The 10 hottest phones you can’t buy yet

We list the smartphones rumored to come out in the next few months, including some new Android smartphones and phablets, and some Windows Phone 8 devices.

We don’t report every leaked shot of every rumored handset — there are blogs for that — but we try to keep you informed about what’s out there and what’s coming up. Lately, we’ve been hearing a number of new rumors and leaks. Below is a list of the major smartphones we’re expecting to see companies like Apple, Samsung, Sony, Nokia, HTC, and Motorola unveil this fall. 

Google Nexus 4

We don’t know the specifics on this one yet, but there are strong rumors that we’ll see a new Nexus smartphone in the very near future. It might be a simple update to the Samsung-made Galaxy Nexus; it might be the HTC phablet; it might be a variant of LG’s flagship Optimus G; or it could be something completely different. Whatever it is, it will run the latest version of Android and it’s bound to appear on several Christmas wish lists. The Galaxy Nexus hit shelves in December 2011. Expect the new Nexus around that timeframe.

LG Optimus G

An impressive and valiant attempt to claim the ascendancy in the Android smartphone race, the LG Optimus G doesn’t fail to impress. It has a 4.7-inch WXGA True HD IPS+ display, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S4 Pro Quad-Core processor, 2GB of RAM, and a 13-megapixel camera. There’s also LTE, NFC, and 32GB of storage. Whatever way you slice it, this smartphone looks fast. The only obvious drawback is the fact that it ships with Android 4.0 (ICS) and not 4.1 (Jelly Bean).

HTC Windows Phone 8X

Android has not proven to be such a happy hunting ground for HTC of late and so we see a renewed push to release a flagship device on Microsoft’s new Windows Phone 8 platform. WP8 finally appears like it will catch the platform up to Android and iOS when it comes to features and hardware — it only took 2 years. The HTC 8X has a 4.3-inch Super LCD 2 screen, a dual-core 1.5GHx Snapdragon S4 processor, and 1GB of RAM. There’s 16GB of storage and an 8-megapixel camera. It also has NFC, Beats Audio, and LTE support. That display is probably the8X highlight – it boasts an iPhone 5-topping 341.5 ppi (pixels per inch).

Sony Xperia SL

This phone has been confirmed by Sony via a new page on Sonymobile.com. The Sony Xperia SL is essentially an Xperia S with a couple choice enhancements. The SL will have a 1.7GHz dual-core processor instead of the 1.5GHz dual-core chip in the S and will run the “latest version” of Android — though we’re not sure if that means Android 4.0 (ICS) or 4.1 (Jelly Bean). We’ve asked Sony, but have not yet heard back. No pricing or availability info is yet known. Keep an eye out for this one.

HTC One X+ (and possibly XXL)

HTC hasn’t made a splash this year with its One X, S, or U line of smartphones, though we think they’re pretty great, but as the old saying goes, if at first you don’t succeed… HTC hopes to change its fortunes  with a a revamped version of the handset with updated specs. We haven’t heard anything since June, but it’s still possible that HTC is also working on a big “phablet”-sized phone that may compete with the Galaxy Note and come with a 1080p screen resolution, 2GB of RAM, and powerful quad-core processor. While we’re sure HTC is working on something for release this fall, take this rumor with a grain of salt. We do think it’s likely that HTC will release a new phone on Verizon. Late last year, it released the Rezound and has a good relationship with the big red carrier.

Nokia Lumia 920 and 820

No company needs Windows Phone to succeed like Nokia does — Microsoft included. Nokia has bet the farm on WP and the beleaguered manufacturer is hoping to turn its fortunes around with the Nokia Lumia 920 and the Lumia 820, announced on Sept. 5. The flagship Lumia 920 has a 4.5-inch WXGA HD display, a dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 chip, 1GB of RAM, and 32GB of onboard memory. It also has an impressive 8.7-megapixel camera, and support for NFC and LTE. The standout is the wireless charging capability for the 2,000mAh battery – that’s something genuinely new.

Motorola Droid Razr HD

Motorola is now owned by Google, but the search engine giant has been careful to avoid any preferential treatment for fear of alienating other Android partners. On Sept. 5, Motorola announced the Droid Razr HD, Maxx HD and the Razr M. The Razr HD boasts a 4.7-inch HD display, a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, and 1GB RAM. There’s also an 8-megapixel camera and 32GB of storage. The big attraction is the 2,530mAh battery which should see users through a full day and beyond, even with heavy use. If that doesn’t sound like enough then the Droid Razr Maxx HD ups the stakes with a 3,300 mAh battery. You can read our full review of the Droid Razr M, as well.

Samsung ATIV S

Rumors of a Windows Phone 8 device from Samsung were rife before it was unveiled as a bit of a surprise at Samsung’s August event in Berlin. The ATIV S has a 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED touchscreen, a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, and a large 2,300mAh battery. It also has an 8-megapixel camera, 16GB or 32GB of storage, and support for NFC. It should be a top contender for those looking at Windows Phone this holiday season.

Samsung Galaxy Note 2

Samsung’s super-sized “phablet” phone on AT&T has been a hit, and its sequel is upon us. The Galaxy Note 2 has a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen, a 1.6 GHz quad-core Cortex-A9 processor, 2GB of RAM, and an 8-megapixel camera. It comes in 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB varieties, but also has a microSD card slot. It also supports LTE, NFC, and runs Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) out of the box. It’s expected to hit U.S. carriers this month or next and it will cost around $300 for the 16GB version on a two-year contract. Be sure to check out our hands-on impressions of the Galaxy Note 2.

BlackBerry 10 Lisbon and Laguna

A number of leaks have sprung up on Rapidberry showing a raft of BlackBerry 10 devices, although they aren’t expected to be released until 2013. The last throw of the dice for RIM looks interesting. In addition to the new platform, the hardware is sporting a 4.2-inch display with an astounding 355 ppi resolution, a Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8960 dual-core processor (1.5-1.7GHz), 1GB of RAM, and 16GB of storage plus a hot-swappable microSD card slot. There’s also an 8-megpixel camera, support for NFC, and LTE. The big questions is – when will RIM be ready to release? From what we’ve seen of BlackBerry 10, it has a long way to go.

Did our best upcoming phones list miss something big? Shoot us a comment below.

Article originally published August 20, 2012. 

Update: 10/3/2012: Dropped released phones and added some new devices.