U.S. Android release date and pricing update (2024-02-05)

We can’t say there is a shortage of Android devices here in Canada. Nearly every carrier has an offering or at least they’re getting there. But our friends in the U.S. usually tend to have even better luck than us. More and more handsets are in their hands first (though this isn’t always the case) and some of them never even make it to Canada.

My jealousy aside, let’s take a look at a few popular upcoming Android phones and tablets with the latest update so far on their Canadian availability. Do note that while these prices and dates are the most accurate available right now, they’re not 100% confirmed.

HTC Thunderbolt: 4.3-inch Super LCD display, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, Android 2.2. Coming to Verizon Wireless for $249 + two-year contract on February 14th. Canadian availability: Unknown. We typically don’t see Verizon handsets come to Canada mainly due to the Verizon “Droid” branding and CDMA nature of the network. The Samsung Fascinate and Motorola Milestone on Telus are the two big exceptions. Both the Milestone and the Fascinate models on Telus were re-released as GSM phones and the Milestone was renamed from Droid to its global brand name, the Milestone.

Samsung Galaxy S 4G: Basically a Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant with “4G”, a front-facing camera and pre-loaded content. Coming to T-Mobile this month. Unknown pricing. Canadian availability: Unknown.

Samsung Infuse 4G: 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, 1.2GHz Hummingbird processor, 8MP back camera and a 1.3MP front-facing camera running on Android 2.2 with Samsung’s own TouchWiz UI. Coming to AT&T. Unknown date and pricing. Canadian availability: Confirmed coming to Canada by Samsung, release date and carrier are yet to be determined.

Motorola Atrix 4G: Coming to AT&T for $199 + two-year contract on March 6th or earlier. Optional Accessories include a Laptop Dock for $499, Entertainment Access Kit (Motorola HD Multimedia Dock, Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, and a remote control) for $189. The Atrix and Laptop Dock can be purchased as a bundle for $499 on contract (tethering add-on required.) Canadian availability: coming soon to Bell, sometime around March 17th. Bell will launch this handset as the “Motorola Atrix”, not the Motorola Atrix 4G.

Motorola Xoom: Coming to Verizon on February 24th for $799 + no contract. Canadian availibility: Unknown. A WiFi-only version was confirmed by an international Motorola executive. Considering this is the flagship Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet, hopefully Google will work with Motorola and bring it to Canada like the Google Nexus phones.

Hopefully that gives you a rough idea of what to look out for. I’ve provided the sources for this post just below. Which device attracts you the most? Is there something not on the list that you’re waiting for?

[Droid Life (Thunderbolt, Xoom dates), Android Central (Xoom, Thunderbolt prices), LAPTOP Magazine (Atrix date, price)]