With just over a week left before we wrap up 2013, we may not be quite done with smartphone announcements. Sources have told The Information that Hewlett-Packard could yet make a late-year announcement. It is reportedly planning to launch new six- and seven-inch phablets before the end of the year.
Little is known about these new HP smartphones themselves but they will be aimed at emerging markets such as China, India and the Philippines. With prices off-contract to range between US$200 and US$250, these are not expected to be flagship devices by any stretch of the imagination. With HP having jumped back into the tablet space this year with Android starting with the HP Slate 7 and the more recent HP Slate 7 Extreme and HP Slate 8 Pro, it’s likely that these new smartphones will also be powered by Google’s mobile operating system.
We caught wind of a new HP smartphone this summer but its specifications do not suggest an entry-level phablet device. The HP Brave was spotted sporting a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, a 4.5-inch HD+ (900 × 1600) display, 2GB of RAM, a 14.5MP rear camera and a 5MP camera.
As late as October, HP CEO Meg Whitman herself claimed that the manufacturer would not release any smartphones in 2013 but that it was looking to re-enter this market at a later point. Could HP have changed its mind? And will it resurrect its iPAQ brand name or go with a new one? It did promise earlier this year that its return would come with a “differentiated experience.”
With only days before New Year’s Eve, we may not have to wait much longer to find out all about HP’s return to the smartphone space.
Sources : The Information // The Verge