Upcoming Windows phone handsets in 2011

Which mill never closes down, even in the worst of economies? The rumor mill. The juicy rumors that have caught our eye are those regarding new WP7(.5) hardware. From the new OEMs announced at Microsoft's latest event to the desperate Nokia, here's a list of all the rumored upcoming handsets on OEM road maps

Look who joined the new kid in the block.


Nokia:

Will they look like this??

Ever since Stephen Elop's memo to the employees at Nokia and his decision to choose WP over Android as their main OS (woohoo!), new hardware has been imminent. Images have been leaked and so have some tasty rumors regarding them. Here are the cold facts
1. Nokia will be launching their first WP devices in the UK around fall. Whether the US will get Nokia's or not is still shrouded in darkness
2. All their phones will run Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango) and might have a bit of a custom overlay on top of them along with their Ovi services, now renamed to ‘Nokia Services’
3. There is a high possibility of them releasing phones in quick succession to regain market share.

Gorgeous screens, great hardware and a great OS. Can Nokia make a comeback with these

Now to the rumors, expect Nokia to meet all the minimum requirements and put out a high end device. They also suggest the phones will belong to a 'W' series starting with the W7 and W8. They are also rumored to have an AMOLED screen with Nokia's Clear Black Display coating on it.
Whether they will have Nokia's EDoF camera technology or not is any one's guess, but for their flagships Nokia has usually gone with Carl Zeiss (which is better) for it's camera requirements.

HTC:

Can HTC’s camera troubles end with this phone?

The Taiwanese company had announced it's decision to launch WP7 devices last year and kept to it's promise with a set of quality phones. AT&T's road-map conformed the HTC Brandon, a previously rumored Windows Phone device with a monstrous 16MP camera. Later evidence (the pictures above) suggest it was of the resolution 4000x3000p making it a 12MP camera. HTC isn't exactly known for it's camera quality but this might prove to be a turning point. Different sensors and lenses perhaps (high grade hopefully).
With HTC's track record expect to see a few more phones after Mango's official release.


Acer:

Will the dummy get smart?

It's one of the new OEMs who have decided to board the WP train. A few months ago, at Computex 2011, an Acer WP device was spotted -Acer W4 . It was a dummy though, but at least the specs were displayed beside it. It sports a 3.6" WVGA (480x800) LCD display. It doesn't seem to be a global phone as there are two different models according to the specifications given above. Other specifications were the Microsoft standard and nothing hair-raising.

Asus:
Is that a front-facing camera up there?

Although there has been no news regarding an Asus WP device, expect one because it was an Asus device that was used to demo the new OS at this year’s Windows Phone Event. Regarding the specifications nothing is known, but since it has been used in this years event it will probably follow the requirements to the last letter.


Sony Ericsson:

Will Sony Ericsson release another phone with a Microsoft made OS?

Prototypes of Sony Ericsson WP devices were leaked last year but Sony vehemently denied any truth in them (possibly because WP supports Xbox Live and promoting that might seem like weakness to the PlayStation makers). But if a device was ready it would be having a screen powered by Sony's Bravia technology. Software-wise don't, expect Microsoft to be lenient about the version running in the handsets

Regarding other OEMs nothing is known just. Rumors will increase as we inch closer to Mango's release date. Maybe a SUPER AMOLED PLUS display in Samsung's next or NOVA technology in LG's next.
When will the new ones come out?

Keep your eyes and ears peeled and keep visiting us for news folks.

By Sameer