The Best QWERTY Android Phones of 2011 – Part Two!

Welcome back folks. Let’s continue looking at the best QWERTY Androids in 2011 as mentioned in the last post.

HTC EVO Shift 4G

Let’s get started with HTC Evo Shift 4G. This smartphone lacks a front-facing camera and HDMI port. It also has an extremely small included microSD card (2GB compared to general 8GB). But, than it does not sacrifice too many other features and is cheaper than its 4G competitors!

Have a look at some of its features:

• Android 2.2 with HTC Sense experience;
• 800 MHz Qualcomm MSM7630 Snapdragon processor;
• 5 megapixel camera with single LED flash;
• 3.6 inch WVGA (480×800) capacitive touch display;
• Integrated GPS;
• Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) & Bluetooth 2.1;
• microSD card slot with included 2GB card;
• Integrated WiMAX radio for 4G access and WiFi Hotspot capability;
• Some Sprint apps;
• Dimensions: 4.62 x 2.37 x 0.62 inches and 5.9 ounces;

Some important things to mention:

1. The 800Hz processor looks slow on paper, but, don’t forget that this is Snapdragon’s processor – and so we may expect it to be quite snappy!
2. And, compared to HTC Evo 4G, this has a much smaller display.(3.6 inch vs 4.3 inch)

The Sprint HTC EVO Shift 4G is available for $149.99(on contract).

Have a look at this video review courtesy of MobileBurn.

HTC Merge

Another HTC QWERTY darling is the Merge! This phone is probably going to be one of the best QWERTY smartphones released in 2011, but of course – nothing can be 100% perfect. So, while it has flaws,  the hardware, build quality, physical keyboard, and user interface are all looking to be impeccable. The QWERTY slider makes it quite unique, and we have no doubt it will be quite a success. Furthermore, it has 720p HD mode besides the usual WIFI and GPS. It also has a 3.8″ WVGA display and boasts Android 2.2.

Also, remember: this is HTC’s first Android based CDMA World Phone.

Some Specifications:

• Display: 3.7 inches screen with 480×800 pixels resolution (TFT capacitive);
• Camera:5 Mp with LED flash, autofocus and 1280×720(720p HD);
• Operating System: Android 2.2 with HTC Sense;
• Internal Memory: 4 GB External Memory: microSD/SDHC up to 32 GB;
• Processor: 800 MHz

The HTC Merge Smartphone will retail for 199.99 USD and will be available for sale in spring 2011! As such, we are unable to provide a video review at this time, but stay tuned!

Motorola CLIQ 2

Motorola, in its effort to create an affordable QWERTY Android, launched the original CLIQ back in 2009. And, after a year, we have received its successor: the Motorola CLIQ 2. This smartphone has an incredibly good keyboard and offers a vibrant display! And other features like call and multimedia look decent. But, then again, Motorola fans seem disappointed as they hoped for more, with new and improved features. We think that the improvements across the board really make this one of the most tempting QWERTY offerings available currently.Here are the specs:

• 3.7 inch display:TFT capacitive touchscreen, 256K colors;
• Dimensions:116 x 59.6 x 14.5 mm , Weight:175 gms;
• Memory:1 GB storage, 512 MB RAM;
• Card Slot:microSD, up to 32GB, 2GB included;
• Camera:5 MP, 2560х1920 pixels, autofocus, dual-LED flash;
• Processor:1 GHz processor;
• Operating System:Android OS, v2.2 (Froyo);

The Motorola CLIQ 2 is currently priced at $99.99 (with a new, two-year agreement and rebates) at T-Mobile. Although, this is a big improvement from the original, we still feel it lacks the “x-factor” of some of the hottest smartphones currently available, and upcoming.

Have a look at this video review.

So, for the time being this seems to be enough fodder to ponder for you QWERTY admirers. What do you personally think about all of the above three phones? Did we miss some special details about them? And, how do you think these smartphones will fare in the crowded market of smartphones currently available? Hit the reply button and tell us – We would love to hear from you!

We will cover Samsung Galaxy Indulge, HTC Cha Cha, Samsung Galaxy Pro and Droid Pro in our next QWERTY Androids article. Do tell us what you feel about them as well! Or, feel free to suggest to us which QWERTY smartphones you think deserve a mention amongst these titans!

The Best QWERTY Android Phones in 2011 part
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