All week, we’ve been talking about hot phones that are out now on U.S. carriers and are ripe for the picking, but if you’re into tech, you know that the next big thing is always right around the corner. Every platform has something to offer, so we took a glimpse into the future of every major platform to find out what’s worth waiting for from each of them. If, like the patient, evil mastermind, you can bide your time and wait for the perfect moment to strike, at least one of these options will catch your eye.
1. iPhone 5
Although specifics about the next Apple smartphone amount to little more than a hobbed-together mass of half-baked rumours, it’s hard to see the iPhone 5 being anything less than mind-blowing. The iPhone 4 introduced the Retina display, which put all other screens to shame, and packed in a solid 5 megapixel camera. Of course, Apple also has the best smartphone app store available. Apple has yet to make the leap to dual-core processors, and the larger size of many leading Android smartphones makes us hope for an iOS device with screen in the 4-inch range. iOS 5 has been cooking for the last couple of months now, and should include some interesting features like new multitouch gestures, non-intrusive notifications with a dedicated notification center, deep Twitter integration, and lots more. Whatever the hardware specifics may be, iPhone fans won’t have a hard decision to make; Apple’s not going to be launching more than one phone at a time. iOS 5 is scheduled for a public release this fall, so your next iPhone really isn’t that far away.
2. Nexus Prime
Much like the iPhone 5, the next Google-Approved® phone is little more than another spin on the rumour mill. Whatever the specifics may be, the next Nexus will be template from which all future, lesser Android phones are built. That means it’ll be first in line for OS updates and new features, which is always nice. Samsung will reportedly be on board for this one, and there’s a solid chance that it will spearhead the launch of Android’s Ice Cream Sandwich. The goal of this version of the OS is to bring in all of the cool stuff from 3.0 Honeycomb that was built specifically for tablets, and make at least some of the new functions available to smartphones. The screen should be 720p, which translates into a whooping 1280 x 720 pixels, and the processor is rumoured to be a dual-core OMAP 4460 processor, which clocks in at 1.5 GHz. For Android purists, there will be few other options, and seeing as Ice Cream Sandwich is due to drop in October, the wait won’t be long for the Nexus Prime either.
3. Samsung Galaxy S II
The Samsung Galaxy S II has been a long and painful wait for some, but the launch is so close, you can amost taste it. Not that you want to eat the SGS2. That may void both the manufacturer’s warrantee and your health insurance policy. The Samsung Galaxy S II might look like every other high-end Android phone out there, what with a dual-core 1.2 GHz processor, 4.3-inch WVGA display, and 8 megapixel camera on the back, but all of those aspects come together in a slim, polished package. The screen is sharp and bright, the construction is solid, and though you’re missing out on a few extras, like an HDMI-out jack, it scores big points in connectivity with the WiMAX model on Sprint. Here’s hoping Verizon launches a version with LTE. Take a look at our review of one of the international models to see what you’re missing and why the Samsung Galaxy S II is worth waiting for.
4. BlackBerry Torch 9850/60
The last full-touchscreen phone RIM made was the Storm2, which failed to convince many that a cicking touchscreen was actually super-neato. Luckily, that’s all in the past. RIM has been brewing up a whole batch of new BackBerry smartphones, all of ’em armed with 1.2 GHz processors, more RAM, better screens, near-field communications, and magnetic compasses for augmented reality. They’ve even finally got portable hotspot functions crammed in. How to choose between the Bold 9900, Bold 9790, Torch 9810, Torch 9850/60, and the Curve 9360, though? Well, the Torch 9850/60 (depending if you’re going with GSM or CDMA carriers) is special because it has the biggest screen we’ve seen on a BlackBerry to date. Of course, diehards will argue that a BackBerry’s classic QWERTY keyboard is among its few remaining bragging points, but RIM’s SureType predictive system makes their virtual keyboards extremely reliable. Besides the PlayBook, RIM devices aren’t known for being media monsters, but now that BlackBerry will finally have the horsepower to support high-def video and gaming, you’ll actually want that big 3.7-inch 800 x 480 display to soak it all in. With any luck, we’ll be seeing this one drop before the end of the summer.
5. HP Pre 3
Following on the Veer and the TouchPad, the Pre 3 will be the first high-end webOS smartphone launched under the new HP regime. The Pre 2 was released just as Palm’s acquisition was wrapping up, but now that they’ve had time to integrate with one another, we can see just how much good HP can do for Palm’s operating system. Though the TouchPad tablet failed to really wow anyone, the tap-to-share option will only work with the Pre 3, so you can easily continue reading web pages whatever you happen to be holding. In the long run, it’s easy to imagine HP opening up that mechanism to devs and enabling a ton of interplay between tablet and smartphone apps. It’s stuff like that which proves that there’s still room for something new in between iOS, Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone. Specs-wise, the Pre 3 is no slouch, either. Its 3.6-inch 800 x 480 screen is a significant leap over its predecessor. The processor will also be clocking 1.4 GHz, which is awfully impressive, and interesting given most of the world is drifting towards dual-core. We’re hoping to see the Pre 3 drop sometime this fall, but until then you can take a look at our hands-on video and impressions from MWC.
Honourable Mention: Nokia Sea Ray
We’ve only seen glimpses of the Sea Ray, and details are skimpy, but a lot is riding on this smartphone. This is going to be Nokia’s first Windows Phone, and its success will be just as important for the manufacturing giant as it is for Microsoft. While there’s a distinct lack of specs available, it looks an awful lot like the N9, and it wouldn’t be surprising if the the Sea Ray at least matched its 1 GHz processor, 1 GB of RAM, 8 megapixel camera, and 3.9-inch 854 x 480 touchscreen. NFC would be a nice touch too, especially given RIM’s imminent blitz into contactless payments. There is a ton of momentum behind Windows Phone, and with the right hardware, it stands to start pulling some market share away from the more established platforms. Nokia never had any problem making phones that felt great in the hand, and their cameras have always been world-class. With a snappy, fresh, and useful operating system to replace the aging Symbian, Nokia could very well reclaim its throne as top smartphone manufacturer in the word. The Sea Ray is the first step in that direction, and is expected to drop sometime this fall.
Those are just some of the big-name smartphones that are coming down the pipe, but maybe there’s something else you’re really itching to get your thumbs on. Maybe your top five list has a lot more Android, and a lot less of the other guys. Sound off in the comments and let us know which phone you’re waiting for!