After the madness of MWC 2011 died down, we were left nosing through the noise to see which phones were going to be getting us excited over the next year.
3D was a big theme, as were improved displays, dual core handsets and more integrated social networking – the old thinner, faster, better adage still proving as strong as before. So here’s the run down of the phones TechRadar is looking forward to getting their hands on in the coming months – be prepared, your next favourite phone is going to be among them:
Samsung Galaxy S2
Samsung’s smartphone strategy is still pretty nascent, but the Korean company has still pulled a phone with stunning specs out the bag with the Galaxy S2. Not only does it have a powerful dual-core processor and dedicated graphics chip for added grunt, but the upgraded Super AMOLED+ screen is by far the most beautiful on the market.
LG Optimus Black
LG is betting big on smartphones this year as it aims to head back to the lead of the pack, and the Optimus Black — with its hyper-thin sub 9mm thickness and NOVA display — is one of the key components in that attack.
HTC Incredible S
HTC has now announced a 3D, dual core phone in the US, but the Incredible S managed to nab headlines of its own with a smart ‘vacuum-packed’ chassis and 8MP camera with dual LED flash.
INQ Cloud Touch
The Cloud Touch is fledgling firm INQ’s first foray into the smartphone market, fusing Android with the power of Facebook and Spotify, with the Cloud Touch intelligently working out your favourite FB buddies and displays them in fullscreen tiles.
Motorola Atrix
One of the first dual-core smartphones around, the Atrix is the most powerful handheld devices on the planet right now. Running Android 2.2 at launch, the mini-marvel has the industry’s largest battery with a tablet-esqueTegra 2 processor.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play
We’ve been waiting years for the ‘PSP Phone’ and it’s arrived in the shape of the Xperia Play. With a full slide-out gaming keypad, it’s the device that’s got a lot of dedicated gamers hot under the collar. Featuring the latest version of Android and over 50 games at launch, the only worry is early reports suggest the first titles will be slightly underpowered for the gaming fraternity.
LG Optimus 3D
3D? On a phone? And without glasses? Yes, that’s what LG has gone and done, making it easy to view your phone’s display in 3D. And that’s on top of a super-powerful multi-threaded chipset that means slowdown will be nothing more than a distant memory on this Android 2.2 phone.
HTC Desire S
HTC’s original Desire was such a ridiculous success that a reboot seemed inevitable, and the ‘S’ suffixed device is designed to achieve just that. Gone are the optical trackpad and physical keys — in their place is a next generation Qualcomm chip.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc
Sony Ericsson hasn’t had the best of times in the smartphone market recently, but with its latest clutch of Android 2.3-powered mobiles it hopes to address that problem. The Xperia Arc borrows Bravia and Exmor technology from Sony’s TV and imaging departments, while the outer chassis is beautifully curved to feel cracking in the hand.
HTC ChaCha
Another of the new charge of ‘Facebook phones’, the ChaCha is underpowered compared to its HTC brethren but should also be a darn sight cheaper too. Unlike the INQ Cloud Touch, the ChaCha features a dedicated Facebook key to allow easy sharing of links, music and Places checking in, on top of a full QWERTY keyboard.
Now we here at phonesreview.co.uk have put a poll together below this article and we would love for you to vote out of these 10 forthcoming phones what one would be your choice, please tick relevant field and let the voting begin.
Gareth is Mobile Phones Editor at TechRadar.com – for more mobile phone reviews, head on over to Phones@TechRadar to see more
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