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HTC One X, One S Launch Abroad, but Americans Still Have to Wait

HTC's new One series of phones launched in much of the world today, but those models have critical differences from the upcoming U.S. versions.

By PCMag Staff
April 2, 2012

HTC's new flagship phones, the One X and One S launched in Europe and parts of Asia today, but Americans will still have to wait to get hold of these hot Android smartphones. The models you're reading about today, meanwhile, won't be the ones you see from your U.S. carrier.

The One X, S, and V are HTC's new flagship phones, and an attempt by HTC to create an iconic phone line like Samsung's Galaxy S or Apple's iPhone. They all pack a new image processor offering great photo quality, and Beats Audio for high-quality sound.

AT&T has committed to carrying the One X. T-Mobile will carry the One S, and the One V has been picked up by MetroPCS, Virgin Mobile, and U.S. Cellular. On Wednesday, Sprint and HTC are throwing a press event that we expect will be the announcement of an LTE-packing HTC One X for Sprint, as well.

But the U.S. models have critical differences from the European and Asian phones you may be reading about elsewhere on the Web today. Most notably, the European/Asian One X is a GSM phone with an Nvidia Tegra 3 processor. The AT&T model will have a Qualcomm processor instead, and the Sprint model will be a CDMA phone. That means they're likely to perform differently from the European and Asian units.

T-Mobile's HTC One S is closer to the European model of that device, but will have different radio band assignments and different preloaded apps. The U.S. HTC One V, meanwhile, will run on CDMA rather than GSM networks unlike the European/Asian units.

If you manage to grab a European One X, it will run on AT&T's HSPA+ network but not its LTE network. The European One S will not run properly on any U.S. nationwide 3G network because it lacks the 1900Mhz 3G band.

We'll have full reviews of the U.S. models of HTC's One series phones when they're close to launch. For now, if you're interested in the European/Asian units, check out PCMag's and the slideshow above, or the reviews from these other fine journalistic organizations: Engadget, Phone Scoop, Phone Arena, or The Verge.