Newsletter
We’ve been keeping our eyes out for more news on T-Mobile’s G2, and delighted to report a few more details. T-Mobile has enjoyed dangling little bits of news and we’re happy to pass it along to you. This image from T-Mobile Scoop brings more hints on the G2 experience.
First, the CPU is confirmed, an 800 MHz Scorpion processor. That’s the Qualcomm MSM7230 chipset for HSPA+ networks, based on ARM v7. These have been described as “budget Snapdragon.” I don’t know about budget, as the graphics processor, the Adreno 205, is supposed to be really fast. Almost Hummingbird fast. And this GPU is accelerated for Flash content. Benchmarks suggest the 205 is four times faster than the Adreno 200, found in the QSD8x50 chipsets. Just think of the graphics performance in HTC’s Evo 4G or Incredible, as they have the Adreno 200.
Second, look for plain-vanilla Android OS 2.2 (Froyo), without any manufacturer-specific UIs getting in the way. T-Mobile is also offering “one-touch quick keys” to get to Google features. Froyo means Flash. What was I saying above about Flash content? The G2 is Flash 10.1 ready. Doesn’t say if it’s got Flash installed, but a quick trip to the Market can take care of that.
So with Froyo and those fast graphics, this should be a slick smartphone. It had better be, as it’s T-Mobile’s first HSPA+-ready model. That’s Evolved High-Speed Packet Access, yet another wireless broadband standard. With theoretical download speeds of up to 21 megabits per second, T-Mobile has already rolled out the service to 50 metropolitan markets. T-Mobile describes it as “4G speeds” although others call it “4G-like.”
One concern: Gingerbread. Android OS release 3.0 requires a minimum CPU speed of 1 GHz. Does this mean the G2 will be stuck with Froyo forever?
Sources: Android Central, TmoNews