What are the Minimum Specs for a Flagship Smartphone Today?

[milominderbinder]

If you were to come out with a new flagship smartphone today, what would you say would be the minimum specs?

Let's assume that you will have great Messaging, Email, and Facebook apps, browsers, HD movie players, and music players. Oh and someone might use it as a phone so make sure you include that.

If you want a physical keyboard, should it at least match the Epic?
• Overall Size: just 10% bigger than the Pre
• Screen: 4" screen at 480 x 800 HD
• Speed: 1 GHz stock processor
• Keyboard? YES
• Camera: 3x digital camera zoom with autofocus, easy upload to Facebook
• Video Chat: Front camera for Video Conferencing
• Storage: 16GB microSD card included, supports up to 32GB

If you want an onscreen keyboard, should it at least match the EVO?
• Overall Size: no bigger than the Pre
• Screen: 4.3" 480 x 800 HD
• Speed: 1 GHz
• Keyboard? Onscreen
• Storage: 8GB microSD card included, supports up to 32GB
• Camera: 8MP autofocus 3x digital zoom
• HD output: 720p
• Video Chat: Front camera for Video Conferencing

What do you feel are the minimum specs for a Flagship Smartphone today?

- Craig

[063_xobx]

If you have seen the Evo and Pre compared you will see that it is impossible to have the 4.3" display without being larger than the pre since the entire pre will fit inside the 4.3" display

[Workerb33]

I don't care about "specs". I care about benefits. They can run the CPU at 10mhz if they want, as long as it's REALLY fast. In terms of screen, I don't want it any bigger than an iphone.

[pogeypre]

3.7 inches is a perfect size especially if the screen resolution is rocking at "Retina" level.

Dual core processor is the only way to get the wow factor. Cannot simply slap a snapdragon or hummingbird 1gz processor on there.

Cannot be 8gb. Must be at least 16 and/or 32. (Preferably and because choice is good.

Slider and Non slider versions. This is a must. Again, the only way to get the wow factor back is to do something different than you have in the past.

Anywho, that's my take anyway.

[jjeffcoat]

Battery at least 1500 mAh

[Workerb33]

Originally Posted by jjeffcoat

Battery at least 1500 mAh

I don't care if it's 1500 or 150. I want a battery that will last 24 hours of reasonable use...

[GHT]

I'll accept 10% bigger than the Pre, but no more. The Evo is ridiculous. I'd like a bit bigger screen, if they can take advantage of some "wasted" space around the edges of the Pre.

Now, since this topic is not about what I want in a smartphone, but rather what a flagship phone should have, I'll say that I think the giant-screen phones like Evo are a bit of a fad. Most people are going to eventually realize such a monster is a pain to carry around day-to-day. That, combined with the flood of slates/tablets about to hit the market, should allow even a flagship smartphone to strut its stuff with a screen no bigger than 3.75" diagonal. The need for screens over 4" will be served by slates.

[sprint_fan]

They should try something all touch screen, if they can get a good touchscreen keyboard together. I think that would appeal to many people, and they could still have a keyboard option on another model.

At least 16 GB storage.
Tethering built in (no extra app needed, preferably hotspot too)
Good battery life
Good build quality
Good customization

[Workerb33]

it needs to have Swype or something like it... and it needs a physical keyboard.

[jjeffcoat]

Originally Posted by Workerb33

I don't care if it's 1500 or 150. I want a battery that will last 24 hours of reasonable use...

Well for my "reasonable use" it would need to be about 5000 .....

[ryleyinstl]

Originally Posted by Workerb33

I don't care about "specs". I care about benefits. They can run the CPU at 10mhz if they want, as long as it's REALLY fast. In terms of screen, I don't want it any bigger than an iphone.

This is also my line of thinking.

[Workerb33]

Originally Posted by jjeffcoat

Well for my "reasonable use" it would need to be about 5000 .....

It somewhat depends on many factors that the engineers have to balance. I'd be fine with 5,000 or 500 as long as it lasts, and can still fit in my shirt pocket.

The iPad is a great example of what I'm saying. No one talks about the battery capacity of the iPad in mAh numbers. They just say it lasts forever. Most of the device is battery, because Apple realizes it needs to run forever, and it lasts a loooong time.

So i don't care if they make the entire case out of battery material. I just want it to last 24 hours of substantial use...

[JED-WEB-OS]

We must have 20 threads on this board about the specs and wish lists for the next generation phone. I think whatever form it takes, it is already designed and probably being built and tested by now. Let’s all just wait and let Palm and HP release a phone and see what we get. Then we can all start complaining again.

[Workerb33]

Originally Posted by not-yet-pre

We must have 20 threads on this board about the specs and wish lists for the next generation phone. I think whatever form it takes, it is already designed and probably being built and tested by now. Let’s all just wait and let Palm and HP release a phone and see what we get. Then we can all start complaining again.

Careful, a moderator started this one...

[milominderbinder]

Originally Posted by not-yet-pre

We must have 20 threads on this board about the specs and wish lists for the next generation phone...

If there is a thread about what we want in new phones in general it would be in this forum and I don't see one.

If a thread is about future Palm products it would have to be in that forum: Future Palm Devices

There are no current threads on future Palm phones there either.

Where are you seeing these 20 threads?

Would you hit the report button on them so that we can move them to the right forums?

As to this thread, it is not asking what you want, it is asking what you think a new flagship phone needs if it is to be competitive.

Blackberry just released the Torch that has basically the same specs as a Pre from 15 months ago. But if you are some old BB guy you may have no idea what it does other than email anyway.

Thanks,

- Craig

[milominderbinder]

Originally Posted by Workerb33

...In terms of screen, I don't want it any bigger than an iphone.

That may be tough...

There are very few phones with a screen as little as an iPhone coming out any more. I can only think of four others this year under 3.7".

- Craig

[063_xobx]

But how many of those with screens over 3.5 are vertical sliders?

[JED-WEB-OS]

Originally Posted by milominderbinder

If there is a thread about what we want in new phones in general it would be in this forum and I don't see one.

If a thread is about future Palm products it would have to be in that forum: Future Palm Devices

There are no current threads on future Palm phones there either.

Where are you seeing these 20 threads?

Would you hit the report button on them so that we can move them to the right forums?

As to this thread, it is not asking what you want, it is asking what you think a new flagship phone needs if it is to be competitive.

Blackberry just released the Torch that has basically the same specs as a Pre from 15 months ago. But if you are some old BB guy you may have no idea what it does other than email anyway.

Thanks,

- Craig

Sorry Craig – I didn’t notice the 63 threads in the Future Palm Devices forum. I was thinking about all of the post in related threads that address: screen size, processor speed, physical keyboard vs. virtual keyboard, camera options, Video capabilities, battery life, storage options and form factors. I also assumed that the next Palm Smartphone should be a “Flagship Smartphone”. I sincerely hope that the next Palm Flagship Phone will have specs outlined in the user wishes on pre|central and that Palm and HP realize the valuable R&D asset that this site gives them.

[protofa]

a bigger usable keyboard would be nice on the next palm phone. u think palm could pull that off, or is that beyond their engineering capabilities?

[eps1lon3]

Hmmm...

With physical keyboard-
• Size: Not thicker than the Pre, should be thinner. It should also use a very soft spring for the slider, so you don't struggle to open it or have it fly out of your hands...
• Screen: 3.3"-3.7". Too big and it can turn people away, same for being too small. 960x640 resolution 'cause we gotta get there eventually (Note for those wondering: its not necessarily a "Retina" display as it won't have 326 pixels per inch)
• Processor: Anything as long as its power efficient and can runs things buttery smooth. It should also carry a nice GPU with it.
• Keyboard: All landscapes have to at least match the Touch Pro 2 masterpiece. Verticals have to live up to the Pixi =P
• Camera: The most MP that can also deliver extremely low noise and very good picture for a cellphone. It also shouldn't take ages to snap one photo. Digital Zoom would be nice if it wasn't crappy looking after you did it. It MUST also support 720p video recording, that's becoming a trend. Front-facing 1.3MP camera (to make use of wifi's extra bandwidth; it can use VGA or lower over cellular networks)
• Storage: 16GB internal. MicroSD for expansion.

Without physical keyboard-
• Size: Somewhere between the iPhone and EVO.
• Screen: 4" Minimum. Have fun from there.
• Everything else: Same as with a physical keyboard.
• Onscreen keyboard: Anyone ever see the Zune HD's on screen keyboard? I think its a great keyboard. The phone's gonna be using the OS's stock OSK though...

Oh yeah, let's not forget affordable pricing =D