ZTE Spirit Joins HTC-Mango Smartphone Horde to Combat Apple iPhone 5, 4S
Joining the Samsung and HTC-led anti-Apple iPhone armada, Chinese phone-maker ZTE has unveiled its new Spirit Windows Phone Mango powered smartphone. REUTERS

Joining the Samsung and HTC-led anti-Apple iPhone armada, Chinese phone-maker ZTE has unveiled its new Spirit Windows Phone Mango powered smartphone.

The ZTE Spirit

Details regarding the ZTE Spirit -- formerly known as the WP7 -- emerged Tuesday from The INQUIRER. It alleged that ZTE would be releasing the device "very soon" in the fourth quarter of 2011.

The INQUIRER reported that ZTE's director of mobile device operations, Wu Sa had confirmed that the smartphone would be a part of the company's Skate family of devices.

The Skate -- known as the Monte Carlo in the UK -- is currently available via Orange for around £150. The device houses 2GB of internal storage a 4.3 inch capacitive touchscreen and is powered by an 800MHz processor.

ZTE is yet to clarify whether its new Mango-powered Spirit device will house the same spec.

HTC Windows Phone Mango Devices

Prior to the Spirit's announcement, HTC had also revealed plans to launch two new smartphones running Microsoft's forthcoming Windows Phone Mango operating system.

The first of the new handsets announced in early September was HTC's TITAN handset.
According to the company's statement, the TITAN will live up to its name, housing the largest LCD screen ever seen on an HTC smartphone, being around 4.7 inches large.

The TITAN will also reportedly be contained in a 9.9mm thick aluminum case, housing an eight megapixel rear-facing camera and a 1.3 megapixel front facing camera. In its statement HTC confirmed the handset will be capable of recording high-definition 720p video.

HTC didn't reveal any details pertaining to the TITAN's processor power, memory or price.
HTC chose to reveal even fewer details about its second Mango device, the Radar.

The company instead chose to focus on the device's new "People Hub." The hub reportedly allows Radar users to stay in touch "using SMS, Facebook chat and Windows Live® Messenger in one conversation, without having to switch applications or disrupt the conversation flow."
The only technical details known about the device are that it will house a 3.8 inch screen and be contained in an aluminium unibody and be capable of recording high-definition 720p video.

Both the devices are currently being advertised within the UK with an "expected in October" release date.

The Apple iPhone 5

Though Apple is yet to release any official word on the device, the iPhone 5 has already become one of the most hotly anticipated smartphones in recorded history.

Undeterred by the lack of official information, the world's media has still managed to report numerous claims regarding the iPhone 5's tech spec and release date.

Most recently a slew of reports suggested that Apple planned to unveil its next entry into the iPhone franchise next month.

The claim of an early October release initially stemmed from tech site All Things Digital. It suggested Apple's new CEO Tim Cook will announce the iPhone 5 during the company's next "big media event" on 4 October.

All Things Digital's report later gained momentum when Apple board member Al Gore allegedly revealed that Apple planned to release "new iPhones" in October.

Running in tandem to the rumoured release date a report from 9to5mac emerged suggesting the device would be equal in power to Apple's current iPad 2 packing a dual-core A5 processor boasting 1GB of RAM. The report also alleged the iPhone 5 would house an improved 8 mega-pixel camera.

Apple has not confirmed any of this.