While Verizon is slated to offer the HTC 8X Windows Phone, the company may go a step further and add wireless charging to the 8X.
The variation will be similar to what we've seen with the Nokia Lumia 920 and will not add any bulk to the phone. Speculation has the wireless or contact charging feature being an exclusive to the U.S. market.
If this holds true, wireless charging will be an interesting option to help the 8X compete with the Lumia 920.
Source: The Verge
Reader comments
Verizon HTC 8X to have wireless charging
I would disagree with the performance of the 920, I purchased 2 on Friday and returned them yesterday. The biggest issue I had was the performance of the shutter speed for those quick pictures. Compared to iPhone 4s, I could probably take 5 pictures in the time it took me to take 1 on the 920. I have taken a video of this and will be posting it on my blog as soon as I can.
Not only did the pictures on the iPhone look better out of the box, I was able to capture moments that I could of completely missed with the 920. The photos you took look great but try taking pictures of a fast 4 yr old and see what happens.
I will say the video quality was probably the best I have seen on a phone though.
For us we were swapping from Verizon to get this phone, with the issues on the camera and discovering how bad AT&T's coverage was, we opted to go back to Verizon and we will get either the 820 or the 8x or possibly wait to see how the camera is on the Samsung phones. I would love to see the 920 come to verizon with the firmware updated to fix these issues.
But I also wonder if the camera button on the phone is just too slow, compare that on the iPhone or Galaxy S3 where you can take pictures as fast as you can tap the button, the WPs are much slower since you have to use the physical button.
Give it 32gb memory or I will have to pass it...
it still will suck with only 16gb onboard and no memory expansion.
this has been confirmed now, no longer a rumor
Nokia must be loving watching their differentiators go stale over the course of the long drawn out WP8 launch...
Nice! And its cheaper than 920
Some people seem to have gotten mad, probably because they were thinking that their next phone was the only one that was going to have wireless charging
Well, with the 920 being exlusive to AT&T and Verizon getting a really bad edition of the 820, I wasn't sure if I'd go with Samsung or HTC. Either way, the two main feautres I like are screen size (with gorilla glass), NFC, and Wireless charging. I've had bad experiences with Samsung. And while my G2 has worked well over the last two years, I'm a bit frustrated with it's constant random reboots. So it's a toss up. If HTC gets wireless charging, then I'll go with that.
Ya i know what you mean lancguy, i have trophy i really want the 920! but i've read to many bad things about at&t to switch so i'll stay with verizon.
i've been looking at the 822 and the 8x but the 822 has sd card slot for up to 32gb. if you watched the nokia launch joe bellflrie said they were putting in the basic for storage and leaving it up to the consumer to put in the amount of storage they want. but the 920 only has 32gbs built in no sd card slot. i was pissed. the 820 has an sd card slot, but handles up to a 32gb card. like the 822 has.
both me and my wife like the looks of both phones. but the 822 i think has the carl zueis lens like the 820,920 has, but i think were gonna settle for the 822 for know and hope that in 6 months when the at&t exclusive runs out hopfully verizon will get the 920, and i will pay full price for 1. but use the 822 till then.
are upgrading to wins 8 on you pc? i know i am i don't think the new phones will work on zune!
i love the idea of wireless charging nokia says they will have wireless charging everywhere. great idea, and i'll bet car manafactors will have wireless charging built in to all cars.
verizon releasing early 8th i guess?
Yeah, I upgraded 2 desk tops and my laptop to W8. I'm really excited about the synching possibilites. Already I can tell if I change the start screen color scheme it updates on all my computers that have the same windows login. Now if only they could synch all my apps I installed tht would be awesome. I mean I know if I purchase an app I can install it on any device, but it would be nice if they simply showed up instead of having to go into the store and download it again.
Looking at how the current Wii and XBox 360 controllers can add wireless charging by merely replacing the battery with the exact-same-sized inductive-charging battery... There are several options for devices with fixed and removable batteries without adding any extra bulk whatsoever. Why are we fighting? With WP8 everyone's a winner! :-D
This Verizon customer is going to be happy either way. Arguing about different companies running the same OS that is trying to break ground is pointless. Support all windows phones devices. 8x & 822 for the family.
Well, Verizon might just keep me if this is true..Nokia lost out by offering a crap phone...HTC has proven with the Trophy it is tough. Might be another HTC for me :-)
I wouldnt doubt that Verizon and HTC saw all the comments of folks ticked off (online communities) about Nokia exclusivity and wanted to bring something different to market matter-of-fact. Does wireless charging make it a big deal? Perhaps no for some or most. But, frankly, I enjoyed it when I had a Palm Pre.
I just dont hope that "before Thanksgiving" does mean WEDNESDAY before.
I just want my 7.8 update...
The 8x can compete against the Lumia 822 but against the Lumia 920... No
I don't see HTC coping Nokia, they need to be competitive with selling their phones. There is LG phone at Verizon that has wireless charging. And wireless charging has been out in Europe a lot longer. Let's quit speculating and wait to see what the actual phone comes with.
Not really speculation when the source states it too. http://news.verizonwireless.com/news_center/smartphones_apps.html
Also, Lumia 810/822 shipping with Corning Gorilla Glass 2.0 according to Nokia.com with the 820 saying nay to Gorilla Glass. O.o Why haven't I heard of this til now?
Unlikely. Nokia has been very liberal about the GG, though they may have opted for GG1 instead of 2, which is probably a cost savings.
Source = Nokia.com
Also, Lumia 822 shipping with 16GB for Verizon!
When you don't include a GYROSCOPE, you have room for wire(use)less charging. :(
Can you cite a source for this? I've seen this posted a few places, but I haven't read this in any reviews or on the HTC or Microsoft websites.
I just found a source myself, Engadget, that says the 8X DOES have a gyroscope:
"Finally, you'll find the usual collection of sensors on board: proximity, ambient light, compass, accelerometer and gyroscope." - http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/29/htc-8x-review-windows-phone-8s-compact-flagship/
So, again, can you cite your source?
Do you have some specific app that requires a gyroscope that you need to have? You bring it up constantly.
Many games, photosynth, compass apps etc. Gyroscopes are very ubiquitous at this point.
Yup!
Also, change the source to Verizon.com ;)
http://news.verizonwireless.com/news/2012/10/htc-windows-phone-8x.html
Looks like verizon is saying the same thing....
This might be enough for me to stick with them instead of jumping ship to AT&T
Straight from the source!! What IS interesting as well is there seems to be a missing claim on the storage capacity of the phone on their press release. O.o Interesting!! I'm starting to get happy again!! Thank you for sharing this!
NM it says 16GB at the end.
Now make it 32GB for the same price and we'd have a WINNER!!! and I'd lose all qualms about not getting Pureview.
VZW has before released the same phone as other carriers with double the memory so ya never know
Well said, George. Both HTC and Nokia have put a lot of eggs into the Windows basket. The HTC has been getting a decent, equal or perhaps greater, coverage.in comparison to the already popular Lumia series. The fact the wireless charging is thrown into the mix may be enough to tip the balance. At least for me, anyways. I personally think more attention, or greater emphasis, needs to be placed on that impressive front facing camera.
Maybe THIS is why Verizon is charging $100 more than ATT
that would make sense, HEHE sooooo excited
If VZ is going to modding the phone, how about they start with paltry 16gb of memory? I love wireless charging but c'mon, first things first.
Your welcome for the tip!!
The last thing we need is infighting between prospective 920 and 8X owners. They're both great. If it so happens that wireless charging doesn't add thickness, so be it. We should be happy that Windows Phone is finally able to compete on the hardware front.
They had to make a separate CDMA model anyway so I wouldn't be surprised if Verizon requested some sort of exclusive feature to make up for them getting screwed out of the 920. Unlike Nokia, HTC has a great relationship with Verizon so I'm sure they were more than willing to do so.
Am still waiting for 7.5 refresh on Surround unlocked...:(.
Also i hate HTC for copying Nokia.. this is very bad... why cant they think somethign original and stick to it. I hope Lumia 822 does better than 8X. Know it will not happen but i really hope for what HTC has done. 8S is original. I will support that and not 8X. I hope nokia sues HTC soon.
If this is in fact true, do we know if this is exclusive to only Verizon or will this feature also be on the t-mobile and ATT version of the 8X?
I would like to know this as well. It would be awesome if the T-Mobile version could get this as well.
Off topic.
Oh agent p, you should be happy that where's my Perry is coming to windows phone 8. :-)
I honestly don't care about wireless charging. What is taunting me is the battery life and the small 16GB storage...
That's why I'm getting Nokia 810 from T-Mobile. I don't mind the screen resolution but I do mind the hardware that comes with the phone and plenty of apps.
This is good news, although for $50 more than the T-Mobile version, it better have SOMETHING to help justify the price.
Screen and camera are the primary bonuses, though that may not be enough to sway price-conscious buyers.
Nokia all the way!
Nokia has fun colored phones, HTC follows.
Nokia announced wireless charging, HTC *might* be following again.
Agreed. HTC is a me-too player in this arena, from the colors to copied glass ergonomics and now, wireless charging to tick off one more box on the comparison chart.
Because no one had colored phones or wireless charging before the lumia 920....?
Yep. No one did as good or as stylish as Nokia. Similarly wireless charging also, except Palm, who have their proprietary tech, where Nokia is using Industry standard..
We'll see what happens. Either way, I'm getting this phone. Wireless charging will be a cool feature if it comes. But if not, doesn't matter to me!
Sorry, but I don't trust Verge with their rumors. They were the ones who said Instagram will be coming to WP8 at launch and we all know that's not true. And this rumor is also questionable because it's impossible to add wireless charging to it without modifying the phone. Wireless charging is not just a sticker you can put inside, it's actual hardware.
Wireless charging is a tiny chip that can fit in the tightest of spaces. Not fat fetched at all.
Isn't it a wide coil? IIRC, you need a fairly wide (but shallow) coil to actuate the wireless energy. I could be totally wrong, but I remember that being the gist of Tesla's designs.
Not the first time they've worked with HTC to change the hardware though (or other OEMs). Although, I admit the two other HTC modded devices on Verizon were gimped not enhanced.
I totally agree with you.
Is it using the same Qi standard as the 920? I hope so.
Yeah, that would be a huge selling point if it's Qi standard. It will give Windows Phone a differentiator until Android embraces it too. One more thing that Apple is behind on. :)
The Verge did not say no LTE. It says LTE all over this review!!
http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/29/3568152/htc-windows-phone-8x-review
So does this have LTE or not? HTC makes such lousy spec sheets.
The verge spec sheet said no lte
Well that's not true. You saw what HTC posted in their video, it showed a 8x saying Verizon 4G LTE. Also, verizon said they are only offering high end smartphones on their carrier to have lte.
This is awesome news not that i need it just 1 less feature thats not exclusive to Nokia. Now how about a date for release is that really too much to ask for, this doesn't need to be a surprise.
Microsoft's press release for this phone on vzw says "by thanksgiving". Good enough for me!
Wireless charging technology wasn't created by Nokia, so it never has been exclusive, Nokia just included it in their device specs and others didn't. Why so much hate toward Nokia for putting the most effort into WP unlike the others? I like the design of the 8X/8S, but you have to admit that HTC borrowed design queues from Nokia and are now even mimicking the technologies Nokia included in its phone. The only thing original about the 8X/8S now is beat audio and their camera technolgy included.
Daniel, you think that's true that it will not add bulk on the 8x when it has wireless charging? It is kind of hard to believed that!
I can't believe the stupidity of these rumors. How can you add a piece of hardware without having to have an extra space for it? Unless HTC 8X already had extra space inside left to be filled with extra piece of hardware, this is just baseless that it wont add any bulk. So, as per this rumor, it seems adding wireless charging feature is a child's play. If that was the case then any phone can add it. Or maybe I can buy additional piece of hardware and stick to my old phone.
It doesn't take up extra space. A gs3 with charging backplate is no bigger than a regular gs3. It's just propaganda from Nokia fanboys when the justify the brick 920.
I rather have a brick that has quality hardware than a Samsung hardware that I know is crap. I know I used to have an Android Samsung products, and some friends of mine also had the same problem before he even has an android.
How is this propaganda? Why didn't HTC announce it when they launched the phone? Why are they making last minute changes? I think HTC fanboys/Nokia haters are nervous again? The minimum thing that it should do is add extra weight or you can prove physics wrong. Good luck!
They used the lumia 920 OIS camera to justify the extra bulk. Not the wireless charging capabilities.
Imp. thing is: what is the definition of bulk here?
Weight or thickness or both?
I think, what HTC can do is add a shell like Lumia 820/822, etc in 8X and make it non-removable unlike 822,etc. So, that may help somewhat in avoiding increase in bulk. But I guess, they will make some more compromises elsewhere. We will see.
Good luck trying! ;)
Why does everyone think this phone doesn't have LTE?
Who said that?
It seems that Verizon hates Windows Phone.
Why is that....? Where do you see that they hate WP?
Maybe its because when you walk into Verizon, they have a billion droids.
becuase the only windows phone in verizon right now is the Trophy, and that is out because of windows phone 8, which isnt out yet. They have no reason to have any windows phone on display yet...
Where did you come up with that hypothesis?
This is a positive story for Verizon, and yet you determine that they hate WP? Odd.
Y-A-W-N
Enough of the 8X deception here. For the month of November, the 822 will be the top Verizon WP8 phone. The 8X is a SLOPPY second. SD Card Slot? Gyroscope? Rear Camera Quailty? Long Lasting Batter? Removable Battery? The answer to ALL for the 8X is NO. Customers would be wise to say the same.
The Nokia 822 is a notch better. But not by much.
The good news is this form of low grade torture by VERIZON will only last for 30 days. The Sammy ATIV Odyssey will be in stock in time for Santa. MJF does not post anything to ZD Net without substantial confirmation (not sure how WP Central missed this). Also a good chance that the Nokia 922 will be out then and also a good chance that we may see both the 922 and ATIV for Black Friday.
http://www.zdnet.com/where-and-when-can-users-get-microsofts-windows-phone-8-devices-7000006550/
I think that by January 1, 2013 - we will have much nicer things to day about Verizon and WP8. For now, just hanging out with my Trophy and (no so) patiently waiting for some high end devices to hit Big Red.
+infinity
8x camera is way better than the 822. 8x screen is way better than the 822. The only thing the 822 has is the sd slot.
Wow, that is an awful lot of hate towards the device msft themselves is pitching as a flagship phone. I'll take the phone with the better screen, better rear and front cameras, and a bigger battery. In cas you missed it, that's the 8X. Not the phone for everyone, but certainlyt not being bested by the mid-range 822 by any means.
That said, were an ATIV S like device to hit Verizon this winter, I would take pause and very much consider it.
I'm a Nokia fanboy, but sorry, the 8X kills all the 820 variants. But on the other hand for the 920...