Top 10 most anticipated smartphones
Don't upgrade your mobile before reading our pick of the hottest devices coming soon
Which will be the hottest smartphone in the near future?
Smartphones, smartphones, smartphones. Everybody wants one, or so it would seem, but which one? New models are coming out all the time and, just when you think you've settled on one to buy, there's suddenly a much better one with all the same features plus the kitchen sink just around the corner.
We've all got used to the top-end smartphones having multi-touch screens, Wi-Fi and 3G network support, built-in GPS and multi-megapixel cameras, but what's coming down the pipeline?
Our US cousins are already getting 4G (WiMax) phones, while higher resolution screens and cameras are in the offing, plus slicker user interfaces, better keyboards and even the first devices that could be called a smartphone using Intel Atom chips.
This Top 10 is a bit different from our earlier list of the cream of the current smartphones, as some of the handsets listed here are just rumours at the moment, while at least one is as yet just a concept device. But that doesn't stop us wishing, does it?
10. iPhone 5 We're not sure if we are looking forward to an 'iPhone 5' so much as an 'iPhone 4.1'. Apple made a number of big upgrades with iPhone 4 and its accompanying iOS update but, as with any major update, you are also going to get some major bugs and shortcomings.
The most obvious issue is of course the antenna. Apple has not admitted to a mistake in the design of the phone, but is offering a free bumper case. Customers seem to have greeted the whole 'antennagate' saga with a yawn and sales aren't expected to take much of a hit, but many will be waiting until Apple can actually build a handset that works when you hold it.
The network will also be a major factor in the next iPhone model. There have been rumblings that new carriers will offer the iPhone by the end of this year and, with the transition to new '4G' networks looming, the iPhone experience of the future could hinge on Apple's picking the right networks to get onboard with.
9. Samsung Epic 4G If the word on the street can be believed, Samsung is about to join HTC in offering a smartphone with next-generation wireless support in its upcoming Epic 4G handset.
Sadly, we won't be seeing it on this side of the Atlantic as, like the HTC Evo, it uses WiMax for its high-speed 4G network connection.
While other smartphone vendors move towards 'Super LCD' displays, Samsung has stuck with a 4in Super Amoled display, like the one found on Google's Nexus One.
Underneath the screen, Samsung has slipped in a Cortex A8 chip running at 1GHz, a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash that can record 720p video, and the ability to create mobile hotspots to share 4G connectivity.
The device runs Google's Android operating system, and is also Digital Living Network Alliance compliant for media streaming.
With its combination of 4G connectivity, hardware keyboard, sleek design and the Android operating system, the Epic 4G could tempt many buyers.
Top 10 most anticipated smartphones
Don't upgrade your mobile before reading our pick of the hottest devices coming soon
8. Nokia Kinetic Nokia's Kinetic concept design might be dismissed as a flight of fancy, but we like to think it shows that the smartphone giant is now thinking ahead as it prepares future products to take on the competition in the handset market.
Unveiled earlier this month, the Kinetic has a novel way of alerting users to an incoming call, text or alarm, by slowly standing upright from a prone position where it is sitting on a flat surface such as a desk.
This is made possible by an electromagnet in its base shifting the handset's centre of gravity, according to creative designer Jeremy Innes-Hopkins.
Specs are unavailable at present as the phone is really just at the concept stage, but it looks like a tantalising piece of kit.
However, this is one idea we hope that Nokia green lights so we can find out whether the concept is a game changer or not.
7. HTC Gold HTC is one of the confirmed Microsoft partners working to deliver the first handsets running Windows Phone 7 before the end of this year, but what might such a device be like?
The rumour mill is already talking about a handset similar to HTC's Android-based Desire, referred to by the codename HTC Gold, which is said to be due to arrive in November.
If this information proves accurate, we can expect to see a device with a 3.7in screen and probably a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, whichever name it eventually bears.
Microsoft also specifies that Windows Phone 7 devices must have 256MB memory, 8GB or more Flash storage, a 5-megapixel camera and GPS.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect will be to see what HTC does with the user interface. HTC's Sense overlay has won acclaim from many reviewers, but Microsoft is allowing handset vendors only limited leeway to customise its new platform.
Top 10 most anticipated smartphones
Don't upgrade your mobile before reading our pick of the hottest devices coming soon
6. Future HP WebOS phones HP used to have a growing range of iPaq smartphones based on Microsoft's Windows Mobile platform, but these seem to have been quietly discontinued in the face of competition from the likes of the iPhone and BlackBerry.
Following the company's recent acquisition of Palm, HP now has its own cutting-edge smartphone platform capable of going head-to-head with any of the others.
While HP has not given away any specific details, the firm let slip this week that it would use WebOS in any future smartphone models and not Windows Phone 7.
However, it is tricky to try to second guess what any future device might look like; the current Pre and Pixi lines both have specifications that match most current handsets, with a touch screen, Qwerty keypad, Wi-Fi, HSPA and built-in GPS.
It seems fairly likely that any new device will feature a new, improved version of WebOS. The current version, while user friendly, could perhaps do with some of the social network apps that other platforms have as standard.
5. HTC Desire HD HTC's Desire has already topped a previous V3.co.uk Top 10 of current smartphones, so it is inevitable that any potential successor is going to attract attention.
The Desire HD, or the HTC Ace as it may be known, has piqued our interest as it appears that the upcoming device will upgrade many of the key areas.
Top of the exciting upgrades is that the touch screen may be increased from 3.7in to 4.3in, potentially making the device easier to use. HTC is also likely to ship the device with Android 2.2, which can only be a good thing, and rumours suggest it could carry an 8-megapixel camera supporting 720p HD recording.
It only gets better, as the Ace is also expected to feature Adobe Flash 10 support, SRS Surround Sound and an e-book function.
The Ace is shaping up to take over from the Desire as the lead Android device, if the rumours can be trusted. If only HTC would hurry up and announce a release date.
Top 10 most anticipated smartphones
Don't upgrade your mobile before reading our pick of the hottest devices coming soon
4. BlackBerry 9800 RIM's current crop of BlackBerry devices has been criticised as looking dated, while many commentators also contend that the firm has yet to offer a decent model with a touch screen.
The BlackBerry 9800 might fix that, while still offering email and messaging users a full physical keyboard. Rumoured to be about to launch anytime soon, the device is expected to have a large multi-touch screen but also a slide-down keyboard with a layout similar to that of the current BlackBerry 9700.
As with most high-end smartphones, the new device is likely to have 3G, Wi-Fi and GPS, but it will also be the debut handset for BlackBerry OS 6, the latest version of RIM's platform.
Among the updates the new OS will bring are a refreshed user interface with improved multi-touch support, better integration with social networks, and an overhaul of the BlackBerry browser.
3. Nokia N8 Nokia's N8 is one of the most hotly anticipated handset releases this year, and quite possibly one of the most significant, as Nokia attempts to reverse its falling share of the market with new devices.
On paper, the N8 looks good, with a large screen for its size and a 12-megapixel camera capable of capturing HD video. The handset also features an HDMI video output, allowing content to be viewed on a TV or monitor, and Nokia has hinted at support for "on demand web TV" on the N8, backed by a developer framework.
However, early previews of the N8 have questioned whether the Symbian S^3 platform offers enough features to tempt buyers away from the iPhone or one of the many Android smartphones available.
With the N8 expected to be released at the end of August, we will soon see whether the handset, being touted by Nokia as an "entertainment superstar", will prove a hit with consumers.
Top 10 most anticipated smartphones
Don't upgrade your mobile before reading our pick of the hottest devices coming soon
2. HTC Vision HTC already has a wide range of handsets based on Google's Android platform, but these are exclusively touch-screen devices at the moment.
This could be about to change, if the word on the grapevine can be believed. Rumours on various enthusiast sites point to a handset codenamed HTC Vision that resembles the company's existing Desire handset, but has a slide-out Qwerty keyboard.
Like the Desire, this device is expected to have a 3.7in touch screen, 1GHz processor and Android 2.1 (possibly 2.2), with HTC's Sense overlay.
However, the keyboard could make the Vision more appealing as a business-oriented Android device for email and messaging, a niche currently being filled by Motorola's Milestone.
HTC has declined to confirm the existence of the Vision, but with photos purporting to be the device appearing on the web, a handset matching this description seems to be on the cards. Some sites have even indicated that T-Mobile is set to carry the device under the name G1 Blaze.
1. Intel Moorestown phones Intel has made no secret of its plans to get the x86 architecture into smaller mobile devices, but its processors have always been too power hungry to challenge ARM's domination of the handset market.
This could change with the Moorestown platform and its Atom Z600 series processor, said to have one fiftieth the power consumption of earlier Atom chips, enough for a decent battery life while the chip still clocks at 1.5GHz.
Intel showed a prototype handset from LG (the LG GW990) at CES earlier this year, but this phone will not now come to market, according to the latest reports.
However, other vendors are proceeding with Intel-based phones, including Aava Mobile which has a reference design with a 3.8in touch-screen, 5-megapixel camera, and all the other features you would expect in a high-end smartphone.
The first models are likely to appear sometime in 2011, and we can't wait to see what kind of apps you can run on these Intel-based smartphones.