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Droid Incredible 4G LTE Release Date and Rumor Roundup

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The HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE is likely Verizon’s next Droid smartphone, a device that will follow the Droid Incredible and Droid Incredible 2 in the series. Here, we are going to take a look at the latest rumors in an attempt to spell out consumers should expect from Verizon’s next Droid device.

Fortunately, the Droid Incredible 4G LTE has not been short on leaks over the past few months so we have a wealth of information about the device.

In fact, the device has leaked out so many times that we feel that we have a pretty good idea about what to expect from Verizon when it finally launches the 4G LTE, Android powered device.

Droid Incredible 4G LTE Release Date

We know that HTC and Verizon will be launching the Droid Incredible 4G LTE soon.

Neither company has revealed a specific release date as of yet but all the signs point to an imminent launch on Verizon’s network. The first sign is that the Droid Incredible 2 is no longer available on Verizon. The device has completely vanished from the carrier’s website and is no longer available to purchase.

The second sign is that Verizon accidentally posted the Droid Incredible 4G LTE to its website, a sign that the carrier is preparing for a launch. The site did not reveal any specific release date.

Third, we know that HTC and Verizon were originally shooting to release the phone on April 26th. That’s tomorrow. However, because neither company has said anything just yet, we suspect that the phone might miss that launch date. Still, it means that we’re likely getting close.

Familiar Droid Incredible Design

The Droid Incredible 4G has leaked out several times for the camera, revealing a design that will be familiar to those that have come across Verizon’s original two smartphones, the Droid Incredible and the Droid Incredible 2.

There are a few differences though.

On the front, we have three soft keys that reside on the phone’s bezel. The Droid Incredible 2 had soft keys on its bezel, but it featured four of them. Gone from the Droid Incredible 4G LTE’s design is the search key.

The camera’s flash is also placed different from the other two as it resides off the to the left of the camera sensor. The camera sensor remains in the top left corner of the device however.

You can see the Droid Incredible 2 in action in the video below:

As for the similarities, we have the same raised back found on all three, we have a red grill at the top – the same red grill found on the original Droid Incredible and we have the same rounded overall design that HTC employed on the previous two devices.

HTC has been shooting to make thinner phones and it’s possible that the Droid Incredible 4G LTE will be thinner than the Droid Incredible 2 which checked in at 12mm.

Droid Incredible 4G Display

Droid Incredible 4G LTE Release Date and Rumor Roundup

One of the biggest differentiators between the Droid Incredible series and the rest of the Droids on Verizon were the 4-inch screen sizes found on the previous two.

As of right now, according to Verizon’s website leak, the Droid Incredible 4G LTE will keep the same 4-inch screen size that users have come to love. I’ve argued that it would be a mistake to shift from the 4-inch display size and we have heard similar sentiments from readers so it’s nice to see the company keeping the device at that size when most other devices now sport large screens.

Read: The New Droid Incredible Deserves Better.

We also know that the screen resolution will be of qHD quality and not 720p like the display found on Verizon’s previous HTC flagship, the HTC Rezound. This is a bit of a let down for a device of this caliber but average users should be pleased with the quality.

Verizon’s HTC One S

Many believe that the Droid Incredible 4G LTE is Verizon’s version of the HTC One S, a device that is currently available on T-Mobile.

The reason for this is because the rumored specifications match up almost identically to T-Mobile’s new Android smartphone. The HTC One S features a qHD display, although a bit bigger than the Droid Incredible 4G LTE’s rumored 4-inch display, and it also features a dual-core Snapdragon S4 chip, the same processor rumored for the Droid Incredible 4G LTE.

Read: HTC One S Review.

As for the rest of the Droid Incredible 4G LTE specs, they are all but confirmed as:

  • 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor
  • 1GB RAM
  • 8GB built-in storage, microSD card slot
  • 8MP rear camera with zero shutter lag
  • VGA front camera
  • NFC support
  • Beats Audio (no headphones included)
  • Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with Sense 4.0

This means that the Droid Incredible 4G LTE may very well beat some of the other Droid devices like the Motorola Droid 4, Motorola Droid RAZR and the Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX to Android 4.0, Google’s latest operating system.

First Droid Incredible with 4G LTE

The previous two Droid Incredible devices were both 3G in nature. The Droid Incredible 4G LTE, as its name suggests, will be running on Verizon’s high-speed 4G LTE network making it the first Droid Incredible to feature this capability.

What this means is that it will be capable of pulling down speeds 10X faster than those found on Verizon’s 3G CDMA network.

Verizon’s 4G LTE network is seen blowing away 3G speeds below, wherein the 4G LTE Droid Bionic – another 4G LTE smartphone on Verizon, blows away the 3G-enabled iPhone 4S.

Verizon’s 4G LTE network is available in over 200 markets across the United States, but those in smaller cities will want to check Verizon’s coverage map to ensure that 4G LTE covers their area.

Not So Incredible Price

Droid Incredible 4G LTE Release Date and Rumor Roundup

Verizon’s leak also revealed something not so incredible about the Droid Incredible 4G LTE.

It’s price tag.

As of right now, the Droid Incredible 4G LTE is thought to be priced at $299.99 on-contract, a price that will trump every other 4G LTE smartphone in Verizon’s lineup. Even the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, the carrier’s flagship, is priced at $199.99 on-contract.

Read: Droid Incredible 4G LTE Is Priced for Failure.

It’s possible that the price was a placeholder or a left over from a template for another phone and the price will fall to $199.99 at launch. But as of right now, it appears that Verizon will be charging $300 for a phone that may not be the best the provider has to offer.

8 Comments

8 Comments

  1. Adam Abrams

    04/25/2012 at 4:45 pm

    Apparently the phone is set to come out later in may. Which sucks. I will wait for this phone to drop to around 100$ before buying it. 

  2. No

    04/25/2012 at 7:10 pm

    “One of the biggest differentiators between the Droid Incredible series and the rest of the Droids on Verizon were the 4-inch screen sizes found on the previous two.”

    The original Droid Incredible was a 3.7″ screen.

    • demarcmj

      04/26/2012 at 7:05 am

      Not to mention the Droid 3 and Droid 4 both had/have a 4″ display.

  3. demarcmj

    04/26/2012 at 6:59 am

    “The Droid Incredible 2 had soft keys on its bezel, but it featured four
    of them. Gone from the Droid Incredible 4G LTE’s design is the search
    key.”

    The menu key is gone too, it’s just been replaced with the recent apps key.

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