Upcoming Smartphones to Look Out For ( july 2011)

The smartphone segment is going to explode soon and handsets that are loaded up with all kinds of goodies like NFC (Near Field Communication) technology and 3D mobile viewing will soon be making the scene. But it won’t just end there, we’ll also be witness to new operating systems like MeeGo and updates to existing systems as well. Keeping that in mind, here’s my list of handsets that you should be looking out for soon.

Nokia N9
One of the first of the all new MeeGo line of devices and from what we hear the last for Nokia as well, is the Nokia N9. This rectangular colorful block of a handset is equipped with all kinds of goodies from a Gorilla Glass display that’s also coated with an anti-glare polarizer (very handy for out door viewing I imagine) to a 1GHz Cortex A8 CPU for speed, NFC (Near Field Communication) support with Angry Birds Magic thrown in plus the Dolby Mobile sound engine. Although the handset will be available in 16GB and 32GB models, like the Nexus S, it will not have support for external memory which might be a bit of downer for some. The Nokia N9 will also be available in a variety of funky colors.

Nokia N9 - MeeGo on the horizon

The MeeGo toting smartphone features -

• a 3.9-inch AMOLED capacitive touchscreen with a 480 x 854 pixel resolution and 16 million colors
• 3G, Wi-Fi with hotspot capabilities, EDGE/GPRS,
• Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, USB 2.0
• GPS with A-GPS support for Ovi Maps, Geotagging
• 8 megapixel autofocus camera with dual LED flash, 720p video recording
• Secondary camera for video calling
• 16GB internal memory
• 3.5mm handsfree socket for TV Out as well
• Dolby Digital Plus
• microSD card support up to 32GB

MILESTONE XT883
It was disappointing to realize that the Motorola MILESTONE 2 never did make it to India so my hopes are high for the XR883 making it here. This next-gen MILESTONE will feature a Dual-core 1GHz TI OMAP4 processor running Android Gingerbread and of course the customary MILESTONE slide out QWERTY keypad. Although it hasn’t been officially confirmed, it's quite unlikely that Motorola would not include it on this model when its predecessor the XT720 was equipped with a port. The onboard 8MP camera will be capable of full HD video recording and so naturally full HD video playback as well. The high-res mobile display should put it in the league of the HTC Sensation or Samsung Galaxy SII although it falls just a little bit short of “Retina” quality resolution.

Next Gen MILESTONE

Motorola’s MILESTONE XT883 will also come with -

• a 4-inch capacitive touchscreen with a 540 x 960 pixel resolution and 16 million colors
• 3G, Wi-Fi with hotspot capabilities, EDGE/GPRS,
• Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, USB 2.0
• GPS with A-GPS support, Geotagging
• 8 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash, 1080p video recording
• Secondary VGA camera for video calling
• 16GB internal memory
• 3.5mm handsfree socket
• microSD card support up to 32GB

Xperia Pro
Sony’s Xperia range of Android enabled smartphones have been enjoying their spotlight for a while now and the Xperia Pro with its slide out full QWERTY keypad with individually spaced keys is due to hit the shelves soon. The Xperia Pro is also said to have a scratch resistant display. This funky looking smartphone will be out with Android Gingerbread running on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1 GHz processor and Sony’s Mobile Bravia Engine to help enhance the device's visual capabilities. With DLNA as well as HDMI media streaming will be a breeze. The onboard 8 Megapixel camera will have features that include Geotagging, face/smile detection and Touchfocus.

The Next Xperia will be curvey

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro will be equipped with -

• a 3.7-inch LED-backlit LCD touchscreen with a 480 x 854 pixel resolution and 16 million colors
• 3G, Wi-Fi with hotspot capabilities and DLNA compatibility, EDGE/GPRS,
• Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, USB 2.0
• GPS with A-GPS support, Geotagging
• 8 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash, 720p video recording
• Secondary VGA camera for video calling
• 1GB internal memory
• 3.5mm handsfree socket for TV Out as well
• FM radio
• HDMI Out
• microSD card support up to 32GB

Optimus 3D
The Optimus 3D made its debut as one of the first high-end smartphones to be equipped with 3D capabilities. Not only is the Optimus 3D capable of HD 3D capture via its dual cameras, it’s also fitted with a system that lets you render Standard Definition content into 3D with an option to choose the level of 3D viewing. Its Dual-core 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor will help run Android Gingerbread and support full HD video playback and capture. LG has also specially designed a 3D UI just for the device and the handset will launch with stereoscopic 3D games as well. It’s going to be a tough nut to crack. Check out our hands-on preview of the Optimus 3D here.

Render all in 3D

LG’s Optimus 3D will also feature -

• a 4.3-inch 3D capable LCD touchscreen with a 480 x 800 pixel resolution and 16 million colors
• 3G, Wi-Fi with hotspot capabilities and DLNA compatibility, EDGE/GPRS,
• Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP, USB 2.0
• GPS with A-GPS support, Geotagging
• Dual 5 megapixel autofocus cameras with LED flash, 1080p video recording in 2D and 720p video recording in 3D mode
• Secondary camera for video calling
• 8GB internal memory
• 3.5mm handsfree socket for TV Out as well
• FM radio
• HDMI Out
• microSD card support up to 32GB

HTC EVO 3D
While LG has announced their contender in the smartphone 3D race, the competition is going to get really hot with HTC’s EVO 3D thrown into the mix. The one aspect we hope to see in all its 3D glory, that is assuming HTC’s offering is able to render parts of the UI into 3D, is Sense UI. Like most of the others in this list the EVO 3D will also feature Android’s Gingerbread version of the OS that will run on top of a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor that will be supported by an Adreno 220 GPU and 1GB RAM. Via MHL or Mobile HI-Definition Link that functions as a video out, you’ll be able to view your captured data on an HDTV. DLNA for wireless media streaming is also an option.

The mobile 3D race is on with the introduction of the EVO 3D

HTC’s 3D smartphone will also feature -

• a 4.3-inch 3D capable LCD touchscreen with a 540 x 960 pixel resolution and 16 million colors
• 3G, Wi-Fi with hotspot capabilities and DLNA compatibility, EDGE/GPRS,
• Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP, USB 2.0
• GPS with A-GPS support, Geotagging
• Dual 5 megapixel autofocus cameras with LED flash, 1080p video recording in 2D and 720p video recording in 3D mode
• Secondary 1.3MP camera for video calling
• 1GB internal memory
• 3.5mm handsfree socket for TV Out as well
• FM radio
• TV Out via MHL
• SRS Virtual Surround sound engine
• microSD card support up to 32GB

BlackBerry Bold Touch 9900
RIM has made it a point to venture into all venues of mobile design starting off with a candy bar QWERTY form to half QWERTY and Touchscreens with and without QWERTY sliders and now we’ll be seeing their first touch and type QWERTY phone the Bold Touch 9900. Nokia’s recently launched E6 will be its biggest competitor. With a touchscreen and an optical track pad (I’m not sure why you’d need it) RIM is making sure you have all methods of menu navigation at your disposal. A 1.2GHz processor will power this BlackBerry and version 7 of the OS will be on board with features that would include NFC support and Wi-Fi Hot Spot creation.

The Bold just got bolder

The BlackBerry Bold 9900 features -

• a 2.8-inch touchscreen with a 640 x 480 pixel resolution
• 3G, Wi-Fi with hotspot capabilities, EDGE/GPRS, BIS, BES
• Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, USB 2.0
• GPS with A-GPS support for BlackBerry Maps, Geotagging
• 5 megapixel autofocus cameras with LED flash, 720p video recording
• 8GB internal memory
• 3.5mm handsfree socket for TV Out as well
• microSD card support up to 32GB

Apple iPhone 5
This list would be quite incomplete without the iPhone 5 being a part of it. Although the device has been shrouded in mystery it’s due out in a few months and we should expect something quite brilliant judging from past announcements. However, with the announcement of iOS 5 and all the features that Apple fans have been aching to have since conception of the iPhone, the next gen model could be just a little short of spectacular. The details on this device are quite vague and there’s talk of a larger Retina display with a thinner bezel and some say that NFC will not yet be part of the iPhone’s make up. It’s all speculation and as usual Apple is remaining mum on the topic. Of course, if another employee decides to take it for a walk and leave it at a restaurant, things could change. Let’s wait and see.

What will it really look like? image source

So that’s my list of upcoming smartphones that I hope to see soon. What are you looking forward to dear reader; it could be a device from this list or something I haven’t included. Let me know your five choices.