This isn’t the first time we’ve heard this launch time frame, but leaked screen shots suggest that the T-Mobile G2 will launch Sept. 29. Get your drool bibs ready, Android fans.
The T-Mobile G2 will be the sequel to the world’s first Android phone and it is expected to sport a 3.7-inch touch screen. Like the original G1, this Android superphone will have a slide-out keyboard for banging out messages and e-mails. Expect a 1 GHz chipset – it could be Qualcomm’s MSM7X30, which will provide 720p playback and plenty of speed. I’d also expect WiFi, GPS, at least a 5-megapixel camera and Android 2.2 at launch.
There are two things that should make Android fans dance. The T-Mobile G2 will be the first smartphone that will support the carrier’s HSPA+ network. While this technology is still technically 3G, it will deliver download speeds that will be comparable with Sprint and Verizon’s 4G networks – I’m talking a theoretical limit of 21 Mbps downstream. Real-world usage will probably only get half of that but I’d be pretty darn happy with a T-Mobile G2 getting 10 Mbps consistently.
Android fans will also be happy to know that it looks like the T-Mobile G2 will launch with a stock version of Android 2.2. That means there likely won’t be any HTC Sense gumming things up and stopping you from getting updates as soon as possible (although, over-the-air ones will still have to pass T-Mobile certification).
I don’t loathe custom user interfaces and software on top of the green robot as much as my colleagues, as I thought the TouchWiz 3.0 on the AT&T Captivate was actually pretty darn good. I also want handset makers to continue to try and innovate with their own software and not just become a shell for the Google experience.
Quick rant aside, the T-Mobile G2 should be a killer Android device. How many of you are going to get one?
[Via TmoNews]