HTC One M8 News: Sprint Announces Partnership With HTC For Exclusive Audiophile M8 Edition
Sprint announced Tuesday that it is teaming up with HTC, Spotify, and audio company Harman to produce a custom edition of the new HTC One (M8) that is geared toward music aficionados, USA Today reported.
The new version, dubbed the HTC One (M8) Harman Kardon edition, will be an exclusive product available through Sprint online beginning May 2 before being offered at its retail locations the following week.
Both the HTC One (M8) and its predecessor, the One (M7), are already critically acclaimed, but the audiophile edition comes equipped with HD Audio and Clari-Fi, a Harman technology that "rebuilds" music fidelity during audio compression, according to USA Today.
The device will also be sold with Harman Kardon headphones.
Online, high-end electronic vendors Crutchfield and World Wide Stereo will also be selling the new device after a weeks of its initial release.
Sprint is marketing the phone at zero down (plus tax) with 24 monthly payments of $28.34, USA Today reported.
In addition to Sprint and HTC's new device, the wireless carrier is also offering 6 months of free Spotify Premium to both new and existing Sprint customers who sign up with a "Framily" plan.
The Spotify offering is not limited to just the HTC devices, but to other Android, iPhone and Windows 8/8.1 phones that Sprint carries.
Depending on how many individuals are on the Framily Plan, the Spotify Premium feature will be offered to customers at a discounted rate between $4.99 a month and $7.99 once their six months of free Spotify are up.
According to USA Today, Sprint, the third largest wireless carrier in the nation, has been struggling to get closer to the top of the mobile market but is trying to gain back consumers with the new product.
Earlier Tuesday, Sprint announced $151 million losses in its first quarter, which was, however, an improvement compared to its $643 million lost during the same quarter a year ago.