Verizon and HTC have formally announced the forthcoming launch of the next DROID series flagship in the DROID DNA. The DROID DNA is Verizon’s newest flagship device developed by HTC and makes up for the lack of a solid flagship in the carrier’s lineup following the rejection of the One series. The DROID DNA’s biggest feature is its 5-inch 1080p resolution display, with a claimed pixel density of 440ppi, higher than any current smartphone and tablet available, including the recently launched Nexus 10 tablet. Other key features of the DROID DNA include:
- Quad-core 1.5 GHz Qualcomm S4 CPU
- 2GB of RAM
- HTC Sense® 4+ on top of Android™ 4.1.1 Jelly Bean
- 8-megapixel camera featuring an f/2.0 28mm wide-angle lens, 5-level automatic flash, backside illuminated sensor (BSI), and autofocus with HTC VideoPic.
- Dedicated shutter button with new Continuous Shooting mode takes multiple photos at up to four frames per second.
- New 2.1-megapixel, f/2.0, 88-degree, ultra-wide angle, front-facing camera allows capturing up to four people for group shots.
- Auto Portrait with automatic face detection and a countdown timer with 1080p HD video capture.,
- New 2.55-volt, built-in headset amplifier and dedicated amp for the external rear-speaker.
- 2,020 mAh battery and power saving software that enables long-lasting endurance.
- Embedded wireless charging
- Near field communication (NFC) support.
- GSM/HSPA support for international roaming
Now the bad news. The phone is only shipping in a 16GB configuration with no microSD slot available, which will more than likely limit the appeal of the phone for many, while the 2020mAh battery continues HTC’s trend of shipping devices with sealed batteries and is already raising concerns about battery life, due to the large and dense display along with the LTE radio.
The phone is now currently available for pre-order from Verizon Wireless for $199.99 after a new 2 year agreement or qualified upgrade, with the phone seeing launch on the 21st of this month.
My HTC Thunderbolt just sent me an SMS:
“Fooled you once, no shame on me, cause I’m HTC.”
Sorry, HTC. I’ll take a used Galaxy Nexus any day. Google stands by its devices, even if it doesn’t stand by LTE.
What, the first LTE smartphone in America is great. Gingerbread. Mmm… gingerbread. Meanwhile, Sprint has updated all their LTE phones, and most of their WiMAX phones to Android 4.0 and 4.1.
I’m not sure who to be more mad at, Verizon or HTC. A pox on both their houses in the end.
Droid DNA? Now that’s “Droid Incredible” – an incredible joke!!