Initially we thought of including the Nokia E7 in this list but then we we remembered the Nokia N9 that was leaked a while back. It has everything that the E7 does except for a few things that it does differently, which we believe give it a big advantage over the E7. First of all the N9 runs on MeeGo. Now as improved as Symbian ^3 is, it still doesn't feel thoroughly modern the way iOS, Android or Windows Phone 7 does. But that's because it is an old operating system and although it has learned quite a few new tricks, there is no hiding its age. This is where MeeGo comes in. Being a brand new operating system, it one ups Symbian in a very crucial area, and from whatever we have seen from the images and videos it does look very promising in a way Symbian ^3 never did.
Now when you add this new operating system to the already brilliant hardware of the E7, along with a higher resolution display and a better camera, you have the makings of a very competent smartphone. Not that the E7 would be a bad phone, but we aren't really looking forward to it the same way we are for the N9.
Samsung Galaxy S 2
1.2GHz dual core processor, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, 4.3-inch 800 x 480 Super AMOLED 2 display, 8 megapixel camera with autofocus, 1080p video recording, 16GB storage memory. Those are rumored specifications of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S 2 that is slated for launch early next year. After listing those specifications I don't think I need to say anymore. If those specs don't excite you, you probably have no interest in smartphones.
Dell Venue Pro
Dell is not the kind of company that usually makes products that you really look forward to, which why we were a bit surprised when we saw the Venue Pro. Out of the devices that were demoed at the launch of Windows Phone 7, the one that caught our attention was the Dell Venue Pro. Apart from the generally excellent specifications that all the Windows Phone 7 devices must have by default, the Venue Pro also has a great-looking exterior and the comfort of a full QWERTY keypad, which is gracefully concealed under a sliding mechanism. Of the crop of Windows Phone 7 devices out there, this is the one we are looking forward to most.
Samsung I8700 Omnia 7
Think of the Galaxy S but in a solid metal body and with a flash for the camera running Microsoft's sexy new operating system. The Omnia 7 is another Windows Phone 7 device that although as made an appearance abroad is still to arrive on Indian shores. Having used the Galaxy S and knowing how good it is, we have a fair bit of confidence in the Omnia 7 and know that it is going to be awesome.
Milestone 2
Another phone that we are yet to get our hands on in India, the Milestone 2 is said to be a huge improvement over the original Milestone (also known as DROID in the US), which itself was a very good smartphone. The Milestone 2 runs on a faster 1GHz processor and has 8GB of built-in memory.
It also dumps the mostly superfluous D-pad on the original Milestone for a more spacious keypad that is said to be more comfortable to use. But at the same time the phone still manages to be just as thin as the older phone, which was the thinnest smartphone with a full QWERTY keypad back when it was announced.
The Milestone 2 also runs on the newer (but no longer the latest) version of Google's mobile operating system, Android 2.2 Froyo. The Milestone 2 has the makings of being one of the best Android smartphone on the market.
Sony Ericsson PlayStation Phone
We have all been waiting for a PlayStation phone for a long time and it seems it will finally be a reality next year. The pictures have been leaked online several times and from what we can see it is an Android 2.3 based smartphone with a slider that reveals not a traditional QWERTY keypad but a proper gamepad like the one you can find on a PSP.
There is the standard D-Pad on the left, the four game controls on the right and what seems like touch based "analog sticks" in the middle with a button in the middle for the L3 and R3 function. If you look on the top (or on the right depending on how you hold the phone) you will also see the shoulder buttons. To be honest, whenever we imagined a PlayStation phone in our head it was very similar to what it looks like in the rumored pictures. We are really glad that although Sony Ericsson took their time with this phone they seem to have done a good job with the hardware.
Now as far as the games are concerned, they will be distributed online through an Android Market-like store on the phone. Users will also be able to play regular Android games that owners of other Android phones have access to. We are really looking forward to this one, and if Sony Ericsson gets this one right it is going to be absolutely awesome.
Sony Ericsson Xperia X12 (Anzu)
The Xperia X12 is the X10 on steroids. It has a bigger 4.3-inch display using AMOLED technology, a first for a Sony Ericsson phone. It also has a 12 megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash, hopefully the one from Satio because it was awesome and 720p video recording. It runs on a 1GHz Snapdragon processor but more importantly Android 2.3 Gingerbread, which should make better use of all that horsepower. The rest of the specifications are yet to be fully disclosed, as the handset hasn't been officially announced, but we will find out on February 13, a day before Mobile World Congress 2011.
LG Optimus 2x
Usually, we don't get too excited about LG phones, but this one makes you sit up and take notice. It is an NVIDIA Tegra 2 based phone, which means it combines a dual core 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor and a GPU on a single chip. This allows it to do awesome things such as 1080p video recording, which is not possible on the current crop of smartphones. The Optimus 2x also has a 4-inch display, 8GB built-in memory, 8 megapixel camera with autofocus, gyroscope and flash and runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread. We will be keeping a close eye on this one.
Apple iPhone 5 (or 4G)
Few things are as certain as a new iPhone every year. We even know when it will be coming out as Apple is known to stick to its yearly schedule. As is usually the case with Apple devices, there is very little to know about them till they actually launch, so this is more like a wish list rather than what the device will actually come with. For starters, we expect it to have 4G connectivity (and be called iPhone 4G). Then it would have a faster 1.2GHz dual core processor, possibly NVIDIA's Tegra 2, considering how good the Apple NVIDIA relationship is. Then we also expect a revised antenna design. There's no way Apple would make the same mistake twice of placing the antenna at a point where it can easily be blocked by a user's hand.
The camera may see a bump as well, mostly in the video recording area. If it indeed comes with Tegra 2 then 1080p video doesn't seem too far fetched as we saw on the Galaxy S 2 and the Optimus 2x. The real question is how Apple will manage to put in a battery that will power all of this. But knowing how seriously Apple takes battery life we can be sure it would be as good as, or even better than the current hardware. It wouldn't be the first time Apple would have defied the laws of physics.
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