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Dual-SIM HTC One with expandable storage comes to the UK
Just days after it unveiled a second gold One, HTC is releasing another variant of its Android flagship in an attempt to boost sales in the UK. Today, the company announced the availability of the HTC One Dual SIM, which you may already know as HTC One 802w. Just like it's Chinese counterpart, the device comes with a removable back for access to dual SIM slots and, more importantly, a microSD slot. That means you can switch between SIMs to receive calls and also fall back on up to 64GB of external storage, should you max-out the One's 32GB of internal storage. The dual-SIM functionality does come at a price, however, as the latest One variant does not support LTE -- otherwise the specs remain unchanged. If you can overlook that, the One Dual SIM is up for pre-order on HTC's official store for £495 ($809), with it likely to head to a "number of networks and retailers" in the near future.
How the HTC One's back cover pops off, China style
When we first reported on the leaked image of China Unicom's HTC One with its back cover off, some questioned its authenticity since the phone touts its unibody design in other parts of the world. Well, as we found out at HTC's Beijing launch event on Wednesday, the Chinese variants (802w, 802t and 802d; ¥4,888 or about $790 for 32GB) do indeed have a removable cover for access to their dual SIM slots and microSD slot. But the question is: how does that piece of metal come off? It's simple: the usual micro-SIM tray at the top left side of the phone is replaced by a latch release (close-up shot after the break), and pushing it up would pop the cover open, as pictured above. While this may technically not qualify for the "unibody" moniker, HTC's Vice President of China Lin Zurong told us that the removable cover and its accompanying parts at the top and bottom are cut out from the same piece of aluminum; so if you mix and match covers across two Ones of the same color, the fit or texture may not feel "right." Other than that, the Chinese One feels and looks very much the same as its foreign counterpart. And finally, we asked whether the much anticipated red HTC One will be sold in China, to which a representative replied this was originally designed with other regions -- namely Japan -- in mind, so there's no confirmation as to whether China will get it just yet. Come to think of it, wouldn't the red HTC One be a nice fit for Verizon?
HTC One 802w for China spotted with removable cover, dual SIM slots and microSD slot
Much like how three (or four) of the major US carriers will be getting the HTC One, China's three carriers will also be receiving the same treatment, according to the country's official device approval database. The three flavors are known as 802w, 802t and 802d, each heading to China Unicom (WCDMA), China Mobile (TD-SCDMA) and China Telecom (CDMA), respectively. For the record, the European version we have is 801n, so perhaps the third digit represents the number of SIM slots featured on the device. This is certainly the case for the 802w. Earlier today, a Sina Weibo user posted the above photo of said phone with its back cover -- between the two plastic lines -- removed, thus exposing not only its two SIM card slots but also a microSD slot just below the camera. It's worth noting that the European version of the One doesn't come with a removable back cover, let alone a secondary SIM slot or a microSD slot; but at least it has LTE, right? Since Sina Weibo requires you to login before letting you see the post, we've got the full picture for you after the break.
