FurryPotato Posted Mar 16th 2010 3:22AM]

And don't forget in the UK you can quite often get phones cheaper with third party resellers on contract , rather than buy direct.

So whilst direct, T-Mobile are selling Desire for fre only on 24 month contracts, you can pick it up for free on a £30 per month, 18 month contract too.
e.g http://www.mobilephonesdirect.co.uk/Brands/HTC/b509/n447/p31043.aspx

I'm pre-ordering one for my wife this week. She'll have a shiny new Desire whilst I'm stuck with my Hero. Damn her luck. !

[weeman Posted Mar 16th 2010 2:41PM]

@FurryPotato

Thank you for the link +1.

Is the site legit?

[FurryPotato Posted Mar 16th 2010 3:05PM]

@weeman Seems legit. When I was getting my Hero some other people on forums ordered from them.

[mattscradle Posted Mar 16th 2010 10:45AM]

Htc Legend – It's All About You And Your Personality
http://mattscradle.com/?p=203

added readings for htc legend.

[weeman Posted Mar 16th 2010 2:39PM]

Why have google delayed the nexus one release for so long? I have been waiting to get that for weeks but now I rather get the Desire.

[terrytibbs Posted Mar 19th 2010 9:43AM]

Booo! Vodafone sucks!

http://www.x10android.com