HTC delays One phone until late April, now will hit at the same time as the Galaxy S4

Very bad news for HTC on the typical bad news Friday PR release timing:

“HTC has seen unprecedented demand for and interest in the new HTC One, and the care taken to design and build it is evidenced in early reviews. The new HTC One will roll out in the UK, Germany and Taiwan next week and across Europe, North America and most of Asia-Pacific before the end of April. We appreciate our customers’ patience, and believe that once they have the phone in their hands they will agree that it has been worth the wait.”

This might be a knockout blow for HTC. They aren’t going to be at volume until when the S4 hits stores, meaning they are giving up their first mover advantage.

Any advantage HTC has over the Galaxy S4 in hardware will likely be ceded by the lower-brand recognition, HTC Sense overlay or the perceived Ultra (low) Pixel camera.