HTC One Pre-Sales Start At AT&T April 4 For $199.99, Smartphone Ships April 19

HTC’s great aluminum hope, the HTC One, will be available on AT&T beginning April 19, with pre-orders starting April 4. The smartphone will cost $199.99 with a two-year agreement for the 32GB variety, with a 64GB version for $299.99 on a two-year contract, a U.S. launch exclusive for AT&T. Pre-orders for the phone start at 1 P.M. Central Time on April 4, if you’re marking your calendars.

The HTC One has faced delays in getting to market in North America, with production issues around the camera accounting for early problems reaching mass production status, according to HTC marketing chief Benjamin Ho. Despite any early troubles, the new HTC flagship will make it to market faster than its chief rival, the Samsung Galaxy S4, which becomes available for pre-order on AT&T April 16, with no word yet on when exactly it will ship.

HTC had originally planned to launch the One across North America by the end of March, but its new shipping timeframe still gives it a bit of a first-mover advantage over Samsung. Still, it has a lot of ground to make up from the much more popular Android device-maker. Early reviewers seem more impressed by the HTC hardware, which features an all-aluminum enclosure, vs. the usual plastic cases many Android OEMs opt for, but this is still a pivotal launch for the Taiwanese company. HTC CEO Peter Chou has even confirmed it’ll be his last stand, with the exec saying he’ll step down if the One isn’t a success.

And now Sprint has also chimed in, announcing that it will be kicking off pre-orders for the HTC One April 5, with the phone shipping April 19. AT&T has the exclusive on the $299.99 64GB version at launch, as mentioned, but Sprint shoppers will pay the same $199.99 on a two-year agreement for the 32GB variety.