Verizon Might Release HTC Phablet to Compete with Samsung Galaxy Note 2

Author: Donald Masters August 10, 2012

New rumors suggest that AT&T will again have rights of exclusivity to the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, while Verizon will likely be countering with its own phablet, a device manufactured by Taiwanese company HTC. The original Galaxy Note was, for the first two quarters of this year, solely available through AT&T in the United States. T-Mobile recently followed suit with its own Galaxy Note variant, though the release of the Galaxy Note 2 may be a mere few weeks away.

As AT&T appears to be gearing up for the second-generation Note, Verizon and HTC are rumored to have plans of their own. If true, HTC’s phone-tablet hybrid would be Verizon’s answer to the Galaxy Note 2, and would come with a 5-inch screen. This would make the device’s display fall right between the 4.8-inch dimensions of the Samsung Galaxy S3’s screen and that of the 5.3-inch first-generation Galaxy Note. It is also expected that the HTC device would run on Verizon’s 4G LTE network. No other specifications were mooted, though we can safely assume that this jumbo-sized HTC phone (or phablet) will not have an S Pen-like stylus once released.

In other Samsung Galaxy Note 2 news, a new image was posted by Samsung Pakistan earlier in the week, with the accompanying claim that the device pictured is the upcoming second-generation Galaxy Note 2. Tech journalists, however, aren’t convinced that the photo is a legit representation of the next-gen phablet. The purported Galaxy Note 2 comes with an especially thin bezel, which would make the device difficult to operate. However, it appears that, based on the photo, the new device will not include any physical buttons.

The Galaxy Note 2 is expected to be unveiled towards the end of the month at a special Samsung Unpacked event. Verizon advised consumers to be on the lookout for updates regarding a new device, though the carrier didn’t specify whether the device is the rumored HTC phone-tablet combo.