Skip to main content

HTC One now available unlocked for just under $600

htc-one-main-screen
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The 32GB HTC One can now be picked up unlocked (usable on multiple wireless carriers). Previously available unlocked in a far more expensive, 64GB Developer Edition, which featured an unlocked bootloader for ROMs (installing alternate operating system), they’ve ditched the bootloader and cut the cost to $575.

Recommended Videos

For those of you out there not so interested in tweaking your phone’s operating system, the bootloader is easy to strike off your list of necessities. The 32GB unlocked HTC One is almost $200 less than the iPhone 5. It’s contract free, and it’s got equivalent storage capacity. Reviews have been great so far for the HTC One, so the cheaper cost and unlocked network settings make it a strong contender for being the current jewel in the Android crown.

HTC’s in a good spot right now. Among top dogs like Apple and Samsung, they’re alone in offering both contracted and unlocked hardware sales for their flagship product. If you’ve been on the fence about your next update, and are worried about settling into a contract, the company’s seemingly doing its best to speak to your needs. 

HTC may be offering an unlocked phone out of economic necessity – How many of you out there swear by HTC, singularly, over the industry’s titans? Apple’s got a seemingly endless bag of tricks to entice new iPhone adopters, and typically save any plans for unlocked devices for way in the future, or do their best to skip it for a generation altogether. Samsung doesn’t need to offer unlocked phones at launch either, and could probably get away with keeping it that way for a long while to come.

Saul Berenbaum
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Saul Berenbaum has been writing film and gaming reviews since college. Recently, he contributed to HardcoreDroid. Now he…
The OnePlus 12 has one big advantage over Samsung and Apple
Gray Samsung Galaxy S24 (left), Rose Gold Google Pixel 8, Flowy Emerald OnePlus 12, Green iPhone 15, Titanium Gray iPhone 15 Pro on a pink and red heart blanket.

Samsung Galaxy S24 (left), Google Pixel 8, OnePlus 12, iPhone 15, and iPhone 15 Pro. Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends

When you look at smartphones these days, the selection has grown a bit … stale, to say the least. You’ll see phones from top brands like Samsung, Apple, and even Google, but most options look the same — they’re glass slabs.

Read more
You won’t believe how I improved my phone’s battery life
The back of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, resting against a post.

Galaxy S24 Ultra Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Sorry for using that tired old clickbait headline, but in a roundabout way, it’s true. You genuinely won’t believe that I’m about to tell you something so headbangingly obvious about smartphone batteries.

Read more
The best small phones in 2025: the 5 best ones you can buy
Someone holding the white iPhone 16.

Just when you think phones couldn't get any bigger, phone companies prove you wrong. And the trend continues, with brands trying to stretch out displays to challenge the limits of human grip, and turning their focus away from small phones.

But while most phone makers insist, bigger is not necessarily better. Many of us actually long for phones that are easier to grip firmly and use with a single hand as well as lighter in the pocket. Thankfully, there are some great small phones that you can buy today, without having to compromise on use or functionality.

Read more