There isn’t a reason for developer edition phones to exist
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The phone market works in a very peculiar way in North America when compared to the rest of the world. Most consumers have no idea how much their phone actually costs because they’re accustomed to only seeing carrier-subsidized prices. This approach to selling devices gives the carrier a lot of power over device makers, and that has resulted in locked-down devices becoming the norm. Even the Google-backed Moto X is locked up tight on AT&T and Verizon. However, there is a shining beacon of openness in this otherwise dark and depressing world — the developer edition phone. But do these devices really matter?
A developer edition phone usually has the same hardware as the non-developer edition device. The main difference is in the software that is flashed by the OEM. Carriers like AT&T and Verizon usually insist on locked bootloaders, which prevent (or at least reduce) software modification. In this context, locked doesn’t just mean locked — virtually every Android device ships with a locked bootloader, even Nexus devices. The difference here is that some devices cannot be unlocked at all, barring an exploit.
Buying the developer edition of a device allows you to unlock the bootloader, usually after jumping through some hoops. This is of value because an unlocked bootloader means custom software. Want to run a ROM or even a different operating system altogether? You usually need an unlocked bootloader. The “developer” in developer edition refers to someone building a custom operating system, not app developers.
Developer editions aren’t subsidized, so the cost is usually $600 to $700. There are people willing to pay that much, but by all accounts most of them are not developers — they’re enthusiasts. With a developer edition phone, you get an unlockable device that works on your carrier of choice, like Verizon or AT&T. If it’s a GSM device, it’s also SIM unlocked to work on any carrier. These are valuable features, but they are not unique to developer edition phones.
For someone who’s serious about software development, there are international versions of devices that don’t have locked-down bootloaders to start with. Then there are the Google Play Edition and Nexus phones, which work on most GSM carriers. Developer editions don’t really have a use except to placate a small, very vocal number of users who love ROMs, but are stuck on Verizon’s CDMA/LTE network.
Releasing a developer edition phone makes an OEM look benevolent, but there may also be a strong profit motive. You see, developer editions are very expensive, and that means more profit for the OEM. Phones are sold in bulk to carriers, so the manufacturer doesn’t see anywhere near the profit from individual units as it does from selling a developer edition device. Even the full, unsubsidized cost of the carrier-locked version is usually lower than the developer edition. In the case of the HTC One, the developer edition is $50 to $100 more expensive than the carrier versions. Does it really make sense to pay more so HTC won’t lock your phone?
Phone makers should stop calling these “developer edition,” but they probably won’t. Having the developer edition Moto X might give someone a sense of importance, but there’s less reason than ever for these phones to exist.