Update! Bellevue, Wash. – HTC will roll out its new Desire series of affordable phones starting this month and expects the devices will be broadly available through prepaid and postpaid carriers in the U.S.in the coming months.
The devices are the Desire 626, 626s, 526 and 520. Prepaid and postpaid carriers carrying the devices will include AT&T, Boost Mobile, Cricket, MetroPCS, Sprint Prepaid, T-Mobile, Tracfone, Verizon Wireless and Virgin Mobile USA. Each provider will confirm the colors and models that they will carry starting this week, HTC said.
The first Desire phones appeared last year to offer more affordable versions of the company’s flagship phone, which this year is the HTC One M9, which features metal unibody, 5-inch FullHD 1080p display, Android 5.0 Lollipop OS, LTE, octa-core processor running at 4x2GHz and 4×1.5GHz, 3GB RAM, 2,840 mAh battery, up to 32GB storage, 128GB MicroSD card slot, rear-facing 20-megapixel camera with 4K video recording , front UltraPixel 1080p camera, 5.1 channel Dolby Surround simulation, high-resolution 24-bit audio playback, f/2.2 aperture and 27.8mm lens on the main camera, and f.2.0 aperture with 26.8 mm lens for the front camera.
For its part, T-Mobile plans to offer the 626s starting July 22 at $169.99, or $0 down with 23 months of $7.09/month payments and a final $6.92 payment on the 24th month. Sprint plans July 19 availability with its Sprint Prepaid service at $129.
Few details of the new phones were released, but all feature LTE, quad-core 1.1GHz processor, 2,000 mAh battery and 8-megapixel 720p primary camera. The postpaid 626 and prepaid 626s have 5-inch 720p 1280 by 720 displays, choice of colors, 1.5GB RAM, 16GB memory and 200GB MicroSD slot. The 526, said to be a Verizon exclusive, features a 4.7-inch quarter HD 960 by 540 display with 234 ppi, 1.5GB RAM and 8GB memory. And the 520 has a 4.5-inch display and 1GB RAM.
As for front-facing cameras, the 626 has a 5-megapixel front camera, while the others feature 2-megapixel front cameras.
Said HTC America president Jason Mackenzie, “At HTC, we don’t think you should have to sacrifice or settle if you are looking for an affordable smartphone.”
Before launching the Desire series last year, HTC also offered more affordable versions of its One flagship.
