HTC Planned Customizable Smartphone Like The Moto X, But It Got Canned [Rumor]

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The new Moto X may not be the greatest smartphone you’ll see this year when it comes to specifications, but its unique customization options mean that it has received a lot of attention since it was announced earlier this month. But all that attention could have gone to HTC.

The Taiwanese smartphone maker was reportedly planning a customizable handset of its own not so long ago, but the plans were canned due to concerns over the cost and complexity.

“Motorola isn’t the only phone company that’s invested in color customizations for its handsets,” Tom Warren of The Verge reports. “Sources familiar with HTC’s plans have revealed to The Verge that the company was prototyping a color customization project for US carrier Sprint.”

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Just like with the Moto X, customers would have been able to design their own handset online when placing their order, choosing the color of its speaker, accents, and top and bottom panels. They would have also been able to add personal engraving.

The project covered HTC’s flagship Windows Phone, the 8X, and it would have been exclusive to Sprint. But according to Warren, both companies decided to axe the plans due to concerns over cost and complexity. Instead, HTC brought the two-tone color scheme from the midrange 8S to the 8XT for Sprint.

HTC may have missed out on a golden opportunity here, but if the Moto X is a big success for Google, there’s a chance the company — and many others — may have a renewed interest in customizable smartphones.