Upcoming smartphones to look forward to – March 2013

The first quarter hasn’t even ended yet and we’re already seeing the influx of some seriously exciting devices peeking through the veiled curtain. Some of these handsets have made their debut on the global market but are yet to hit the Indian stores. Some of them are far more mysterious as we’ve only been teased with a few specifications and details but are yet to see the actual devices. So without further ado, here’s this month's list of hot new smartphones to look out for. 

Samsung Galaxy S4

To kick things off, Samsung’s mysterious S4 has been a subject of much discussion and speculation for the last couple of months. It was inevitable that the company would be launching a new Galaxy S device and the time for launch is almost upon us. Not a whole lot is known about the device, but from what we do know, it’s slated to be the phone that will take the world by storm, just like its predecessors. From the leaks and details falling through the “cracks”, we know that the Galaxy S4 will feature a 5410 Octa chip with a PowerVR SGX 544 GPU and 2GB RAM. The system has been reported to have clocked in at 1.8GHz with a 4+4 core setup, which is quite impressive. All this will run with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. The rumours also say that the handset will feature eye tracking for scrolling through pages. 

The mysterious Galaxy S4

Other features could include:

• 4.99-inch full HD (1920 x 1080) PHOLED display, let’s hope it’s well-protected
• LTE, 3G, Wi-Fi and hopefully, all the trimmings like Wi-Fi Direct, hot spot
• NFC and wireless charging would also most likely be on-board
• GPS with GLONASS support most likely
• Bluetooth with A2DP
• 13MP rear camera with 1080p recording and 2.1MP forward facing camera
• 16GB or 32GB variants with options to supplement storage (64GB microSD support most likely)
• MHL for AV out 

For a slightly more detailed look at all the features, check out this link.

Nokia Lumia 720

Nokia’s Lumia series will see some fresh faces in the form of the recently announced Lumia 520 and 720 devices. With these two devices, Nokia has pretty much ensured that the lower to high-end segments are flush with Windows Phone 8 devices. The Lumia 720 will naturally be positioned between the Lumia 620 and 820 in terms of price and specifications. It will feature a 1GHz dual-core Qualcomm processor with 512MB RAM and an Adreno 305 GPU. It’s not very different from the Lumia 620 and out specs it only in display and camera. Nokia’s ClearBlack Display under Corning Gorilla Glass is part of the device's make up. 

A colourful and jazzy Windows 8 handset

The 720 also comes with:

• 4.3-inch IPS LCD display, with a 480 x 800 pixel resolution
• 3G, Wi-Fi (dual-band)
• NFC 
• GPS with AGPS and GLONASS support
• Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP
• 6MP rear camera with a 1.3MP front facing camera
• 8GB with 64GB microSD support 

Read our specifications review here.

HTC One

HTC’s been a bit on the decline in recent times even with big launches like the HTC Butterfly. Its Windows Phone devices don’t seem to be making too much of an impact either. However, with the recent launch of the HTC One, it seems the limelight is once again shining on the Taiwanese company. With a Qualcomm 1.7GHz qaud-core processor, Andreno 320 GPU and 2GB of RAM to run Jelly Bean (4.1.2 upgradeable), the HTC One shows promise. HTC has also upgraded its Sense UI to v5, which brings with it some interesting innovations like BlinkFeed homescreen option that can be customised to your preference. 

Could the HTC One turn things around for the company?

Other features that the HTC One will be shipping with include:

• 4.7-inch Super LCD3 display, with a 1080 x 1920 pixel resolution, Corning Gorilla Glass 2
• 3G, Wi-Fi (dual-band), Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, hot spot
• NFC 
• GPS with AGPS and GLONASS support
• Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP
• 4MP Ultrapixel rear camera with LED flash, HD video recording, a 2.1MP front facing camera
• 32GB and 64GB variants
• Beats Audio
• MHL for AV Out

Check out our first impressions of the HTC one here.
You can also read our specifications review of the device here.  

BlackBerry Q10

BlackBerry has also made a tremendous revival with the launch of BB10 and the Z10 smartphone. Although the second device, i.e. the Q10, has been announced it is yet to be formally launched. This device will take on the company’s more traditional form with a physical QWERTY keypad. Like the Bold 9900, the Q10 is also a touch and type handset with HD display. The BB10 OS will be running off a 1.5GHz dual-core processor with 2GB RAM, which should make it just as swift as the Z10. The latest version of BBM with video chat and screen share along with the BlackBerry Hub will also be included. 

BlackBerry is going old school with the next BB10 device

Other features infused into the Q10 are:

• 3.1-inch Super AMOLD touchscreen with a 720 x 720 pixel resolution
• 3G, Wi-Fi (dual-band), hot spot
• NFC 
• GPS with AGPS and GLONASS support
• Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP
• 8MP rear camera with LED flash, HD video recording, a front facing camera
• 16GB and 64GB microSD card support
• MHL for AV Out

Asus PadFone 2

The last device on this list is the PadFone 2 from Asus. Still retaining the innovative concept of a phone that transforms into a tablet, Asus hasn’t quite reinvented the idea. However, it has managed to tweak it quite a bit from specifications to the design form that’s visibly a much sexier version. The handset features quad-core, 1.5GHz Krait processor with 2GB RAM and an Adreno 320 GPU. The slick looking handset simply slips into the rear compartment of the tablet dock, and voila, instant transformation! The two devices are designed to work in sync and while the phone is completely independent of the dock, the tablet does require the power and UI of the phone to function. Think of it as a larger display for the mobile and nothing more. Where this will prove to be an asset is the additional battery support of the tablet dock and the fact that the tablet simply uses the same 3G connection the phone does, and naturally, the same camera as well. The UI switches over to the optimised tablet edition when the handset is connected to the tablet dock, making transition seamless so you won’t miss a beat. The PadFone 2 will ship with Jelly Bean (4.1.1). 

A slightly new design for a very cool concept

The handset features:

• 4.7-inch Super IPS_ LCD display with a 720 x 1280 pixel resolution, Corning Gorilla Glass
• LTE, 3G, Wi-Fi (dual-band), hot spot, Wi-Fi Direct
• NFC 
• GPS with AGPS support
• Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP
• 13MP rear camera with LED flash, HD video recording, a 1.2MP front facing camera
• 16GB/32GB/64GB variants
• MHL for AV Out
• FM Radio

So this is our list of upcoming smartphones that we’re looking forward to seeing in India soon. Let us know which of these you’re looking forward to and would seriously consider waiting for to make it your next handset.