Some smartphones featuring the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 have already been launched in China, with many expecting a global release shortly after. A growing list of flagship smartphones are expected to feature the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, which was officially announced in late September 2025. The chipset is anticipated to power top-tier Android devices throughout late 2025 and 2026, with several phones already confirmed or heavily rumored. Xiaomi 17 series: The Xiaomi 17, Xiaomi 17 Pro, and Xiaomi 17 Pro Max were confirmed as the first phones to use this chip. The Pro and Pro Max models will include a secondary rear display. nubia REDMAGIC 11 Pro series: The gaming-focused nubia REDMAGIC 11 Pro series is set to feature the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. realme GT8 Pro: The realme GT8 Pro launched in China in October 2025 with the new Snapdragon chip and is expected to be released in international markets later. Honor Magic 8 series: The Honor Magic 8 series, which includes t...
HTC now offers the HTC One which is completely unlocked and that means the device works on any LTE network, either AT&T or T-Mobile. The unlocked HTC One can be purchase for $574.99 which is interestingly cheaper than directly buying from AT&T. This is for those who might want to bypass contracts and can put down some cash or believe that $574 is a reasonable cost, then this is your great opportunity. But for those who'd rather spend less and don't mind being tied to a two-year contract, the HTC One is available for only $99 to $299 from AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint.
In Europe, unlocked devices gets software updates much faster than those carrier branded versions, which mostly tied ahead several months before it arrives. This is mostly happens when the specific carrier technical team where at the so-called "on-going software testing" stages. That's one heck I am sick about a carrier branded devices, second to ugly bloatwares that they forces you to use which you knew that it's completely useless.
Quoted from source:
source: Theverge.com
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| The unlocked HTC One 32GB for $574.99 |
In Europe, unlocked devices gets software updates much faster than those carrier branded versions, which mostly tied ahead several months before it arrives. This is mostly happens when the specific carrier technical team where at the so-called "on-going software testing" stages. That's one heck I am sick about a carrier branded devices, second to ugly bloatwares that they forces you to use which you knew that it's completely useless.
Quoted from source:
DO YOURSELF A FAVOR: DON'T BUY IT FROM A CARRIER STORE
Of course, AT&T would prefer you not buy the unlocked version of this phone for obvious reasons: it can't get its own software in front of your face, it can't conform the phone to its own firmware update schedule, and it can't use hardware as leverage to sign you into another contract extension. And that's likely just one of a host of reasons that you won't see HTC heavily promoting this model's existence — HTC's relationship with AT&T, unfortunately, is still far more important than its relationship with end users. But the mere fact that this unlocked phone exists, and is being sold directly by HTC to customers in the United States, is an extraordinarily encouraging sign.
So if you're on AT&T, you're in the market for an HTC One, and you're not up for a deeply-discounted upgrade, do yourself a favor: don't buy it from a carrier store, buy it straight from the source. You'll end up with a far better phone, and you'll help send a message that this is how it should be.
source: Theverge.com