HTC Rezound Price, Release Date, Specs Compared

Taiwanese manufacturer HTC's answer to the iPhone 4S and Galaxy Nexus has finally been unveiled, in the form of the HTC Rezound. Powered by Google's open-source Android operating system, it sports top-tier specs and a distinctive textured case.

Price, release date, and carrier:
The HTC Rezound will be available from Verizon, starting on November 14. The $299 price tag (on a 2-year contract) will include a pair of Beats Audio earbuds, which are designed for deep bass and exceptional sound quality.

The Galaxy Nexus will release soon on Verizon, for the same price tag. Apple's iPhone 4S is already available on Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T for $199 on a 2-year contract.

Hardware and display:
The HTC Rezound has a thick chassis, with a bright red textured back. It has a full 720p HD display, comparable to the one on the Galaxy Nexus, but its screen is a bit smaller than the Nexus' at 4.3 inches across.

The iPhone 4S has a smaller, aluminum chassis, and its 3.5 inch Retina Display has a slightly lower resolution, but displays pixels so fine that they cannot be seen by the unaided eye.

Android operating system:
The HTC Rezound will be running last year's Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system on its November 14 launch. HTC has announced that the Rezound will be "Ice Cream Sandwich ready," but it will probably be upgraded to the Ice Cream Sandwich version of the Android operating system in early 2012. It uses the latest version of the HTC Sense customizations, which feature large full-screen widgets and sleek black styling.

As Google and Samsung's flagship phone, the Galaxy Nexus will ship with Ice Cream Sandwich already installed, and feature limited carrier and manufacturer customization. Upgrade dates for other Android smartphones vary, and many low- to medium-range smartphones will not receive an upgrade at all.

The iPhone 4S features Apple's proprietary iOS 5 operating system, and most existing iPhones of earlier models have already received a free upgrade to the latest version.

Under the hood:
The Rezound is equipped with a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, 1 GB of RAM, 16 GBs of internal storage plus a 16 GB microSD card, and an 8 megapixel camera with the ability to record 1080p HD video. This places it in the top tier of smartphones, along with the Galaxy Nexus, and may allow it to post benchmark scores similar to the iPhone 4S'.

As a 4G LTE device with a large screen, though, it will probably have several hours' less battery life than the iPhone 4S does.

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