If you haven’t heard about the Samsung Galaxy S II by now, you’re definitely tardy to the party. But as the proverbial saying goes, it’s better late than never, right? The Galaxy S, its predecessor with myriad chassis selections and carrier variants, is still selling like hotcakes all over the world, and the sequel is no lightweight (figuratively) either — selling three million units in 55 days only seems to be rivaled by a company based out of Cupertino — and for good reason. We gave the unlocked version high marks for its excellent performance, gorgeous display and top-of-the-line camera, so it was only natural that we’d spend the next four months wondering when we’d see the powerhouse make it Stateside.

Don’t get us wrong — we’ve seen our fair share of unlocked Galaxy S II devices proudly shown off in the US (most of them from our own editors, admittedly) because it’s already available at full retail (roughly $650-700) from multiple vendors. However, the Samsung Epic 4G Touch is the first to be offered at a subsidized cost in return for a two-year commitment, and it won’t be the last as AT&T and T-Mobile pull up the rear with their own styles of the same handset. So how does the landmark phone stand up to not only the test of time but several carrier-specific design changes? Are Sprint customers getting a “tainted” version of Sammy’s flagship Android device? These questions have been pondered for months, and we finally have the answers if you keep on reading.

• Read more from http://www.engadget.com.
• Date: Sep 15th, 2011
• Score:(1-10): 9

Unlike the not very popular Optimus 3D, the Optimus Sol does seem to address a real market. If you try to use a standard TFT LCD display outdoors then the ambient light does wash it out and make it difficult to read, but even AMOLED displays suffer somewhat when the sun is really bright. Electronic paper displays, such as those found in the Amazon Kindle and Motorola FONE work very well in sunlight, they are useless in the dark. AMOLED based displays seem to offer the best compromise in these situations.

One side effect of the different technologies is the different power drain characteristics. TFT displays always draw the same amount of power from the battery, no matter what is displayed. AMOLED screens draw more power from the battery when they are brighter, so LG are shipping the Optimus Sol with a specially designed dark UI to maximise battery life.

LG Optimus Sol Display aside, this is a fairly typical midrange Android smartphone with a 1GHz single core CPU and 512Mb, 5 megapixel primary camera plus a VGA video calling camera, WiFi 802.11 b, g and n connectivity plus 3.5G, DLNA, a media player, FM radio, Bluetooth, GPS, a microSD slot (with 2GB in the box) and all the usual Android features. An NFC variant should also be available, although NFC is not installed as standard. The operating system is Android 2.3 with LG’s own Optimus UI on top.

• Read more from http://www.mobilegazette.com.
• Date: Aug 22th, 2011
• Score:(1-10): 8

Immensely Powerful

Droid 3 has spacious 5-row QWERTY with improved tactile response letting you pound out your message with efficiency and accuracy. Send emails, texts, and edit documents with 27% faster multitasking than Droid 2 Global. See it all on the 4″ qHD display with 26% more pixels and 30% faster graphics than its predecessor.

Productive Powerhouse

Immerse and connect yourself with email, corporate directory, full calendar review, and a front facing camera for video chat. Edit your documents and presentations with Quickoffice and ensure your files are safe and secure with data encryption of your device and SD card.

Superhuman Intelligence

Get relevant local tips, promotions and dining suggestions based on your preferences via the Social Location app. Droid 3 gets you there with Google Maps Navigation (Beta) as well as VZ Navigator, and with smart dock technology it remembers the setting from each dock you plugged into. It’s even smart enough to let you interact with more information through scrollable widgets.

Specs

4″ qHD 960 x 540 touchscreen display
1GHz dual-core processor
16GB internal memory
Wi-Fi Wireless-N with DLNA support
8-megapixel camera with 1080p HD video recording
Front-facing camera for video chatting

• Date: July 9th, 2011
• Score:(1-10): 9

The DROID 3 will haveroughly the the same design as its predecessor the DROID 2 . As can be seen in the photo with this device, the Motorola package with a five-row sliding QWERTY keyboard. Personally, really looking forward to this phone, Im wanting it already.
The Motorola-DROID-3 seems to feature a 4-inch touch screen, which can give QHD resolution (540 x 960 pixels). Also a dual-core processor will make it fast app wise, an open question is if it will get 4G fastness as well, we will see!

From the first photo seems Droid 3 will come with two ports, USB and HDMI, take that iPad and USB-less Tablets!!
Looking forward to giving this deck a spin when its out, I believe that this is the droid I am looking for…

The Droid X2 has a larger screen (4.3 inches versus the Incredible 2′s 4-inch screen), and is thinner–but not lighter–than the Droid Incredible 2. Screen resolution is also better on the Droid X2, at 540 by 960 pixels versus the Incredible 2′s 480 by 800 pixels.

Check out the Full Spec Comparison Chart:
Although the Droid X2 is basically just a Droid X with bumped up specs, Motorola’s Droid packs more punch than does HTC–dual core puncy, that is. The X2 rocks a 1GHz dual-core processor, while the Incredible 2 struggles by with a single-core processor. The Incredible 2 does have more RAM at 768MB (512MB on the X2), but less onboard storage–1.1GB compared to 8GB on the X2.

• Read more from www.pcworld.com.
• Date: June 9th, 2011
• Score:(1-10): 8

Motorola Photon 4G is Sprint’s first dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 smartphone. As many speculated earlier, the Photon 4G is similar to the Motorola Atrix 4G and also features a 4.3-inch qHD display, 16GB of onboard memory with expansion capabilities, and Webtop app connectivity.

That said, the Photon 4G isn’t a carbon copy of the Atrix running on a CDMA network. It’s actually a world phone, so you can use it on Sprint’s 3G/4G network and overseas. The smartphone also ships running Android 2.3 Gingerbread (with Motoblur) and has an 8-megapixel camera, whereas the Atrix runs Android 2.2 and has a 5-megapixel camera. The Photon is slightly bigger in size, mostly in thickness, but offers a built-in kickstand.

Other notables include mobile hot-spot capabilities for up to eight devices, a front-facing VGA camera, an HDMI port, and extra security features to satisfy enterprise and corporate customers.

There will be a number of accessories, including an HD multimedia dock and a car dock, available at launch.

• Read more from reviews.cent.com.
• Date: June 9th, 2011
• Score:(1-10): 8

By beating its stablemate the EVO 3D and Moto’s Droid X2 to the market, the Sensation becomes the world’s first 4.3-inch smartphone with qHD resolution, while also serving as the debut phone for HTC’s Watch movie streaming service and Sense 3.0 UI customizations. That leaves us with an abundance of newness to review, so what are we waiting for?

• Read more from engadget.com.
• Date: May 27th, 2011
• Score:(1-10): 9

At present, Samsung’s Galaxy S2 is the phone to beat. Its 4.3-inch (10.9cm), 480 by 800 pixel screen, 1.2 GHz dual-core processor and 16GB of internal memory place it ahead of the Desire S and Incredible S, which have single-core processors and, sadly, just one gigabyte of internal memory.
MicroSD and microUSB ports on the HTCs allows memory to be augmented, but be ready to load your music on microSD if you opt for them.
Having said this, the eventual battle for Android smartphone champion may be between the Galaxy SII, which will remain Samsung’s flagship phone throughout this year, and another HTC contender, the HTC Sensation, a dual-core offering with an eight-megapixel camera, 1080p HD video recording and DLNA streaming.

• Read more from theaustralian.com.au.
• Date: June 7th, 2011
• Score:(1-10): 9

Samsung Excite 4g Not only does it cost half the price of the HTC Sensation, it actually runs on 4G speed, which T-Mobile defines as HSPA+ 21. The Sensation, meanwhile, is stuck on HSPA+ 14.4.

For a modest $79.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and two-year contract, the Samsung Exhibit 4G comes with a 1-GHz processor, touch screen keyboard, 3-megapixel rear-facing camera, front-facing photo camera with pre-installed video chat, Flash-supported Web browsing, microSD slot, and best of all, theoretical speeds of 21 Mbps, which T-Mobile defines as 4G. Or perhaps this is the best part: the phone also comes pre-loaded with Bejeweled 2, Hasbro’s Scrabble, and Doodle Jump.

• Read more from http://www.pcmag.com.
• Date: June 2nd, 2011
• Score:(1-10): 9

The bottom line: Though the lack of some features is disappointing, the HTC Droid Incredible 2 is an improved device and a good choice for Verizon customers looking for a global smartphone.

One of our favorite smartphones from 2010 was the HTC Droid Incredible. The smartphone’s zippy performance and polished user experience helped earn it an Editors’ Choice Award. Obviously, its day has come and gone, but it’s not the end of the line. HTC unveiled its successor, the HTC Incredible S, at Mobile World Congress 2011 and it’s finally made its way to the States and back…

• Read more from http://reviews.cnet.com.
• Date: April 29, 2011
• Score:(1-10): 8