A detailed look at HTC’s line-up for 2010

For months we’ve been wondering what HTC has in store for 2010. HTC said that they would dedicate 50% of the lineup to the Android platform, but no one really knew what they would look like… until now. If you’re familiar with xda-developers, you know that a lot of great things come out of there. Over the weekend, B3ler3fonte released details on HTC’s lineup for the first six months of 2010. Apparently, B3ler3fonte was able to get his hands on the HTC 2010 Portfolio which was presented in Vienna in October. Before we dive into the details of pictures and specs, there are a few things that need to be clarified. Many of the images have the T-Mobile name over the handset. This does not indicate that T-Mobile will be carrying any of these devices. The images and specs of the handsets are to give you a general idea of what each phone will look like and how it will perform. Most carriers dictate the final looks and features that they want the handset to have, so don’t come crying to us when things don’t pan out the way you thought.

According to the HTC Portfolio brochure, HTC is currently planning on releasing 9 new handsets in the first half of 2010 (5 Android phones and 3 Windows Mobile). In addition to dividing the phones up by operating system, HTC has created four different categories to help differentiate their upcoming phones. We’ve put together the table below to better help visualize how things will play out and we’ve added the scheduled release date in there as well for good measure.

HTC Legend
The HTC Legend is first handset in HTC’s Design/Style category and will be powered by Android. The handset will feature a 3.5mm headphone jack, optical mouse, 600MHz processor, G-Sensor, FM Radio, Micro USB connection, 1300mHa, 5MP camera, 512MB ROM, 256MB RAM, and will measure 111 x 57 x 11.4mm inside a “revolutionary metallic frame. The HTC Legend easily fits into the same category of the HTC Magic and Hero and will be sporting the latest version of HTC Sense. The HTC Legend release date is currently scheduled for March 2010.

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HTC Salsa
If you’ve been waiting for another QWERTY equipped HTC Android powered phone, the HTC Salsa should do the trick. Unlike the HTC Dream, the HTC Salsa takes its design cues from the HTC Dash, offering a full QWERTY keyboard on the front of the handset. Fortunately, the Salsa goes a step further than Dash by offering a 2.6 inch QVGA touch-screen. The HTC Salsa will be packed with D-Pad, G-Sensor, FM Radio, 528MHz processor, Micro USB connection, 1100mHa battery, 3.2MP camera, GPS, and 512MB ROM, 256MB RAM. The HTC Salsa will measure in at 115 x 56 x 86mm and is expected to be released on June of 2010.

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HTC Tide
In my experience, many people want to try some of the latest and greatest phones, but are not willing to give up their trusty dial-pad. Enter the HTC Tide which features the Android OS, a 2.6 inch touch screen, and a traditional dial-pad. The HTC Tide will also feature FM Radio, G-Sensor, Micro USB, 528MHz processor, 512MB ROM, 256MB RAM 3.2MP camera, and measures in at 114 x 53 x 13mm, 1130mHa battery, and a microSD card slot. The HTC Tide should be released in April 2010.

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HTC Buzz
A few months ago, HTC released the HTC Tattoo which was their entry-level Android phone. Now it looks like the Tattoo will be replaced with the HTC Buzz which features a larger 3.2 inch touch screen, 5MP camera with flash and face tagging, and will measure in at 105 x 60 x 11mm. Key features include HTC’s Sense UI, FM radio, 3.5mm headphone jack, G-Sensor, 1200 mHa battery, 512MB ROM, 256MB RAM, GPS, and bluetooth 2.1. Expect the HTC Buzz to make its appearance around May of 2010.

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HTC Bravo
Until now, all of HTC’s Android phones have featured the same 528MHz processor. The HTC Bravo will change all of that. If you want an Android phone that will smoke the competition, the HTC Bravo will be sure to impress with its 1GHz Snapdragon processor. It will feature a massive 3.7 inch AMOLED touch screen (a first for HTC), 5MP camera with flash and high definition 720p video capture. It will also sport a digital compass, g-sensor, proximity sensor, 3.5mm headphone jack, FM radio, optical joystick, DivX, Dolby, Bluetooth 2.1, and 512 MB ROM and 256 MB of RAM (though B3ler3fonte indicated that the RAM could jump up to 512 MB). The HTC Bravo will ship with a 1400mHa battery and a 16BG microSD card. The HTC Bravo will be the main competition to SONY Ericsson’s upcoming Xperia X10 which will have the same processor but a larger screen. The HTC Bravo is scheduled to launch on April of 2010 (though rumors have surfaced that it could hit carriers in the first few weeks of 2010).

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HTC Photon
If you’re not in the mood to switch over to Android, HTC still has some love for Windows Mobile. The HTC Photon will be running on Windows Mobile 6.5, TouchFLO 3D and will have very similar specs to the Android powered HTC Legend. The HTC Photon will sport a 3.2 inch HVGA capacitive touch screen, 5MP camera with auto focus, 600MHz processor, 512 MB of ROM, 256 MB of RAM, Bluetooth 2.1, 1300mHa battery, GPS, 1300mHa battery, G-Sensor, FM radio, 3.5mm headphone jack, MicroUSB, and Straight Talk Lite. The HTC Photon will measure 104 x 57 x 10.9mm and should be available in April 2010.

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HTC Trophy
For many, a touch only device simply does not get the job done. The HTC Trophy matches the HTC Photon line by line down the spec sheet, but reduces screen size to 3.0 inch VGA, increases battery life to 1400mHa, and adds a four row full QWERTY keypad on the front of the handset. The HTC trophy is the true successor to this year’s HTC Dash, but the addition of touch functionality to the screen will take the device’s appeal to a whole new level. The HTC Trophy will be running TouchFLO 3D on Windows Mobile 6.5 and should launch in May 2010.

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HTC Tera
There’s no questioning which HTC handset is currently the best business phone on the market. You could probably do a survey and the majority of people would tell you that the HTC Touch Pro2 is the best phone for business. Its large, adjustable angle touch screen, full QWERTY, and business class speakerphone make it one of my top picks from HTC’s current lineup, so it’s hard for me to image that HTC wouldn’t want to continue the success with the HTC Tera. The main difference between the HTC Touch Pro2 and the HTC Tera is that the Tera’s screen size has been reduced to 3 inches. The HTC Tera features a 600MHz processor, G-Sensor, GPS, Bluetooth 2.1 3.2MP camera, and 512MB ROM, and 256MB of RAM. The 1300mAh battery should be enough juice to get you through a full day of business calls and meetings. Like all the other WM handsets, the HTC Tera will run TouchFLO 3D on Windows Mobile 6.5

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Wrap-up
If you’re a little like me, you might be ecstatic sheer delight, but at the same time a little disappointed. Besides the HTC Bravo, there is no real power monster in HTC’s lineup for the next six months. However, I do believe that HTC is stepping in the right direction by bringing Android powered touch screen phones to the masses who may not be willing to commit to a touch only handset. The HTC Salsa and Tide will be the first Android phones to hit the market with e front facing full QWERT keyboard and traditional dial-pad. Though the 528MHz processor might be a bit outdated already, HTC and other manufacturers have proven that it is a solid processor that is capable to delivering a good (not great) Android experience.

The Windows Mobile lineup for HTC does not look too impressive, but it’s nice to see all the phones get a little performance boost with the new 600MHz processor. Though TouchFLO 3D for all three devices, I think I can put my neck out on the line and say that they will all feature HTC Sense for WM. When the HTC 2010 portfolio was printed HTC had not yet announced HTC Sense for WM which is currently shipping on the HTC HD2.

As I mentioned in the opening, the images and specs are not set in stone. The good thing about that is the fact that carriers across the world can request spec bumps for any of these handsets. From what we’ve seen, the design of HTC’s 2010 lineup is looking good and could get even better once we get closer to the expected launch dates for each handset. I’ll be sure to keep my ear to the ground and let you guys know of any updates as they come in.