There has never been a better time to buy a new phone if you are looking to buy a new smartphone handset. With the announcement of the new Windows Mobile 7 operating system, and handsets using that system, the ranks of the smartphone sector have swelled to bursting point. As well as the Windows Phone 7 devices, there are new smartphones due from HTC running the Android OS, as well as new Nokia devices running Symbian. We are going to take a closer look at the pick of the bunch of the new handsets, starting with those from HTC.
The handset which stands out amongst the 5 new HTC Windows Mobile devices is the HTC HD 7. This powerhouse device boasts a huge 4.3 inch display with a resolution of 480 x 800, 5.0 Megapixel camera with autofocus, dual LED flash and Geotagging, huge internal memory, with two variants of the device offering either 8 GB or 16 GB, as well as delivering HSPA, WiFi, GPS, and a full media player. Standing opposite the HD 7 is the HTC Desire HD. This device runs on the latest version Android OS, and like the HD 7 is powered by a 1 GHz Snapdragon processor. Also like the HD 7, the Desire HD sports a huge 4.3 inch display, with a 480 x 800 resolution. The Desire HD also brings an impressive 8.0 Megapixel camera with HD video recording, GPS, WiFi, HSPA, full media player and will have the latest version of the excellent Sense UI on board. It is unlikely Sense will make an appearance on Windows Phone 7 devices in the near future, Microsoft have been very careful to ensure all handsets offer the same user experience, whichever manufacturer you choose, so no custom UI's. The Desire HD only offers an onboard internal memory capacity of 1.5 GB, but this can be expanded with Micro SD memory cards, up to 32 GB. The HD 7 doesn't support memory expansion.
If those two handsets are not enough to whet your appetite, Samsung are also weighing in with a new release Windows Phone 7 device, the Samsung i8700 Omnia 7. The Omnia 7 boasts a Super AMOLED display, measuring 4.0 inches and with a pixel resolution of 480 x 800. As with the HTC HD 7, there will be two Omnia 7 variants available, with either 8 GB or 16 GB internal memory, and no memory expansion. It was suggested that memory expansion would not be available on the new Windows Mobile 7 platform, but the Samsung Focus does indeed have a memory card slot, so this is not actually a requirement on the new devices. Full data services are available, with both WiFi an HSPA over 3G included, as well as a full media player, GPS support and a 5.0 Megapixel camera with HD video recording support.
The Samsung Omnia 7 seems as if it will be the most widely available Windows Phone 7 device upon launch, with confirmed availability on Orange, T-Mobile and Three.
Amongst all the noise surrounding these new devices, it is easy to forget that Nokia also have some new devices coming. The Nokia C7 has just been released, and the new flagship Nokia smartphone the Nokia N8 is expected to be available imminently. We've paid a lot of attention to the N8 here, as there is a feeling that with this device Nokia may be making a positive step in the right direction following a long period of stagnation within their handset range.
The Nokia N8 will run on the newest version of the Symbian OS, Symbian^3, and is loaded with top drawer features, including a high quality 12.0 Megapixel camera, with Carl Zeiss optics, Xenon flash and HD video recording facility, plus HDMI TV OUT option. The device has a 16 GB internal memory capacity which can be expanded up to a further 32 GB with Micro SD memory cards, and the handset also brings Bluetooth 3.0, along with GPS, HSPA and WiFi. The N8 has a 3.5 inch touch display, with a pixel resolution of 360 x 640, and the device will be housed in an anodised aluminium casing, aligning style and strength.
These are just a few of our favourite smartphones that are coming up for release in the coming weeks. Is your favourite listed here? Or do you have your eye on another device? Perhaps you are wondering what the fuss is all about, as you stick with your preferred choice, maybe the iPhone or a BlackBerry device? Drop a comment and let us know what your next device will be.