HTC 802W: Dual SIM HTC One with removable storage?

What looks like an HTC One variant sporting both a microSD card slot and a dual SIM card slot has just surfaced in China. The ‘HTC 802W’, as its sticker references it, will apparently hide all of the phone’s expandability and SIM card slots underneath a removable back cover. This strongly suggests if real, the HTC 802W won’t contain the micro SIM eject tray or the same gapless unibody design as the HTC One. 

With details surrounding the variant, let alone its validity being very thin on the ground though, what can be said for certain about this mysterious handset?

The HTC 802W does clearly have a tapered look similar to the HTC One and HTC One SV. The styling is closely aligned with HTC’s flagship, complete with horizontal bands along the reverse, not to mention a centred camera mount and what looks like a brushed metal style finish at the top and base.

If the HTC 802W does turn out to be real, it’s extremely unlikely to come out here in the UK, given a lack of market for dual SIM phones. Engadget (via Engadget Chinese), the guys who brought us the shot, say that the device is likely headed over to China Unicom. As can be seen in the image above, one SIM card slot will be for WCDMA/GSM (data and voice) and one for GSM (voice only).

We understand why China is getting a dual SIM variant of the HTC One, but why expandable storage?

With the HTC One unibody design having such an expensive, lengthy manufacturing process, HTC likely couldn’t justify creating a dual SIM version of the phone with two micro SIM eject trays and the same level of unibody finish.
 
By adding a removable back cover to accomodate a second microSIM card tray on board, this could have freed up some space for a microSD card slot. Alternatively, the device could sport less than 32GB out of the box, making a microSD card somewhat imperative.

Whatever the reason, as we said, we’ll unlikely be seeing it on our shores, sadly. Anyone itching for an HTC release needn’t fret though. By the looks of things, tomorrow, April 4th, could well mark the arrival of the HTC First, Android’s Facebook phone. We’ll be covering the action so be sure to check back from 5pm BST for more.