Verizon HTC Droid Incredible delayed again

You have to feel a little bad for the Verizon HTC Droid Incredible. It’s an amazing handset (check out our full review) but it has been beset by component shortages and it is being delayed again, probably to make room for the newer, sexier Motorola Droid X.

The Verizon HTC Droid Incredible was released in late April and it received rave reviews. It rocks a large 3.7-inch AMOLED screen, 1 GHz Snapdragon processor, Android 2.1 with HTC Sense UI, an 8-megapixel camera and all the goodies you expect from a high-end handset like WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth. The device quickly sold out and anxious buyers had to wait … and wait and wait. Initially, we saw reports that the Incredible wouldn’t ship until July but the Verizon Wireless online store is now saying it won’t ship out until next month.

While I’m sure the component shortages are legitimate, you have to figure the upcoming (July 15) launch of the Android-powered Motorola Droid X has something to do with the delay. This is going to be the best Verizon handset to fight off the Apple iPhone 4 on AT&T and Big Red is doing a lot to push the latest Motorola Android smartphone.

Verizon is allowing any subscriber with an upgrade eligibility to get the Droid X for the new-customer price of $199 at launch day. It is also allowing customers who pre-ordered the HTC Droid Incredible to switch to a Droid X without any additional fee.

The extra delay is sure to be a blow for the success of HTC on Verizon in the short term but I’m pretty sure the handset maker will get over it. It just posted a really good quarter thanks to the success of its Android smartphone and devices like the Evo 4G have been selling well. I also wouldn’t be too surprised to see some killer handsets from the company in time for the holiday season.