There are no carriers in China that carry the iPhone, and the country missed out on the Android G1 launch, but HTC will bring Android to the Chinese marketplace later this year. Not to be confused with the iPhone, the OPhone runs a special open mobile version of Android customized by China Mobile.

HTC has been known as one of the largest manufacturers of Windows Mobile phones until last year. After launching the G1 Android phone with T-Mobile, HTC has thrown much of its weight behind Google’s Android operating system.

The T-Mobile G1 launched last year as the first phone running the Android operating system. After success in the U.S. market with T-Mobile, HTC has caught the eye of one of the top three Chinese carriers, China Mobile.

Now HTC is prepping a next-generation Android phone to be launched in conjunction with China Mobile. The phone is expected to be the slightly updated follow up to the G1 phone.

The China Mobile OPhone is rumored to be a custom version of the HTC Magic. The Magic has a 538 MHz processor that works on CDMA or GSM networks and includes a touch screen and GPS antenna.

So far HTC has been the first handset maker to cash in on Google Android, though its competitors are catching on fast. Both Samsung and LG are planning to introduce phones running the open source operating system later on this year.

One question that remains to be seen is whether Chinese consumers are ready to pay the higher cost to own an American smartphone. HTC officials hint that the OPhone could cost as much as 5,000 yuan or $730, although the price isn’t finalized.

The other hurdle that the OPhone may have to face is competition from the Apple iPhone. While Apple currently doesn’t market in China, there are rumors that the iPhone could become available through China Unicom.

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Entry was posted on Tuesday, May 26th, 2009 at 9:51 am under Apple, Cell phones, Google.

Read more entries by Dave Jeyes.
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