It's the thought at the front of everyone's minds -- "will my phone get Gingerbread?" Just like last time, and just like next time, we all want to know if our phone can expect an upgrade to Android 2.3, and when. I don't claim to know any official answers, and I really don't think there are any just yet for most of the phones released this year. But I can't let a little thing like that stop me. Hit the break, and check out the list!
The Nexus One
It won't be the first phone with Gingerbread -- that'll be the Nexus S. But it's likely the phone the engineers used to write and test the new version. The Nexus One will get the upgrade first -- leaked as well as an official OTA update. But I think this is the Nexus One's last time to be the star of the show, so we all better enjoy it.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab
This one's easy. Or hard. The Tab is going to get upgraded, of that I have no doubt. The question is, will Samsung pass on Gingerbread and head right to the more tablet-friendly Android 3.x? Samsung has been known to struggle getting updates out in a timely manner, so I can totally see them passing on Gingerbread. And as long as Honeycomb gets on the Tab sometime in the first half of 2011, I can't complain if that's how it plays out.
The T-Mobile MyTouch 4G
The MyTouch 4G will get Gingerbread. It probably was made with Gingerbread in mind, and T-Mobile is touting it as their 4G flagbearer. If for some crazy reason it doesn't get Android 2.3, we'll fly out to Bellvue and heckle everyone at T-Mobile HQ daily until they cave. Promise.
The HTC Desire HD
HTC's new global Android flagship. Engineers will be hard at work stuffing Gingerbread onto the Desire HD, and probably already are. Look for the HD to be on the Gingerbread fast track.
The T-Mobile G2, and the HTC Desire Z
1 GHz processor myths be damned, The HTC vision will be seeing Gingerbread, on both sides of the pond. And it will be an awesome fit -- screaming hardware and an even more optimized OS. Be sure to toss the HTC Merge into the mix here as well.
Samsung's Galaxy S models
To most of us, that's the Captivate, the Epic 4G, the Fascinate, and the Vibrant -- but the i9000, Mesmerize and Continuum are included as well. Your carrier will get Froyo out for the Galaxy S phones that don't have it soon, then we all get to play the waiting game again. But Gingerbread will come. And no, I don't see Samsung skipping Froyo to push for Gingerbread -- there's too much evidence that Samsung has passed Froyo on to all the carriers already.
The Motorola Droid 2
It gets overlooked sometimes, but ask those who use one -- the Droid 2 is a heck of a phone. Motorola loves it, enough to work with Verizon and re-release it as the Droid 2 Global model. They will back this one with a Gingerbread update, not only because it's more than capable, but because Droid does, and they will want everyone to know it.
Take all the reasons the Droid 2 will get Gingerbread, and add a 4.3 inch screen to them. The X is a huge seller for Motorola and Verizon, and putting Gingerbread on it will keep units flying off the shelves even when the new round of Motorola phones roll in this holiday season. Yes I said this holiday season.
The Evo 4G
Yes, your Evo will get Gingerbread, I'm sure of it. Regardless of which phone the customers think is Sprint's best Android offering, Sprint has a lot riding on the Evo, even five months after its launch.
To round it all out, there's this crazy rumor -- and feel free to ridicule me for not having the link -- that an HTC employee confirmed that HTC wants Gingerbread on the Evo before Christmas, and Sprint wants to be first to market with the update. Like I said, it's a rumor, but it sounds reasonable.
The Droid Incredible
I'll go on record -- The Droid Incredible will be the first phone on Verizon to get the update, and it will go off without a hitch. They will let Sprint update the Evo while they test, and drive us crazy for a few extra weeks, but they'll have the smoothest, most complete upgrade we could ask for. Good things are worth the wait.
It's the Nexus One, with Sense. OK, so not really, but you know where I'm going. The Incredible is getting Gingerbread, so is the Evo, and it's going to debut on the Nexus One. There is no reason the Desire shouldn't see it as well.
That's my list. It's not definitive -- some phones are so sure to get it that there are no questions -- the Droid Pro and Droid 2 Global are great examples. I think you can count on any high end phone released from today forward seeing some Android 2.3 love. On the other side of the coin, some phones just aren't likely to see any. The original Droid, or the Xperia come to mind. It has to end somewhere -- good thing there's a hack for that.
