Facebook Home App vs HTC first phone: what’s the difference?

Today the brand new Facebook Home social network experience for Android has been revealed. It’s the companies own fresh take on how Android should feel, completely wrapped in Facebook‘s world. There’s still plenty of questions regarding the future of Facebook on mobile, and the regular app, but for now we had a few comments regarding how the newly announced Facebook Home app will differ from the experience out of the box – like with the embedded and integrated system of the HTC first phone.

Facebook Home will be coming to an array of Android devices like the HTC One, One X, Galaxy S III, Note II and more over the coming weeks, and will hit the Google Play Store on April 12th. However, for those who love Facebook and opt to buy the newly announced HTC first – also available April 12th – the experience will be different. And is it worth it to buy a phone specifically made for Facebook Home?

That question can only be answered by you since you’ll be using it, but here’s what we know. The HTC first and other devices that come with Facebook Home out of the box will have a few unique features to make the experience even better. Things like the intuitive and new style of Facebook Home and the Cover Feed will be able to access all notifications, not just a few Facebook-related ones. The video below is an extended look at the HTC first and Facebook Home, but around 5 minutes in we talk about the difference between the native experience, and the app from the Play Store.

This means Instagram, Spotify, and any and all 3rd party apps you download will also work with Facebook’s notification system should you choose – as long as you buy a “Facebook Phone.” For all those two opt to simply get the app from the Google Play Store the notifications will be standard to Android, and only Facebook’s Cover Feed of missed calls, texts, messages, friends, chat heads and such will be a part of the experience.

So in the end this isn’t a huge deal, but the level of integration will be more seamless and perfected if you purchase the HTC first, or any upcoming Facebook Phones that launch with Home out of the box. We’re also hearing Facebook Home the app will have ads just like Facebook currently does, and the dedicated phones like the HTC first won’t. So that’s a biggie too. We’ll report back when we know additional details.

For those extremely excited about Facebook Home, does this change your mindset moving forward for buying a device or just downloading the app? We’d love to hear your thoughts!