The 1080p era begins, as HTC and Verizon announce the Droid DNA

HTC and Verizon have announced the Droid DNA, a tablet/smartphone hybrid with a 5-inch, 1080p display and a quad-core processor

HTC and Verizon have unveiled the Droid DNA at a special event in New York, marking the first foray into the tablet/smartphone hybrid market for the Android device manufacturer.

The Droid DNA has been leaked under several names over the past few months, including the HTC DLX, and has long been suspected of being a re-branded version of the Japan-only HTC J Butterfly.

Sure enough, the Droid DNA shares the same spec as the Butterfly, which is very exciting indeed, as its headline feature is a 5-inch, Super-LCD 3 touchscreen with a 1080p resolution and an amazing 440ppi. This makes it the first smartphone announced in the U.S. with such a high pixel count, and is currently unique in the market.

The screen is covered in Gorilla Glass 2 for protection, and it has a slight curve to it too, plus HTC say it’s 50-percent brighter than the Samsung Galaxy S3’s screen and has a vastly superior 80-degree viewing angle too.

HTC’s President, Jason Mackenzie, said both he and all the teams involved were “super excited” about the new phone, adding that “this is Droid as only HTC can do: Ultimate power.” It’s hard to disagree too, as the rest of the specification is equally tantalizing.

The processor is a 1.5GHz, quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro and is ably assisted by 2GB of RAM. It’s Qualcomm’s integrated LTE chip, so it should offer improved battery life too. The operating system is Google Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, with the HTC Sense 4+ user interface, and the device has an 8-megapixel camera with an f2.0 stop aperture and HDR.

There’s also a forward facing camera lens with an 88-degree viewing angle, two amplifiers — one for the speaker and one for the headphones — plus Beats Audio too.

Verizon will put the Droid DNA up for pre-order today, and it has been priced at $199 with a two-year contract. It’ll be released on November 21.

Samsung’s Galaxy Note and Note 2 are the kings of the tablet/smartphone hybrid sector, with only a half-hearted attempt from LG with it Vu/Intuition for competition. Now the Droid DNA is on the scene, that could all change.

The event is ongoing, and we’ll be updating this post as more details are announced.