Upcoming High-End Android Handsets to Look Forward to

There’s no stopping the Android! Not at the rate it’s going. The mobile handset is getting to be more and more like a portable computer all the time with devices like the LG Optimus 2X and the Motorola ATRIX showing up to the ball all decked out in Dual Core processors accented with Nvidia’s optimized graphics capabilities. For the hardcore Android loving mobile users, it’s going to be ‘Sophie’s choice’ when it comes down to selecting a high end smartphone this year and don’t expect it to be cheap by any means.
Here’s a quick look at what I’m waiting to see in our labs during the course of this year -

Motorola ATRIX
To get the ball rolling it’s the Motorola ATRIX which could be considered, as Motorola would have it, the world’s most powerful smartphone. Obviously it’s debatable but considering LG’s Optimus 2X is also looking pretty good in the specs department. What the ATRIX does offer is the world’s first qHD [Quarter High Definition] Gorilla glass encased display that not only makes crisp and clear but resistant to scratches and quite sturdy as well. It’ll be boxed with Froyo and will feature the company’s MOTOBLUR UI. Active noise cancellation is also part of the deal. The ATRIX will also be capable of playing 1080p video files with DivX or XviD support. Adobe Flash 10.1 is also supported, making browsing a true desktop like experience.

Here’s another quick look at the specs -

• 4-inch capacitive touchscreen with 24-bit color with a 540 x 960 pixel resolution
• Dual-core 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor with a ULP GeForce GPU, Tegra 2 chipset and 1 GB RAM
• 4G capable, 3G, Wi-Fi with DLNA compliance
• GPS with A-GPS support and possible a newer version of the MotoNav software, digital compass
• Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP + EDR, USB 2.0
• 5MP AF camera with an LED flash featuring image stabilization and Geotagging, 720p + 1080p video capture (after update)
• Stereo FM radio,
• HDMI out
• 3.5mm handsfree socket
• Biometric fingerprint reader
• MicroSD card support plus 16GB internal storage

LG Optimus 2X
Another beast to make it out of the Android laboratory is the Optimus 2X from LG who was also vying for the top slot of worlds most powerful smartphone. While it’s definitely a contender, it falls just a few millimeters short when compared to the ATRIX powerhouse. Nevertheless it could be considered a very close second. Like the ATRIX the specs include high end components that will enable the device to render full HD (1080p) content for playback and also support recording in 1080p via the NVIDIA SoC. The Optimus 2X is also equipped with a 1.3MP front facing camera for video calling and I’m sure, plenty of features and settings for it’s 8 megapixel primary shooter. It’ll be running Android 2.2 aka Froyo out of the box and will be upgradeable to 2.3 at a later date.

The Optimus 2X will also feature -

• 4-inch capacitive touchscreen with 16 million colors and a 480 x 800 pixel resolution
• Dual-core 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor with a ULP GeForce GPU, Tegra 2 chipset and
• 3G, Wi-Fi with DLNA compliance
• GPS with A-GPS support, digital compass
• Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, USB 2.0
• 8MP AF camera with an LED flash and Geotagging, 1080p @ c24fps video capture
• HDMI out
• 3.5mm handsfree socket
• MicroSD card support plus 8GB internal storage