HTC’s new One line has gotten a lot of us Android fans excited, and in America we’re doubly excited to see a European launch event confirm US releases. The flagship HTC One X will be headed for AT&T (with a reduced Qualcomm dual-core processor) and the HTC One S is on its way to T-Mobile. But what of the One V, the smaller, cheaper phone that revives HTC’s Legend design? According to PhoneScoop, it’s headed for the land of the free as well: low-cost and prepaid carriers Metro PCS, Virgin Mobile and U.S. Cellular have already begun the initial steps towards adding the phone, said an HTC representative.

The remark was quick and off-the-cuff, so it probably shouldn’t be considered a verification at this point. That said, it’s easy to see why US carriers would want a piece of the V: its relatively small screen and size combine with a (presumably) smaller price tag to make for a compelling Android smartphone that keeps the excellent unibody design of its big brothers. Assuming all three carriers added the ONe V in the next three months, it would also probably be their first Android 4.0 phone. This doesn’t preclude the One V from coming to larger carriers as well – we just haven’t heard anything from AT&T, Verizon or T-Mobile.

The HTC One V may be at the low end of the company’s current line-up, but that doesn’t mean it’s any sort of slouch. A 3.7-inch LCD screen uses an 800×480 resolution, and you’ll want every pixel to see Ice Cream Sandwich and Sense 4.0 . The rear camera is just 5MP, but it uses HTC’s new F/2.0 lens ,which promises to take great stills regardless. Don’t forget about a unibody aluminum design with a MicroSD card slot, which the other two One phones are missing. If there’s a downside to the One V, it’s a pokey single-core 1GHz processor and 512MB of RAM, though a non-removable 1500mAh battery would also qualify.

Keep an eye on the Mobile World Congress portal for more breaking news.