As you’d expect, Android is set to dominate Mobile World Congress this year but that doesn’t necessarily mean as much as it used to. Now we’re looking at what companies are doing with Android and how they will differentiate themselves so you’ll have their phone in your pocket instead of the competition. With a handful of companies readying multiple handsets to set fire to the Android landscape, which one will rise to the top?
We’re expecting at least one handset or tablet (but likely more) from LG, Sony Ericsson, Samsung, HTC, and Motorola, all of which will be vying for your attention and hard-earned cash when launched later this year but unless you’re rolling in money, there will likely only be one phone in your pocket. Let’s take a look at some of the most anticipated handsets we know about so far.
HTC
We know that HTC is going to be scaling back its handset portfolio this year to focus on quality handsets and from what we’ve seen of the Endeavor and Ville, things are off to a good start.
Endeavor –
The Endeavor looks to be HTC’s flagship handset of the year, as it’s shaping up to be one hell of a smartphone. Recent leaks peg the Endeavor to be renamed to the HTC One X and sport the stupid-fast NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core SoC, 4.7 inch 720p HD Super LCD display, 8 megapixel camera, and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the handset sounds anything but bad.
While one of the new trends we’re beginning to see is 10+ megapixel cameras on phone, the 8 megapixel shooter should likely be more than enough for your photography needs. Megapixel count can really only get you so far, as the camera sensor itself can make or break the experience, too.
Ville –
We’ve seen the HTC Ville rear its head out to the public before and with the little we have seen from the handset, the main take away is that it will be one of the companies’ thinnest superphones to date. Like the Endeavor, the Ville may be renamed with the “One” moniker, and possibly be named the One S when it lands on store shelves.
Rumors tell us that the Ville / One S will ship with a 4.3 inch qHD Super AMOLED display, 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, 8 megapixel camera, and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, along with the latest version of Sense. Sharing a similar look and feel to the Sensation, the Ville may be a recycled design but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Motorola
The Google acquisition notwithstanding, Motorola could very well make quite a comeback this year with two phones that have recently leaked out. While we’ll never be in love with Motoblur, the hardware of these upcoming handsets scream best in class and should provide a heavy amount of competition to other Android handset makers.
Intel Android phone
When we first saw the device that Motorola and Intel has been working on, we were pretty surprised. The handset isn’t what you’d expect to come from Motorola but we’re pretty sure Intel probably had a large hand in the handset design. This is a good thing, as Motorola handset designs have been pretty underwhelming, with the exception of the Droid RAZR. The phone render can be described as a beautiful piece of hardware. Both because it’s from Motorola in general, and that it’s a very handsome device.
The new Intel Atom CPU should be one blazing fast handset that should easily go toe-to-toe with virtually any CPU out there but we’ll have to wait and see. The Ice Cream Sandwich toting handset should be out sometime later this year and we can’t wait to get our geeky paws on it.
Atrix 3
Hot off the rumor mill and leak wagon is Motorola’s 3rd-generation Atrix handset. If there’s one thing that Motorola is doing better than any other handset maker out there today, it’s including a significantly larger battery in its phones. Like the Droid RAZR, the Atrix 3 is rumored to also rock a 3300 mAh battery, which should easily last even the power users of the world a full day of use.
A big battery isn’t all that the Atrix 3 is packing that makes us excited. The handset is also rumored to ship with the NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor, along with a 10 megapixel camera with a dual-LED flash.
While the Atrix 3 doesn’t best the likes of the new Xperia devices or the HTC Titan II, the Atrix 3 will likely provide enough megapixels for the average consumer. Probably more. That said, we hope the sensor has been significantly upgraded from the Atrix 2, as it was a pretty big let down when we reviewed it a couple of months ago.
Samsung
We already know that we probably wont see the Samsung Galaxy S III at Mobile World Congress this year but that doesn’t mean the company won’t have some new devices to show off.
Galaxy S II Plus
We can’t say that we know much about Galaxy S II Plus but the picture gives us one notable difference between it and the Galaxy S II devices in the world right now. That would be Ice Cream Sandwich, as the device rocks the three capacitive button for Google’s latest version of the OS. Why Samsung decided to keep navigation off the screen is beyond us, as it’s rather simple to change-up the on-screen keys on the likes of the Galaxy Nexus.
We’re still expecting a WVGA Super AMOLED Plus display, but we’ll likely see a CPU upgrade within the handset. Whether it’s a 1.5GHz dual-core or something faster, the Galaxy S II Plus probably won’t completely satisfy those looking for the Galaxy S III but it should nonetheless be a welcomed addition.
Sony
Now that Sony has officially rid itself of the Ericsson name, all upcoming handset will soon be branded by Sony alone. This doesn’t necessary allude to any handsets we’re not aware of but we should expect to see the Xperia line live on at Mobile World Congress this year.
At CES, Sony launched the Xperia S and Ion, which are both solid handsets in their own right but we do know that Sony isn’t done yet. If we had it our way, and we hope we do, Sony would launch the Xperia Play 2 with PS Vita-like specs and throw in a new tablet for good measure. The Xperia Play was a good phone as a whole but ultimately underwhelming and hopefully Sony has been cooking up the next generation device for the gamers out there who would rather a smartphone packaged into their dedicated gaming device.
That said, there is one device that we can expect to see at Mobile World congress this year and that would be the Xperia U.
Xperia U
The Xperia U isn’t going to win any awards when it comes to sheer horsepower but it should please some potential first time smartphone buyers or users who don’t necessarily care about having the best CPU, screen, etc. Essentially a smaller Xperia S with lower specifications, the Xperia U is easy on the eyes and shouldn’t break the bank.
Rocking a 3.5 inch display at a resolution of 480 x 854, the screen isn’t going to blow you away but we weren’t necessarily expecting bleeding edge from the X U, either. We also can expect a 1Ghz dual-core processor, 5 megapixel camera, and either Android Gingerbread or Ice Cream Sandwich. We’re hoping for the latter.
The Xperia U likely won’t be the only handset that Sony has to announce at Mobile World Congress this year, but since we already saw the Xperia Ion and Xperia S at CES earlier this year, we’re not sure what direction Sony is going to take.
LG
LG may have a handful of new devices at Mobile World Congress, which include the Vu, Optimus 4X HD, 3D Max, and the L-Style line.
Vu
LG’s answer to Samsung’s Galaxy Note is the Vu, the 5-inch monster of a phone with a 4:3 aspect ratio. The display’s resolution is below the Galaxy Notes, at 1024 x 768, but it also packs a punch in other areas. Sporting a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor, 8 megapixel camera, a S-pen built-in stylus, LTE support, and more, the Vu can go toe-to-toe with the Note, easily. Also, the device will come in at a mere 8.5mm, making the beast of a phone a bit more manageable to wield. The LG Vu may be a great device when it comes to specs but we’re still wondering who will be picking this thing up.
Unfortunately, it looks like the Vu will ship with Android Gingerbread but should be updated within a few months time to Ice Cream Sandwich.
Optimus 4X HD
The Optimus 4X HD will likely be LG’s flagship device for this half of the year, as its oozing high-end specs from every pore port. The device will have a 4.7 inch True HD IPS display, a 1.5GHz NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core CPU, 8 megapixel rear facing camera, 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera, 16GB of internal storage, 1GB of RAM, and a 2150 mAh battery.
It’s also rumored that the Optimus 4X HD may be the successor to the T-Mobile G2X when it lands here in the states and called the T-Mobile 4GX at launch.
3D Max/ Cube
Whatever you think of glasses free 3D technology, LG seems to think it’s swell and will launch yet another handset of its kind. Not much has changed in the 3D Max/Cube from the original Optimus 3D, and it includes a 4.3 inch WVGA display, which will obviously have the glasses free 3D tech within it. Other specs also remain the same, like a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, two stereoscopic 5 megapixel cameras on the back and a 1.3 megapixel camera on the front. The device should be noticeably thinner, though, coming in at around 9.6mm thin. You can also expect the handset to ship with Gorilla Glass 2 and NFC inside.
So there are some of the contenders for next week’s Mobile World Congress show. Are you sold on any of them already? Sound off in the comments below!