AT&T won’t sell the HTC 10 in stores
That’s because it turns out AT&T won’t be selling the latest flagship in carrier stores. Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint have all signed on, though they haven’t revealed pricing schemes with their various monthly installment plans.
You can use the HTC 10 on AT&T, you’ll just need to buy it unlocked directly from HTC and then activate it in-store or transfer your SIM card. There are certainly some benefits to doing this, as this will free you of carrier bloatware and being stuck on AT&T’s pitiful update cycle. HTC is one of the more responsible handset makers when it comes to updates, so you’ll probably have a device that won’t languish for months in update purgatory.
However, it also means paying the full unlocked price of $699, which could be a tough sell given the rave reviews for the Galaxy S7 Edge and S7.
Why this matters: This isn’t great for HTC, as it means one of the largest carriers won’t feature the HTC 10 in stores for those who wander in looking for a new phone. Fortunately, buyers are becoming increasingly savvy about how the game works and are purchasing devices unlocked to activate on their line. But for a company that desperately needs a hit, this isn’t a great turn of events.