New Android Superphones on the Horizon (1 Viewer)

[Hanson]

So it's finally looking like spring on the east coast, which is a good time as any to think about replacing your current Android phone. Samsung, HTC, and LG are cooking up some tasty smartphones that will release between April and July. All sport dual core processors most sport 1GB of RAM. All record 1080p video and perform HDMI mirroring. I am hoping that at least one of them can run Flash videos smoothly


Samsung Galaxy S2

4.3" SAMOLED Plus screen @ 800 X 480

1 GHz Exynos or Tegra 2 Dual core (depending on region)

1 GB RAM

8MP autofocus camera with LED flash

1080p video capture


The biggest feature of the S2 is it's thinness. At 8.49mm thick, it's about the thinnest Android phone to date, thinner than the 9.3mm thick iPhone 4 and 33% thinner than the 12.7mm Evo 4G. Ad at 116g, the S2 is lighter than the 135g iPhone 4 and 32% lighter than the 170g Evo 4G. Should be out later this month.



LG Thrill 4G

4.3" 3D screen @ 800 X 480

1 GHz OMAP4 dual core
512MB RAM

Dual 5MP autofocus cameras with LED flash

1080p video capture, 720p 3D video capture


The first 3D phone will arrive from AT&T. Looking at the specs, it appears to be the Optimus 2X with a 3D screen and a 5MP camera instead of 8MP. I recall salivating at the Optimus 2X when it was shown at CES. The lower MP camera doesn't bother me -- in fact, 5MP is probably the optimal amount of pixels at this size. It will be out in Europe this month, but I'm not sure when it will hit the States.


Evo 3D

4.3" 3D screen @ 960 X 540

1.2 GHz Hummingbird dual core

1 GB RAM

Dual 5MP autofocus cameras with dual LED flash

1080p video capture, 720p 3D video capture


This is the one I have my eye on. Not only does it have significant bumps up in specs from the Evo 4G, it has the 3D screen and is pushing a qHD resolution, which pegs the dpi at 256 (which may still be on the borderline for Dave's approval). It also has a larger battery than the Evo, and between that, gingerbread, and experience, I am hoping the battery will last all day instead of the Evo 4G's half a day experience. As stated before, 5MP is optimal for the kind of senors that fit into cellphone form factors. When you start ramping up the pixel counts without regards to sensor size, you start getting grainy, noisy pictures. And for shutterbugs like me, the dedicated camera button is a godsend. It's not a little nub that's barely sticking out of the casing sitting on the wrong side -- it's and honest to goodness shutter button that's exactly where it belongs. Some of the drawbacks are the weight and thickness (identical to the Evo 4G). The screen itself is a true 16:9 aspect, so the unit is slightly thinner and slightly taller than the Evo 4G (which means it's probably the exact same size as the Droid X). Another drawback? A generic "summer" release date. That day can't get here soon enough for me.


I could have included the Optimus 2X and the Nexus S, but they're already a bit on the old side by now.

 

[davesmith]

So because I'm not fussed about 3D I guess I am left with the Galaxy S2. I guess thats not such a bad thing though

 

[Hanson]

The S2 looks like an absolute beast. And consider that the Evo 3D is about the same weight and thickness as the Evo 4G as is the Thrill (which is also about 3mm taller and 2.8 mm wider than the Evo 3D). The S2 is a silver compared to those phones.


But to clear up the 3D issue -- 3D will only be utilized for movies and pictures taken in 3D, games, and 3D videos from Blockbuster Online and YouTube 3D. The OS and menus are all 2D only. So you could own one of the 3D phones and very easily never actually use the 3D feature.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

I guess the Samsung S2 doesn't have front facing camera then?


Seems like an odd choice to leave that out at this stage in the competition (even though most are just including barely good enough VGA-ish video cams).


I'm still hoping the Droid Bionic comes out reasonably soon, but a recent rumor suggests it might not be til June-ish -- and I don't think I can wait that long...


_Man_

 

[Hanson]

They all have front facing cameras, but some carriers make Samsung take them off so that's TBD. Sprint is pro front camera (the Epic has one), but Verizon, TMo, and AT&T made Samsung take off the front camera in their Galaxy S models because they didn't want the bandwidth hit from videochat. Since they are letting some newer phone keep the front camera, I think the S2 will have one.


But what I think you're confusing, Man, is that the dual camera setup are the dual back cameras for 3D imaging. Including the front camera , the Thrill and Evo 3D both have 3 cameras. The S2 has two including the front camera.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Aaaaah... Ok. Thanks.


FWIW, I think adding 3D to these smartphones is just plain silly. They should just work at making them better at what they need to do rather than add such gimmicky features -- and the fact they add such things makes me think they didn't put much effort into improving what matters most -- but maybe that's just me...


_Man_

 

[Hanson]

Well, I will be the first to admit the 3D display is a marketing gimmick. But you have to admit it's a powerful differentiator when a half dozen different dual core phones are battling for attention. If this was the only trick in the Evo 3D basket, I'd pass.


But throwing in a dual core processor, 1GB of memory, qHD screen, and gingerbread appear to be attempts at improving what matters most. Those are the reasons I want this phone, not the 3D.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Given how poor battery life seemed to be on the previous Evo, I would think improving on that should be at least as important as any of those things, no? Also, given how bulky it seemed to have been (though I didn't try one in person), that's probably another area they probably coulda worked on.


_Man_

 

[Hanson]

I haven't really heard complaints about the size and thickness of the Evo 4G from owners (some of them actually like the heft). I know that the size and weight never bothered me in the least.

The battery, OTOH, is an issue with the Evo 4G. I am hoping for something along the lines of 50% improvement from the Evo 4G. Gingerbread is supposed to be more efficient and battery friendly, and as incongruous as it sounds, dual core processors appear to be more energy efficient as well. And they slapped a 1750mah battery in there, a bump from the Evo 4G's 1500mah.


BTW, the Droid X, also with a 1500mah battery, has 40% more battery life than the Evo 4G. So a 50% increase isn't farfetched. I don't know what Motorola did to achieve those efficiencies, but I hope HTC can do the same.

 

[DaveF]

No Thunderbolt? That would seem to fit in, with its Verizon 4G service. Reports are its 4G speeds are very good.

 

[Hanson]

I didn't consider the Thunderbolt or the Nexus S because they're both single core phones. The Thunderbolt specs are actually very close to the Evo's -- it's essentially an Evo with 50% more RAM. However, I probably should have thrown in the Droid Bionic, a dual core phone that supports Verizon's LTE network and also supports 960 X 540 resolution as well as the Motorola Atrix. I'll put up something about those later.