[One (M7) General] xionchen4628:
I think there have been numerous discussions about how the lack of SD card storage and removable battery made it a deal-breaker for a small % of people not to buy HTC One. In all honesty, as much as I love HTC phones (the last three smartphones were all HTC) and want to support them, I haven't been as excited about getting the new HTC phone since I heard those 2 features won't be included.

Now..reading one of the post on the impact of not including SD card storage in this forum, I can understand some of the reasons why it is not that important. You now have a base 32gb internal storage, although a little less than that because of the OS installed. That is not bad. If you don't put much video files or your whole music collection, you probably won't fill it up. Still...nice to have extra storage available to store your files offline. Some say use Cloud Storage but that requires a wireless connection, drains your battery life faster and use up your data limit if you are not using WiFi. Nice to have all your files handy without depending on all of those conditions. What about USB OTG? Now this would the option that I would use extensively if a day comes that all smartphone no longer have memory card storage but let's face it, another wire to carry with you.

In terms of non-removable battery, this is probably a bigger peeve with me than the lack of sd card storage. By using a design with non-removable battery, HTC is limiting the life of the phone that I spend money to own. I understand that most people purchase a new phone every two years anyway. Heck, that is why I am looking at what new phones are available this year when my contract is up mid-year. But...I can still keep my EVO3D without worrying about the degrading battery efficiency/life. If I need to, I can buy a new battery and switch it out. In fact, after a year and a half of owning my EVO 3D I am noticing an appreciable decrease in the efficiency of my battery. Now some might say why even keep an old phone? For one, an older phone might have a useful feature that a newer phone doesn't have. I still have my HTC Touch Pro 2 because it is a world-phone. Whenever I travel out of country, I pulled it out and plug in the battery and now I have a cell phone while I am traveling. In case I damage my EVO3D before my contract is up, I also have a backup phone available. Beside that reason, a phone with a removable battery has a better resale value to someone who doesn't have to worry about a dead non-replaceable battery if they buy it. Finally to someone who drains their phone with heavy use, they can easily swap out for another charged battery.

I guess what it comes down to is "choice". Do I want a phone that limits my options but have pretty display, nice camera, great sound and fast performance (arguably HTC's newest phone won't corner the market on these features and that other flagship phones will come close to these specs). Does HTC know best when it comes to understanding the features that the user need and don't need? I thought I chose Android over Apple because I would have more control/option/choice? Isn't HTC behaving more like Apple?

I am sure I am over-dramatizing things but...I was disappointed with the direction that HTC is heading. I will probably get use to it if I have no choice but to pick this phone but I would have love it if I didn't have to be force into it.

I think HTC One is a great phone and it certainly looks good but I might not buy it. What do everyone else think? Are my misgivings valid or should I just get with the times and learn to accept that the future is no sd card storage and non-removable battery? I am honestly curious as to people's opinion on the matter and how some people have either adapted cheerfully or grudingly.