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When we heard Verizon might be bringing out a third entry for its Samsung Stratosphere line, the Samsung SCH-i425 Godiva, we wondered how closely it might resemble those other two phones. The Stratosphere line has made it this far with a physical QWERTY keyboard still in tow, but if these leaked images are accurate, and if this is indeed the third installment, then it looks like Verizon and Samsung are looking to break the trend.
The shot, provided by Engadget, confirms the device will have NFC, and other specs are said to include an S4 Snapdragon processor, a 720p display and Android 4.1.2 out of the box. The phone does closely resemble the Stratosphere line in terms of design with its four capacitive buttons sitting on the bottom, so even without confirmation we can tell this will definitely be the annual mid-range offering Verizon and Samsung have been known to provide.
With the Stratosphere being Samsung’s last major device with a QWERTY slider and the Motorola Photon Q being the only other device with such a configuration we’re wondering if the death of the age-old form factor is upon us. Slide-out keyboards are usually reserved for mid-range handsets these days, and with the way things are looking the designation might only exist with entry-level keyboards.
We know there are still more than a few of you out there who appreciate QWERTY sliders, but it pains me to say that those are becoming rarities in this day and age. We’re not sure when to expect this device in retail stores but we’d hope Verizon and Samsung are looking to get it out sooner rather than later.
As I mentioned on engadget, the picture is a top-down view of the front and back, no side view. If I took a picture of my Droid4 in the same fashion, it wouldn’t look like it has a slide-out either. Until I see a bit of its edges, I’ll hold out hope (especially after hopes for a Droid5 don’t look promising).
While you’re correct, who’s to say Engadget is just making assumptions based on the pic? Their tipster could have told them the keyboard doesn’t exist.
Definitely possible, but it seemed more like the lack of a keyboard was inferred by the pictures based on the way it was written. At least that was the way it seemed to me as I read their article.
this name makes me want some Godiva Chocolate :P
RIP physical QWERTY keyboards…you will not be forgotten.
all I’m hoping for is the DROID 5.
that seems to be the last hope
Well, based on the response I received from one of the more reputable sources on howardforums yesterday, the outlook isn’t good. They are saying to only expect 2 or 3 devices from Moto for VZW this year; and when I asked what the chances were of one of them being a slider, I received a “:-(“.
Two words: Bluetooth keyboard. Hardware keys when you want them, without limiting your choice of handsets or forcing you to carry the extra weight even when you know you are not going to be typing. I understand that there is a trade-off involved, but I think for many it’s a better trade-off than the one involved in built-in qwertys.