T-Mobile HTC One: World's best smartphone on US best value major carrier

I’ve spent a couple months with an international HTC One and it remains the best smartphone I have ever used. My own T-Mobile USA model arrived and I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a new smartphone.

HTC One Car Kit and HTC One from T-Mobile

You will find many articles here on the HTC One, links to articles listed below, and after spending a couple of months with it I am convinced it is the best smartphone I have ever used. I ordered a T-Mobile HTC One on Friday and it arrived yesterday, along with a nice free gift from T-Mobile and HTC.

I’ve previously explained why T-Mobile is the best value major carrier in the US at this time and that is obvious when you check out their available plans and actual device pricing. If you have two to five phones on T-Mobile then they can’t be beat. Let’s take a closer look at what sets the HTC One and T-Mobile apart from the rest.

• No: Unjustified phone upgrade fee of $36 like other carriers.


• No: Interest payment plan that stops when phone is paid off, unlike other carriers that charge you subsidy fees for an infinite period of time.


• No: Carrier branding of any kind on the hardware.


• No: Contract required like other carriers.


• Yes: WiFi Calling support so you can still make phone calls with weak cellular coverage at home.


• Yes: Free HTC One car kit when ordered online.


• Yes: 42 Mbps HSPA+ and LTE on T-Mobile.

The T-Mobile HTC One will only cost you $579.99 and you can make this amount even easier to pay for by paying just $99.99 up front and $20 a month for 24 months. You can choose to pay it up front and have no obligation at all to T-Mobile, hardware or contract. Other carriers may charge you just $199.99 for the HTC One, but the $20 per month fee is hidden in your monthly payment and they never stop charging you this as long as you are with that carrier.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 launches starting this week in the US and I considered it for a bit, but after looking closely at how I have been using my Galaxy Note II and the international version of the HTC One I am convinced that the HTC One has additional software enhancements that I actually use. Samsung is known for adding lots of gimmicks and enhancements that look great in commercials, but I rarely use them on my Note II.

On the HTC One, I use the video highlights capability and HTC BlinkFeed quite a bit and find them quite useful and enjoyable. I like HTC Sense on the HTC One and do not find it causes lag or any other issue on the HTC One.

You can read any number of reviews on the HTC One and universally read that it is the best smartphone hardware ever made by any manufacturer. I like my Note II, but the HTC One is more pocketable and I enjoy the experience more so I am switching from my Note II to the HTC One on T-Mobile.

I had a Developer Edition ordered, but wanted the 1700 MHz HSPA+ network coverage and so far I have not been disappointed.

T-Mobile includes a free HTC One car kit that looks to have a value of around $60 to $70. The T-Mobile website states you can expect the car kit in 6-8 weeks, but mine showed up with the HTC One, just two weekend days and one business day after I ordered the HTC One. I’ll be testing out the HTC One car kit soon, but note that is designed to fit the HTC One perfectly and activate car mode when inserted. The package comes with a car plug so you can keep your HTC One charged up while driving as well.

Because I like to watch movies on my smartphones, I ordered the HTC One Double Dip Flip case. I understand it isn’t the best for phone calls, but I wanted something along that I could prop up to enjoy media.

[Via ZDNet]

T-Mobile HTC One: World's best smartphone on US best value major carrier