HTC Droid Incredible 2 shows up in Verizon's system
Well, look what we've got here! Seeing that HTC just introduced the Incredible S — a world phone only available in the UK — it was only a matter of time before the phone hit the stateside. A trusted tipster just hit us with screen shots …
Context & Ripple Effects
The tipster screenshots fit a pattern Boy Genius Report has tracked before: an unannounced EVO-ish HTC device surfaced for Verizon back in August 2010 and a full-QWERTY handset followed in September, both appearing in leaks long before official word. HTC has already introduced the Incredible S as a world phone limited to the UK, so a Verizon-branded variant was the expected next step.
What makes the timing notable is how crowded HTC's Verizon slate already is this quarter — the Thunderbolt leaked in December with 12 photos and carries a confirmed $249 minimum advertised price, while AT&T launched the Inspire 4G on February 13th at $99.99. If the Incredible 2 is real, HTC is fielding multiple simultaneous flagships across two carriers.
First-order effects
- Verizon's retail channel now has the device in its inventory system, meaning store training, stocking, and pricing setup can begin ahead of any formal announcement by HTC or Verizon.
- HTC gains a second US carrier SKU alongside the Thunderbolt, splitting its early-2011 Verizon lineup between an LTE flagship and a non-LTE sequel to the original Droid Incredible.
Second-order effects
- With the Thunderbolt anchored at $249 and AT&T's Inspire 4G undercutting at $99.99, the Incredible 2's eventual price becomes the lever that decides which HTC phone absorbs demand on each carrier.
- Rival Android makers shipping on Verizon face another high-profile HTC device crowding shelf space in the same quarter their own launches would compete against.
Third-order effects
- Carrier inventory databases keep functioning as the de facto announcement channel for Android hardware, compressing the gap between leak and launch and forcing vendors to plan marketing around leaks they do not control.
- If the Incredible S-to-Droid-Incredible-2 variant pipeline holds, US carriers increasingly receive reworked versions of global HTC handsets rather than exclusive designs.
The trend: Android's 2011 hardware cycle is running on carrier-system leaks as the standard early signal, with HTC seeding multiple carrier-specific flagships per quarter.