HTC 8X/8S

Looking very nice! Still no release date though. Whatever MS is hiding better be good.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6310/the-windows-phone-8x-and-8s-by-htc

@spivonious:  The release date is going to be different for each phone.

The range is October 21st through early November.

http://www.wpcentral.com/att-eyes-october-21st-att-lumia-920

It will all begin in 4-5 weeks.  Not that far in the future.

It's funny how the higher spec models don't have Micro SD slots but the lower end ones do?

@dentaku: It is unfortunate but I understand the reasoning.  The high end models are going for a high end feel (like the iPhone) so the are going for solid back plates.  Covers for ports tend to give a less solid feel..  The lower end models are going for being inexpensive so putting in a micro SD slot must be cheaper than putting in the actual memory.  That way the users that want it can spend extra money to put in more memory.

I really would like the option to add memory, but as long as they have 32 GB I can live without it. 

@JeremyJ: Also higher end handset = more expensive contract, probably with "unlimited" data. Which means storing stuff "in the cloud" becomes more preferable.

color is one main reason I want to switch from HTC to Nokia. If weren't for PureView and 32GB on 920, I would likely get a HTC phone. The only draw back of Nokia is, why extra pixels when 720p is a better one for watching 720p videos without scaling. If I can get a bit smaller and weight a bit smaller, 920 is a beast.

Not sure what I want between HTC and Nokia. But so far, PureView is too attractive to pass. 

"Unlocked Mobiles have had their pricing schemes for the new handsets confirmed by HTC, seeing them sell the HTC 8X for £398.98 and the budget-friendly HTC 8S priced at £224.98. Both prices are for the handsets unlocked and SIM-free."

http://www.techdigest.tv/2012/09/htc_8x_and_htc.html

I just found out that these devices are going to be branded as:

"Windows Phone 8X by HTC" and "Windows Phone 8S by HTC"

This looks like Microsoft's equivalent of the Nexus line of devices on Android. They're essentially being co-branded as both Microsoft and HTC devices.

22 hours ago, Ian2 wrote

"Unlocked Mobiles have had their pricing schemes for the new handsets confirmed by HTC, seeing them sell the HTC 8X for £398.98 and the budget-friendly HTC 8S priced at £224.98. Both prices are for the handsets unlocked and SIM-free."

http://www.techdigest.tv/2012/09/htc_8x_and_htc.html

Nice prices. I hope they translate well into USD. If the unlocked 8S is $250, I would buy one on launch day.

@cbae: Which is odd considering that the Lumia's seem like a much more impressive place to hang your hat, albeit to me. Some people go all weak in the knees over this kind of stuff, otherwise companies wouldn't do it.

9 minutes ago, kettch wrote

@cbae: Which is odd considering that the Lumia's seem like a much more impressive place to hang your hat, albeit to me. Some people go all weak in the knees over this kind of stuff, otherwise companies wouldn't do it.

You don't want this device to be a true "reference model" or the other OEMs won't want to participate. It's got to be "hero enough" to set the bar high, but not be the device that sets the highest bar. It's a win-win for all OEMs. The OEM that gets to co-brand gets the benefit of marketing power while not having the highest-spec'd device. The other OEMs get the benefit of marketing by Microsoft for the OS itself through marketing of the co-brand phone, but get to out-spec this phone with their own device.