Summer is here and coming with it is a whole new batch of High-End Android Smartphones. From the Samsung Galaxy S II, to the HTC Sensation, and Motorola Droid Bionic Android fans have a lot to look forward to. Here we are going to break down the Top 10 Hottest Android Phones for summer 2011.
10. LG Revolution
The LG Revolution is another 4.3″(480 x 800) LTE device from Verizon that features a 1 GHz Snapdragon SoC. It comes with a 5MP rear camera that shoots 720p video and a 1.3 MP front facing camera for video calls. As you can see it also ships with the Netflix app for easy movie enjoyment on the go over the speedy LTE network. It is a smooth and capable device from LG and Verizon if you’re looking for an LTE phone this should be on your short list of options and rounds out this top list coming in at number 10.
9. Tie -Droid X²
Motorola was so pleased with the design of the original Droid X that they didn’t change a thing besides the removal of the camera shutter button. All of the upgrades to one of the most popular devices from last year are under the surface from the dual core Tegra 2 to the upgrade 4.3″ (960×540) qHD display. It features the same 8MP rear camera with 720p HD recording and an improved MotoBlur UI.
It is more than capable as an Android device if you do not have a need for LTE. As an owner of the original Droid X I couldn’t recommend this as an upgrade but as a new Android customer this is a great option with impeccable build quality and better than average performance earning it the 9th spot.
9. Tie-Droid 3
The Droid 3 continues on much like the Droid X² as an adequate upgrade to the popular Droid 2 before it. The screen has grown to a 4″ qHD (960 X 540) display and it now comes with a dual core SoC. It really depends on whether or not you want a hardware keyboard or not for which device you choose as performance between the two is not going to be noticeably different. The one advantage the Droid 3 has is a front facing camera for video calls.
As of now the device does not appear to support Verizon’s LTE network and you will still have to wait on the Bionic for a dual core LTE device from Verizon.
8. Droid Charge
The Droid Charge is the first Droid to feature Verizon LTE support and it doesn’t disappoint. The Super AMOLED Plus display is beautiful as always, Samsung continues to make one of the finest mobile displays available. The Droid Charge doesn’t feature a dual core SoC like many of the devices on this top list, but it does bring the best of what single core can offer along with LTE support. In terms of cameras it features a more the adequate 8MP rear shooter and 1.3MP front facing camera.
It Is really during benchmark testing that the age of the 1Ghz Hummingbird single core Samsung SoC and only 512MB of RAM are shown. It certainly doesn’t compare with dual core high-end devices out today and is a far cry from the beastly Galaxy S II. It does best the original Galaxy S, but the benchmark scores were lower than the real world performance that the phone achieved. It is for the most part responsive and up to all but the most demanding of tasks.
Engadget: Most importantly the phone feels quick to use — it’s no Atrix, but it’s certainly on par with the Thunderbolt.
The 4G LTE speeds were great and averaged in the 17MB per second for download and 4.5MB per second upload consistently. The Charge is running Android 2.2 Froyo with the TouchWiz 3.0 UI. Sadly it doesn’t come with Android 2.3 Gingerbread or the new TouchWiz 4.0 that are featured on the Galaxy S II. Overall the Droid Charge is a credible phone and should definitely be considered if you live in a LTE covered area. It has excellent battery life and a vibrant display all of which combined with LTE lead to pleasant overall experience earning the 8th spot.
7. Samsung Infuse
The Samsung Infuse 4G for AT&T is big device to be clear coming in with a 4.5″ Super AMOLED Plus display. However the Infuse is super thin at 8.9mm in typical Samsung fashion and makes the 4.5″ screen less of an issue as it borders the limit on what is considered a phone or tablet. The size won’t work for everyone but the lightweight design and slim proportions make it much more suitable. It will come with a 1.2Ghz Hummingbird processor which should be adequate for all but the most demanding of task. In terms of cameras it will come with the same 8 megapixel shooter that performed great on the Charge so it should have no problem replacing a point and shoot. Also like all of the new 4G devices it features a 1.3 megapixel front facing camera for video calls.
IntoMobile: The Samsung Infuse 4G is arguably the best Android device you can get for AT&T right now. Its raw processing power, enormous and vivid screen and capable camera really blew me away.
The Infuse 4g will ship with Android 2.2 and Samsung’s TouchWiz 3.0 UI interface. Not to worry though as Samsung said that it will receive an upgrade to Gingerbread not to long after launch. Overall it looks to be nice addition to AT&T’s lineup, features a super quick HSPA+ 4G connection, and comes with the a super large 4.5″ Super AMOLED Plus display that is simply stunning.
6. LG G2x: Pure Android
It’s hard to go wrong with a Tegra 2 powered pure Android experience and LG G2x delivers just that. Along with the 1Ghz dual core Tegra 2 the G2x packs a 4″ touch screen an 8 megapixel rear camera and a 1.3 megapixel front camera. It can shoot 1080p video and has a HDMI port for viewing on your HD TV. It has 8GB of on board memory and a microSD slot capable of an additional 32GB.
Android Community: This phone’s been quite amazing when it comes to opening and playing gigantically demanding games and movies, and it’s been nothing but fabulous when it comes to browsing and doing everyday tasks. No complaints here!
The reviews of the LG G2x all had one major theme, the phone simply flies through whatever you manage to throw at it. It’s Android at its finest and should receive updates quicker than most devices with custom UI interfaces. The LG G2x and HTC Sensation are the devices to get if you’re a T-Mobile customer. With the G2x being the faster device, but lacking the visual elements and optimizations that Sense 3.0 provides.
5. Motorola Photon 4G
The Motorola Photon 4G marks the revival of the Sprint-Motorola relationship and it comes with everything a flagship device should. It has a 4.3″ qHD display with a (960 x 540) resolution, a dual core Tegra 2, and 1GB of RAM. It features a 8MP rear camera that can record HD video and a front facing camera for video calls.
Another notable feature is the ability to connect the device to a laptop dock just as with the Atrix 4G for AT&T. It comes with Sprint WiMax 4G network and CDMA capabilities outside the U.S. making it a very capable world phone. Thankfully it will launch with the Gingerbread OS earning it the fifth spot on our countdown.
4. LG Thrill 4G
The LG Thrill 4G is part of the 3D push coming to mobile devices and will compete directly with the HTC EVO 3D. While it does provide stellar performance besting the Tegra 2 powered devices, the HTC EVO 3D delivers a more complete UI and experience. It’s up to you to decide if 3D is still a gimmick on mobile devices or not, but regardless the thrill will be a capable device and should keep you satisfied for some time. It features a 4.3″ display and is powered by a dual core TI OMAP 4430. It is shipping with Android 2.2 Froyo but, will be upgraded to Gingerbread in the near future with the addition of some enhanced 3D UI elements. A dedicated ‘3D’ Hot Key on the side of the handset can activate one of five 3D UIs, including: Gallery, Camera, Game & Apps, and a YouTube 3D section on which you can upload personal 3D content and view 3D content uploaded by others and a 3D Guide.
The Thrill 4G will be the first device to ship with Texas Instruments new dual core processor the OMAP 4430. The benchmark results show that this is one powerful chip and it out performs the Tegra 2 in its cousin the Optimus 2x. It should match the levels of performance offered by the EVO 3D.
3.TIE-Droid Bionic
The New Droid Bionic has been dramatically changed since the original version and has been greatly beefed up. The most notable change is the increase in screen size to a massive 4.5″ qHD display with a (960 x 540) resolution. Motorola has also changed from using to the Tegra 2 core to the more powerful TI OMAP SoC.
It will come with Android 2.3.4 the most recent version of the OS along with 1080p HD video output. Additionally it will feature its very own laptop dock just as the Atrix and Photon devices will. Motorola has the potential to have the phone of the year with the new and improved Bionic. They have seemingly updated their UI again trying to match what HTC offers with their new Sense UI. It’s up to Moto to deliver with this one, but until units are given out it simply can’t be called number one.
3. TIE -HTC Sensation 4G
The HTC Sensation is the next big thing from the Sense manufacturer and it comes packed with features that keep it high on the list of desired devices. Power comes from the new Qualcomm 1.2 Ghz SoC and 768 MB of RAM with a total of 12 GB of storage 4GB internal and an 8GB microSD card. It has an 8 megapixel camera that can shoot full 1080p video with stereo sound and a VGA front facing camera for video calls. The Sensation will run on T-Mobile’s “4G” HSPA+ network with 14.4 Mbps download speeds which should be more than adequate for almost anyone’s needs.
It also features whats becoming the standard on new high-end devices from HTC and Motorola a Gorilla Glass 4.3″ qHD display with a 960—540 resolution with a true 16:9 widescreen ratio. It has its advantages over the display on the Galaxy S II like its improved resolution and widescreen aspect, but the nod still goes the Super AMOLED Plus from Samsung.
2. HTC EVO 3D
The EVO 3D follows the original EVO as a HTC Sprint flagship device. It comes in as #2 because it features everything that the HTC Sensation offers but adds 3D capabilities which is a benefit whether it gets much use or not. This time it comes with a dual core 1.2 Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC, a 4.3″ qHD display with a (960 x 540 resolution), with 3D capture and playback. It will feature WiMax 4G and dual 5 megapixel rear cameras for 1080p HD in 2D and 720p 3D video recording. First impressions state that the speed of EVO 3D is nothing short of impressive with the new dual core SoC.
PhoneDog: The 1.2 GHz dual-core Snapdragon CPU makes the EVO 3D fast. Very fast. Fast to the point where I was expecting lag and had an awkward first few minutes with it because I wasn’t expecting the speed.
1. Samsung Galaxy S II
The performance on the Galaxy S II is ridiculous and is easily the current head of the pack. The LG G2x is a stellar performer, but the Galaxy S II simply outdoes it in almost all respects. With the 1.2 Ghz dual core Exynos Soc and 1GB of memory it truly is a step above the current competition.
Engadget: There’s simply never been an Android handset this smooth and this fluid in its operation.
It features Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread, the new TouchWiz 4.0 UI, and a larger 4.3″ Super AMOLED Plusdisplay. Sadly the display remains at the 800 x 480 resolution instead of the qHD 960 x 540 that Motorola and HTC have adopted. However Samsung has done something special with the Super AMOLED Plus display and even with the lower resolution it has a sharper and brighter image then almost every mobile device.
Engadget: Whether you’re pushing it to its limits with movie watching or just tamely browsing the web, the Super AMOLED Plus panel inside the Galaxy S II never fails to remind you that it’s simply better than almost everything else that’s out there.
Until we see what exactly Motorola has in store with the updated Droid Bionic the Galaxy S II will remain as the top recommended device for this summer. It will be coming to all four major U.S. carriers so everyone is in luck.
Round Up
There you have it a guideline to the recent and upcoming high-end Android devices for this summer. The Galaxy S II pulled out ahead because of its brilliant display and unmatched performance. It remains to be seen if Motorola has a killer on their hands with the Bionic, but it certainly has the potential to be a show stopper.
What device are you looking forward to most and what is your list of the Top Android Devices for Summer 11?