Expansys have become the next significant retailer to offer preorders for the HTC Hero, and their price comes in neatly below that of Amazon UK.  Expansys are listing the Hero – in white, unlocked and SIM-free – for £399.99 in the UK or $649.99 in the US (without US 3G).

Don’t be misled by the seemingly more ambitious availability on Expansys’ listing, however.  While they say the Hero is expected to launch in eight days, that’s not including weekends; in fact, it tallies with Amazon’s July 15th ship date estimate.

Still, it’s a little cheaper (and Expansys throw in £30 of their own gift vouchers, for accessories and the like) so if you’re not interested in Orange or T-Mobile‘s offers then it may be the easiest way to pick up a new Hero.  More details about HTC’s latest Android smartphone in the video below.

[thanks Mario!]