HTC confirms One S with the S3 processor being sold in select Asian, European markets
We recently saw that the HTC One S was being sold in Taiwan with a different processor than what's included in other regions, utilizing Qualcomm's previous-generation S3 Snapdragon instead of the latest S4 on the device that we reviewed.
Context & Ripple Effects
When LAPTOP Mag published its T-Mobile One S review in April 2012, the handset it scored ran Qualcomm's newest Snapdragon S4 — the chip HTC built its 2012 lineup around. Reports that Taiwanese retail units carried the previous-generation S3 forced a question about whether reviewers and buyers were evaluating the same product; today HTC confirmed they are not, acknowledging S3-equipped One S units in select Asian and European markets.
The story traveled widely on pickup from Engadget, Phone Arena, Pocketnow, and other outlets, and it lands at a delicate moment for HTC: the company has spent May untangling US Customs holds on the One X and Evo 4G LTE under the ITC ruling, and launched the One X at AT&T on June 10. A same-name, different-chip SKU complicates the 'One' brand consistency HTC is leaning on against Samsung.
First-order effects
- Buyers in the affected Asian and European markets are getting a One S whose performance and battery profile differ from the S4 hardware that anchored press reviews, without any change to the model name or marketing claims.
Second-order effects
- Reviewers and retailers now have to qualify every One S unit by chipset before benchmarking or selling it, and the split points to Qualcomm's S4 supply being tight enough that HTC is backfilling some regions with S3 stock rather than delay launches.
Third-order effects
- If chip allocation keeps forcing regional variance, 'same phone, different silicon' becomes a standing feature of global Android launches — pushing buyers and reviewers to check the SoC per SKU, not just the model number, and giving Qualcomm leverage over which markets get current-generation chips first.
The trend: Flagship smartphones are increasingly shipping with regionally varied chipsets as demand for each new Snapdragon generation outstrips Qualcomm's supply.