HTC just introduced the Developer Edition of the One, which ships with an unlocked bootloader. Some limitations apply.

In order to reach a compromise between the demands of carriers and those of the developer community, HTC has taken to offering Developer Editions of its flagship devices. The latest to receive this treatment is the HTC One, which will soon be made available to US residents for $649.

Spec-wise, the HTC One Developer Edition is identical to its regular counterpart, although T-Mobile users will be disappointed to learn that the device doesn’t support T-Mo’s AWS HSPA spectrum. On the bright side, T-Mobile has already kicked off its LTE network deployment, so you might still get to experience 4G on the One Developer Edition.

Of course, the Developer Edition comes with an unlocked bootloader, which should simplify the access to its core functionality. HTC also makes a point of specifying that the device is SIM unlocked, but that’s obvious given that the device will sell without a contract.

The HTC One Developer Edition features 64GB of storage, along with the Snapdragon 600 processor and 2GB of RAM. Access to the full set of features of the device should be facilitated by the kit of open APIs, for things like Bluetooth and the infrared blaster.

HTC will only ship the One Developer Edition to US postcodes “in limited quantities”. With news of release delays and production issues, the limited availability should be no surprise. Finally, you’ll be able to order the HTC One Developer Edition when the device becomes available commercially in the US. As far as we know, that means you should expect it sometime in April.

Check out our full coverage of the HTC One.