HTC Evo 4G

In March, HTC and Sprint introduced the Evo 4G, a 3G/4G smartphone running Android 2.1 and featuring—at 4.3 inches—one of the industry’s largest displays, though competitors are catching up. Nonetheless, other serious perks include an 8 megapixel camera, HDMI output, Mobile Hotspot capabilities and HD video capture. A firm release date hasn’t been set, but the rumors say June 13.

The HTC Evo 4G will also come in white. Google Goggles is additionally on board, along with voice-to-text technology for composing emails and texts by voice dictation.

A follow-up to Samsung’s enormously successful Galaxy S line, the Galaxy S II will feature a dual-core processor and run Android 2.3, and is being touted as the world’s thinnest smartphone. (It’s just 8.49mm, compared to the iPhone 4’s 9.3mm.) Already launched in India, U.S. customers may have to wait until late summer or even early fall.

In time to get customers up and running for the long holiday weekend, Verizon launched the Samsung Droid Charge May 15, the thinnest 4G LTE smartphone on its network. The Charge features a 4.3-inch display, runs Android 2.2, is loaded with entertainment features and supports a 32GB storage card. Verizon will even start out users with a $25 Media Hub credit.

A profile shot of the svelte Droid Charge. Verizon and Best Buy are selling it for $300 with a two-year contract—or $700 without.

Also arriving for the start of summer, Verizon launched the LG Revolution May 26. It’s the first Android smartphone to come preloaded with the Netflix app, which should pair nicely with its 4G access, 4.3-inch display and HDMI output capabilities.

A side view of the Revolution, which is priced at $250 with a two-year contract. Users will need a Nationwide Talk Plan, which starts at $40 a month. Unlimited data packages start at $30 a month and, for a limited time, Verizon isn’t charging extra for the Revolution’s Mobile Hotspot feature.

Expected to debut in June, the RIM BlackBerry Bold 9900 is the thinnest BlackBerry to date. It’ll run the BlackBerry 7 OS, feature a 1.2GHz processor, have 8GB of onboard memory, offer dual-band WiFi and HD video recording, and ship with NFC (near-field communications) technology.

Its name isn’t likely to make it any friends, but its dedicated Facebook button might. The gently curved HTC ChaCha, slated for a June arrival on the T-Mobile network, lets users share anything with a touch of the button below its dedicated QWERTY keypad. Other features include a 2.6-inch touch screen, Android with HTC’s Sense interface and a 5-megapixel camera.

Early reviews have the Droid Bionic living up to its name. It boasts a dual-core processor—with each core running at 1GHz—has 512MB of RAM, a 4.3-inch qHD screen, an 8-megapixel rear camera and full access to Verizon’s 4G network for tasks such as peer-to-peer gaming and HD video streaming to an HDTV.

The HTC Evo 3D, headed for the Sprint network, will be the nation’s first no-glasses-required Android smartphone to feature a 4.3-inch 3D display. Other bragging rights include its 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor and 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot capabilities for up to eight devices.

The Evo 3D also has front and back 5-megapixel cameras, both of which can capture 3D images and video, for everything from making vacation footage pop to offering a more lifelike virtual tour (hear that, enterprise users?).

The oh-so-hyped iPhone 5—or whatever Apple decides to call the next iteration of its killer smartphone—is rumored for a June or July debut. It’s expected to feature NFC technology, an end-to-end display, 4G connectivity, a larger screen, connectivity that can straddle Verizon and AT&T’s networks and—putting “Antennagate” to rest—a new antenna design. (Pictured here is the long-awaited white iPhone 4.)