HTC One X finally hits AT&T stores June 10 — or you can order it online now
or you can order it online now — HTC's awesome One X smartphone with a 4.7-inch screen and an incredible camera will finally hit AT&T stores on June 10 for $200 with a 2-year contract, the company announced today. You can also order one online now.
Context & Ripple Effects
The June 10 store date closes out an unusually messy US launch for HTC: the One X was among the handsets caught in the same spring window as Sprint's Evo 4G LTE when the ITC ruling over Apple patents left shipments sitting at US Customs through late May, before HTC confirmed on May 29 that both models had cleared and were in compliance. The pickup here is broad — Engadget, CNET, Phone Arena and others all ran the announcement the same day, reflecting how closely the flagship's arrival was being tracked.
For AT&T, the $200-on-contract price matches the Evo 4G LTE's pre-order price on Sprint almost exactly, putting the two HTC flagships head-to-head on price within weeks of each other.
First-order effects
- HTC can now actually sell its US flagship at volume: online orders are open immediately and AT&T stores stock the One X on June 10, ending a delay cycle where the company could not say which models had cleared customs.
- AT&T gains a 4.7-inch flagship at $200 for the summer lineup, directly against Sprint's $199.99 Evo 4G LTE.
Second-order effects
- The customs episode makes ITC rulings a visible supply-chain risk for every Android vendor shipping into the US — HTC had its second complaint against Apple under investigation even as its own phones sat in inspection, so launch calendars now carry litigation exposure.
- Carrier-level competition tightens around near-identical $200 contract pricing, pushing differentiation toward screens, cameras and HD voice features like the ones Sprint is marketing on the Evo.
Third-order effects
- If patent-enforcement-driven import holds become routine, handset makers will need dual-track launches — software workarounds plus legal clearance — as a standing cost of selling in the US, and carriers will favor vendors whose flagships clear reliably.
The trend: US smartphone launches in 2012 are increasingly hostage to patent litigation logistics, with the ITC's customs gate becoming as decisive as the carrier deal itself.