The HTC One M8 ay ition is no longer on the virtual shelf in the ay Store, signaling what could be the death knell for G devices.
The One, just like the Galaxy S4 Moto G ay ition phones, ran stock Android without the manufacturer custom skin. The ay Store sold them unlocked, which meant you could take them to whatever carrier the hardware would support.
They weren’t cheap, as they didn’t come with a carrier subsidy. The One, for example, was priced at $699 while the Galaxy S4 sold for $649.
This is probably the end of the road for ay ition phones, as the store now only lists the Nexus 5 Nexus 6 for sale, which are both -bred devices.
whittled down the available ay edition options throughout the year, eliminating the Xperia Z Ultra, G d tablet, Galaxy S4, Moto G in previous culls. probably feels such devices are no longer necessary, with Motorola HTC shipping llipop relatively quickly Samsung exploring dialing back Touchz. But it’s unfortunate that the only phone now offering pure, unadulterated Android is one that’s a little difficult to use with one h.
The impact on you: If you want a pure Android flagship phone, your options are to either get a Nexus 6, Moto X (which is nearly pure Android), or find one of the ay itions from a third-party retailer.