Three of the major Android manufacturers are each getting geared-up to release their new flagship handsets, all are large-screened, feature-rich, LTE Android smartphones.
Motorola and Samsung have events scheduled for tomorrow and HTC’s official announcement shouldn’t be far off. In anticipation of the announcements, we though of doing a recap, for all of you Android fans out there who like to live on the high-end. Here is what we know so far, though take everything we mention with a grain of salt as they are based on leaks and rumors.
Samsung Galaxy Nexus a.k.a. Nexus Prime
Deservingly mentioned here first, this will be the first device to run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The launch event, together with Google, is scheduled for tomorrow in Hong Kong (event starts at 10am HKT, 3am London time on the 19th, and 10pm on the 18th EDT). You can watch the event live on YouTube, here.
Rumored features:
- 4.65-inch Super AMOLED 1280×720 HD curved display
- 1.5GHz dual-core Samsung Exynos processor (less likely: 1.2GHz dual-core TI OMAP Cortex A9 processor)
- 1GB RAM
- 32GB built-in storage (seems a tad too high)
- Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
- NFC capabilities
- LTE or HSPA radio depending on carrier
- 1,750 mAh (also rumored as 2,050 mAh) battery
- 8MP back and 1MP front cameras
- Can shoot 1080p HD video
Motorola Droid RAZR a.k.a. Spyder
The image above is a last-minute leak from Motorola’s teaser website. Motorola has titled its new smartphone as faster, thinner, stronger. The Droid RAZR is expected to ride Verizon’s fast LTE network, and obviously run on a fast processor. Motorola is hoping to make a comeback for its successful RAZR line, and the phone will be super-thin. Finally it’s expected to have a Gorilla glass display and a unique Kevlar back, making it a very ‘tough’ competitor.
The Droid RAZR (or Spyder) is expected to be announced at the joint Motorola and Verizon event, ten hours before the start of the Google/Samsung event. The two companies are holding a press conference on October 18th at 12pm EDT in New York.
Rumored features:
- 4.3-inch Super AMOLED 960×540 qHD Gorilla glass display
- 1.2GHz dual-core processor
- 1GB RAM
- Android 2.3 Gingerbread at launch
- LTE radio as it will be launched on Verizon first, international availability to be confirmed
- 8MP back and HD front cameras
- Can shoot 1080p HD video
- Kevlar back, super thin design with a Droid X style hump at the top
- Laptop dock, named Lapdock 100
HTC Vigor a.k.a. Rezound a.k.a. DROID Incredible HD
Last, but not least, is HTC’s new offering. We’ve been hearing about the HTC Vigor for some time now, and a recent leak from Verizon, has the smartphone launching at around the same time as the Galaxy Nexus.
The Vigor has a 4.3-inch screen and with a rumored 720p HD resolution, it will have the highest pixel density of any handset at around 342ppi. It’s also expected to come with a Beats by Dr. Dre audio mode and matching earbuds.
Rumored features:
- 4.3-inch 1280×720 HD display
- 1.5GHz dual-core processor
- 1GB RAM
- Android 2.3 Gingerbread at launch
- LTE or HSPA radio depending on carrier
- 8MP back and 2MP front cameras
- Can shoot 1080p HD video
- HTC Sense 3.5 UI
- Beats by Dr. Dre audio mode and earbuds
UPDATE: We now have the full official specs for all three handsets in a handy, concise comparison table here.
