Windows Phone fans will soon get a taste of what many people consider to be the best smartphone on the market. HTC will reportedly release a Windows Phone 8.1-based version of its flagship HTC One M8.
Microsoft has been facing an uphill battle in getting manufacturers to produce smartphones running its smartphone OS, Windows Phone. Nokia, now owned by Microsoft, has been the top producer and holds close to 90 percent market share of Windows-based phones.
In an attempt to drive up sales of Windows Phone 8 smartphones and give its current licensees incentive to keep building WP8 handsets, Microsoft has reportedly paid companies like Samsung, HTC, and Huawei an estimated $2 billion to produce at least one new smartphone this year.
A new report from Engadget claims that HTC is well on its way to fulfilling its part of the deal and is getting ready to launch a Windows Phone 8.1 version of its wildly popular Android-based HTC One M8. The site claims that the smartphone's official name will be "HTC One (M8) for Windows" and it's heading to Verizon.
Sources claim that the HTC One (M8) for Windows will launch on Verizon during the third quarter, or no later than the end of September. Windows Phone Central is also backing up this report and says that its sources have told the site that Microsoft Stores "have a planning date of Aug. 20 with a launch on the 21st.
The HTC One (M8) for Windows will reportedly be virtually identical to its Android cousin and feature the same premium brushed-aluminum case that has helped make the HTC One M8 one of the best smartphones currently on the market. It will also retain the top-notch HTC BoomSound dual front-facing stereo speakers in addition to the HTC Duo Camera.
HTC's upcoming Windows Phone will also include support for voice over LTE (VoLTE), which provides high-quality voice output when connected to 4G LTE networks. Microsoft added this new feature as part of its upcoming Windows Phone 8.1 GDR1 update. It's unclear if the HTC One (M8) for Windows will include this feature out of the box when it launches, or will receive an update shortly after Microsoft releases Windows Phone 8.1 GDR1 update.
The Verizon HTC One (M8) for Windows will reportedly be priced at $199 when signing a new 2-year contract, or $610 outright.
Of course, we'll have to file this in the rumor category for now, but it certainly looks Microsoft has just scored an extremely desirable smartphone.
