HTC ChaCha Facebook Phone Priced For June UK Release [Update: June 6]

The HTC ChaCha Facebook phone has gone up for pre-order in the UK, and as expected it's carrying a relatively budget price tag. Carphone Warehouse has listed the QWERTY Android handset – which includes a dedicated Facebook button for instant sharing – from free on new, two-year £20 ($32) per month agreements.

Deliveries are expected at the beginning of June 2011, and there's currently no SIM-free, unlocked pricing for the handset. Announced back at MWC 2011, the ChaCha – and its all-touch Salsa sibling – runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread on a 600MHz Qualcomm MSM7227 processor paired with 512MB of both RAM and ROM, and has both 5-megapixel front and VGA rear cameras, WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 and GPS. It's fronted with a 2.6-inch capacitive touchscreen and comes preloaded with a new Facebook Chat widget for real-time IM conversations.

As for North American availability, so far HTC and the carriers have remained tight-lipped over when, exactly, the ChaCha may make its debut. However, AT&T has confirmed that it plans to range the smartphone at some point.

Update: According to retailer Clove the exact ship date is June 6. It will be selling the ChaCha SIM-free and unlocked for £210 ($339) plus VAT.