Ten Full-HD smartphones to look out for in 2013

Full-HD smartphones or smartphones with large 1080p resolution screens are slowly making their presence known. Some were already announced while some are still being leaked. These super-handsets don’t carry much hype as of the moment but you can be sure that you’ll start seeing more of them starting next year. For that, here are ten full-HD smartphones to look out for in 2013.

HTC J Butterfly (Japan) – aka HTC Deluxe/Butterfly (Global) or HTC Droid DNA (US). Debuted in Japan last October, this is HTC’s first smartphone to sport a stunning 5-inch 1080p SUper LCD 3 display which calculates to a whopping 440ppi. It is running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean topped with HTC Sense UI v4.0. Under the hood is a quad-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro APQ8064 processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, an 8-megapixel camera with an f/2.0 lens, 2.1 megapixel front, and a 2,020mAh battery. The international version of the J Butterfly was just announced this month in the form of the Butterfly or Deluxe.

Sharp Aquos Phone SH930W. Aquos Phone SH930W was announced in November but arrived in Russian stores last week. This phone carries a 5-inch 1080p Sharp IGZO display, a Qualcomm 8260A chipset (2x Krait @ 1.5GHz), an Adreno 225 GPU, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, an 8 megapixel rear camera, 2 megapixel front, and a 2,100mAh battery. This handset runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out of the box with minor UI customizations. The Sharp Aquos Phone SH930W has a price tag of RUB21,900 or almost Php30,000USD 511INR 43,338EUR 487CNY 3,723. No details on international pricing and availability as of the moment.

Oppo Find 5. Aside from its 5-inch 1080p IPS display (441 ppi), the Find 5 features a Qualcomm S4 Pro SoC (1.5GHz quad-core Krait), an Adreno 320 GPU, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, 2,500mAh battery, 1.9 megapixel front camera, and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. One of the things that the Find 5 boasts of is its 13 megapixel rear camera (f/2.2) that can record videos at 120fps. No details on pricing yet but it is set to launch in early 2013.

Huawei Ascend D2. Huawei joins the 1080p race with the Ascend D2 which they introduced in China this month. It packs a 5-inch 1080p display and is powered by Huawei’s own quad-core 1.5GHz K3V CPU. Other features include a 13 megapixel shooter, a 1.3 megapixel front, a 3,000mAh battery, and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean topped with the new Emotion UI. Huawei will be launching the Ascend D2 at CES 2013 together with their Windows Phone 8 device, the Ascend W1.

Sony Xperia ‘Yuga’ – aka Xperia Z (C660X). Like its monicker would imply, this handset packs a punch with its 5-inch 1080p screen which uses Sony’s OptiContrast technology. This means you’ll get a high-ppi, high-contrast display minus the reflection and glare. Under the hood is a quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU with Adreno 320 graphics, 2GB of RAM, 12 megapixel shooter, and runs Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean. The Yuga can also take a punch as it is IP57 certified meaning it is dust and water resistant. Expect the Xperia Yuga to make an appearance at the upcoming CES.

Lenovo. With Lenovo’s aggressive output of smartphones which include powerful ones like the Exynos-powered K860, it is not hard to believe that Lenovo is also working on its own superphone with a FHD display. No information have surfaced about the device’s exact name but it is reported to have a display size between 4.5 to 5.5-inches and supports dual-SIM connectivity. Sources say that the handset is already in the final stages of development. Lenovo is good in keeping this under wraps so I’m hopping that this will come as a nice surprise when officially released.

ZTE Nubia Z5. Like the rest of the pack, this handset has a 5-inch Full-HD display which is then powered by a quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro APQ8064 chipset clocked at 1.5 Ghz, 2GB of RAM, a 13 megapixel main shooter, 2 megapixel front, 2,500mAh battery, and a custom Android Jelly Bean. The amazing feat here is that ZTE managed to pack all that hardware in a body that is only 7.6mm thin. ZTE has officially confirmed the device and is set to be launched in China today.

ZTE Grand S. Apparently, ZTE has two handsets that sports FHD displays and powerful hardware, but of course, only one can be chosen as the flagship. I’m betting my money on the Grand S which is touted as “the world’s thinnest for 5 inch FHD smartphones.” If ZTE’s leaked design sketches of the Grand S are true, then we’re looking at a very sleek and attractive device. The ZTE Grand S is set to make an appearance at CES.

LG F240. LG’s unconfirmed 5-inch 1080p offering is still a bit shady though some are speculating that it will be powered by a quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset clocked at 1.5GHz, an Adreno 320 GPU, and runs Android Jelly Bean topped with Optimus UI.

Samsung Galaxy S4. Shortly after the Galaxy S3 was released, speculations about its successor were already floating around. The Galaxy S4 is reported to have a 5-inch Full-HD display, powered by Samsung’s own Exynos chip, a 13 megapixel camera, and 2GB to 3GB of RAM. Early rumors point to a bendable or “unbreakable” screen but currently this appears to be very unlikely.

And there you have it folks, ten smartphones with gorgeous displays and serious hardware to boot. The best thing we can do for now is hope that these handsets reach the Philippines starting next year. So what do you guys think of these superphones? If you have suggestions or speculations please feel free to write them down at the comments section below.