HTC One available in grey market for Rs 48,000, but official stock still en route

One of the hottest smartphones of the year, the HTC One is still not officially available in India since stock of the handset has yet to reach retailers. Having been announced last month for Rs 42,900, the HTC One has not hit stores yet due to a shipment delay.

From the reaction to our stories and comments on our social network accounts, fans have been waiting patiently for the One. And looks like their wait will finally pay off this week. HTC’s India representative informed us that stock will be hitting stores this week; however, there’s no word on when exactly it will be available for purchase. The representative did add that the arrival of stock is in line with the company’s estimate of second week of May.

The seriously sexy smartphone is playing hard to get

The company had told us last week that stock will be in stores by the weekend, but a quick check in stores today has revealed that “official stock” is yet to arrive. However, the phone is still available unofficially in the grey market, where it has seen a price drop from last week’s Rs 51,000 to Rs 48,000. Of course, this route will not give buyers the bill and warranty for the smartphone. But retailers did inform us that stock is imminent and could arrive in staggered batches this week.

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Normally, a price drop in the grey market indicates that official stock will be arriving soon. This has been seen regularly during the launch of the BlackBerry Z10 and the Sony Xperia Z.