Top 8 Most Anticipated Smartphones in 2012

A number of forthcoming top-end smartphones are set for a royal showdown in the coming months... and iPhone and Android fans world over are getting restless, courtesy delayed releases citing various reasons from hardware redesign to Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade issues.

What this means for users contemplating smartphone upgrades, particularly with irresistible line-ups in the offing (including the most sought-after iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S3), is that they might regret a choice made in haste.

Start the slideshow to see the top 8 most anticipated smartphones of 2012...

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Expect flexible display phones emerging out of sci-fi movies and landing into the real world with due credit to Samsung. The Korean giant has confirmed the release of such devices in early 2012. Samsung exhibited the demo product of its latest innovation – Samsung Galaxy Skin only recently. The Korean smartphone giant had revealed its plans of coming up with a mouldable mobile that could bend and twist like David Beckham (in a football game) when at CES 2011. The smartphone is the latest addition to the Galaxy family and known for its 4.5-inch flexible AMOLED display. Though, what the phones are really capable of doing is still debatable. No further configuration details or price is available at the moment. Nokia is also expected to be working on similar designs. Watch this cool YouTube video on Samsung's Flexible AMOLED Display concept proposed at CES 2011.

iPhone 5 comes second on the heels of Galaxy Skin, which takes merit for its innovative design concept. Otherwise, the flagship phone from Apple is no pushover, as the fans get restless with its delayed release. The revamped iPhone should harbour an A6 or quad-core processor as part of the redesign concept. Also expect NFC (Near Field Communication) technology to debut on the new phone.

Going by Steve Jobs’ plans for revamping the hardware design, iPhone 5 is strongly expected to go metallic with aluminium back and side casing. Besides, a bigger 4-inch screen is also on the cards. Expect the display to retain the trademark glossy finish for the luxurious look.

Samsung Galaxy S III succeeds the iPhone 5 in the popularity charts and will be riding on the success waves of its predecessor Galaxy S II. Equipped with a 1.8GHz dual-core processor onboard, it will be one of the fastest smartphones to date.

It will also feature the Tegra 3 quad-core chip, taking graphics processing to a new level. Though there is no word on its price yet, it is expected to release in Q2 of 2012.

Lumia 800, the first Windows 7 phone in the series failed to meet fan expectations and didn’t quite measure up against its iPhone and Android rivals. Nokia had apparently reserved its trump-card, the Lumia 900 unveiling for the CES show.

The new phone displayed its prowess flaunting off a larger 4.3-inch display, a 1.3MP front camera, an 8MP rear camera, 4G speeds, NFC and a 1.4GHz Scorpion processor built on the famed Qualcomm APQ8055 Snapdragon chipset.

The phone will also feature the Windows Phone Mango update along with 720p video recording capability. Though its price is still undercover, rumours abound the phone will be released on 18 March this year.

2012 promises to be the biggest year of quad-core devices including smartphones. HTC is on top of the list adopting the new trend. HTC’s Edge certainly hogs the limelight with four 1.5GHz core processors, alongside NVIDIA’s AP30 Tegra 3 processor.

The smartphone holds an edge with a larger 4.7-inch display at 720p resolution, besides housing 1GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage under its hood. However, the four hardware buttons on the front panel hint that it may not harbour the Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade. That’s quite hapless for HTC fans world over. It is expected to release in Q2 of 2012.

Facebook phone has finally found some semblance of hope amidst rumours abound the device for quite some time. It is apparently code-named ‘Buffy’ after the popular television vampire slayer. Accounting for about 100 million users connecting through Facebook mobile apps every day, the leading social networking platform has a huge market potential, if there is any truth to the rumours.

Latest rumours hint at Facebook’s collaboration with HTC in the making of this unique phone. HTC is already rolling its phones with deeply customised Facebook integration and the new Facebook phones are expected to adopt a modified Android version.

Ville will be the slimmest Android phone from HTC to date, measuring just 8mm at its thickest point. The smartphone, expected to debut at Mobile World Congress in February, sports a 4.3-inch display, an 8-megapixel camera with 1080p HD video recording, and ports Android 4.0 onboard. It features a power- packed configuration into a slim body. Music buffs would admire the Beats Audio integration, besides its gorgeous looks.

Panasonic is making a comeback with an Android phone in 2012. The device is expected to flaunt a 4.3-inch display in a slim waterproof and dustproof case. NFC is also on the cards, but Panasonic has not divulged any further details on specs or price.