After dropping word about a successor to the G1 back in July, then shamelessly teasing it in August, T-Mobile has finally dropped its pre-launch shenanigans and revealed full details on the highly anticipated Android phone. As anticipated, the G2 takes its place as the first smartphone to support T-Mobile’s recently upgraded HSPA+ network, leading T-Mobile to market it as a phone that “delivers 4G speeds.”
The claims will no doubt ruffle some feathers at AT&T, which previously took issue with T-Mobile’s use of “4G” when advertising its HSPA+ network. Although T-Mobile claims the G2 can reach theoretical peak download speeds of up to 14.4 Mbps, which puts it in the same speed range as some 4G networks like Sprint’s WiMax, it’s not technically a fourth-generation, or “4G,” technology.
Wireless semantics aside, the G2 will follow the same path as the original G1 with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, and also offers a 3.7-inch screen, 800MHz Snapdragon processor, and a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash that also shoots 720p HD video. The G2 comes with 4GB of internal memory and an 8GB card preinstalled for 12GB of total storage out of the box, though in theory that number can accordion out to 36GB by swapping the 8GB card for one of the few 32GB models.
Those specs closely match what we suspected of the G2 when rumors pointed to it being a rebranded version of the HTC Vision, but processor speed has notably dropped from 1GHz to just 800MHz on the MSM7230 chip. T-Mobile’s press release, which says it has been “optimized for… battery life” may hint at the reason for the reduction in clock speed on the shipping phone – especially if HSPA+ connectivity saps battery life the same way true 4G has proven to on phones like the EVO 4G.
The G2 will run Android 2.2 Froyo with a handful of T-Mobile tweaks including Swype and Quick Keys on the physical QWERTY keyboard, which will act as customizable shortcuts to favorite apps and websites.
T-Mobile will open preordering for the G2 in limited quantities later this month, but the carrier still hasn’t officially announced when the phone will launch. Previous rumors, though, suggested September 29.
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