Why it matters to you
Looking for a steal on an HTC flagship? The second annual Green is Good sale might be your best chance.
HTC, newly flush with cash from a talent swap with Google, wants to pass on the love. Starting Monday, October 2, the Taiwan-based smartphone maker is kicking off “Green is Good,” a week-long promotion of discounts on handsets, accessories, cases, and more.
“Throughout the week, HTC will be offering fan appreciation deals on award-winning smartphones, prizes & sweepstakes, and all kinds of celebrations on social media,” HTC said in a press release. “It’s our way of giving back to the fans […] as they proclaim loud and proud, ‘Green is good!’”
HTC’s keeping some of the limited-time deals a surprise but published a partial list on Friday, September 29. Here’s what you can expect to see from October 2 until October 8:
- $100 off the HTC U11 ($550, down from $650) and a free HTC gift pack
- $300 off HTC U Ultra ($450, down from $550)
- $200 off HTC Bolt ($400, down from $600)
- 50 percent off accessories with purchase of a device
- $10 cases for select devices
Those aren’t half bad. In our reviews of the HTC U Ultra and HTC U11, we gave them high marks for a great camera, speedy performance, and good battery life. The LCD screens might not measure up to the vibrant Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus’s OLED panels, and the lack of 3.5mm headphone jacks are a bit of an annoyance. But at the promotional pricing, neither is a bad buy.
A quick refresher on the specs: The U Ultra has a 5.7-inch Quad HD (2,560 x 1,440 pixels) camera, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 system-on-chip, 4GB of RAM, and up to 128GB of internal storage. The HTC U11 trades down slightly to a 5.5-inch Quad HD screen, but boasts a faster Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, up to 6GB of RAM, and between 16GB and 256GB of storage. Both phones have HTC’s audio-boosting BoomSound technology and HTC’s UltraPixel sensor, which captures a wider range of colors than typical smartphone cameras.
That is not all HTC has in store. In addition to the week-long discounts, the company will give away prizes including the HTC U11, the HTC U Ultra, the HTC Vive virtual reality headset, and assorted HTC gift packs to customers sign up via the official “Green is Good” web page.
“There’s no better week to pick up a new phone at an incredible price — or win one for absolutely nothing,” HTC said.
That is likely true. During last year’s Green is Good sale, HTC knocked $150 off the price of the HTC 10, discounted the activity-tracking UA band to $120 ($60 off), and sold the UA Healthbox — a pack of health-tracking fitness bands, smart weight scales, and heart rate trackers — for $100 off the original asking price ($300).