Earlier this week, T-Mobile announced availability for the HTC Amaze and the Samsung Galaxy S II. Though the carrier is potentially in troubled water due to hold ups regarding the AT&T acquisition, these devices still make a bold statement. In addition to 4G network capabilities, the Amaze and the Galaxy S II both pack dual-core 1.5 GHz Snapdragon S3 processors making these two of the fastest smart phones on the market.

“These new products unlock the full potential of our faster 4G network and deliver the best experience yet for watching video, surfing the Web, and creating and sharing content on the go,” said Cole Brodman, chief marketing officer, T-Mobile USA.

HTC Amaze

While most manufacturers simply leave a one-line description for the camera, T-Mobile touts the photography capabilities of this device. Simply mentioning the 8 megapixel sensor might be an understatement for the HTC Amaze. Some paired up technologies include auto face detection, shake detection, dual LED flash, an illuminated sensor for low-light imaging, a wide aperture lens, and zero shutter lag. Other mentioned features include:

• SmartShot – takes 5 images and picks the best one with smiles and no blinks
• PerfectPics – creates an album by scoring the best images
• SweepShot – create a panoramic shot in a single motion
• ClearShot HDR – take clear photos high-contrast lighting conditions
• BurstShot – rapidly snap 5 images

Other mentioned camera-related features include a dedicated camera and camcorder buttons. There is also a 2 megapixel front-facing camera for self-portraits and video calls. I should also note the rear-facing camera supports 1080p video capture.
The HTC Amaze also has a 4.3 inch qHD Super LCD display, HDMI output, a microUSB port, Bluetooth, WiFi, Mobile Hotspot support, 16 GB of internal storage, microSD expansion, and a 1730 mAh battery. Of course, the device runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread and HTC Sense 3.0.

Samsung Galaxy S II

While this phone also sports a 8 megapixel camera, the selling point is rather the whopping 4.52 inch WVGA Super AMOLED display. Unfortunately, Samsung only includes a 800-by-480 pixel resolution resulting in a rather low pixel density. Including a qHD resolution could add a lot more value.

T-Mobile pre-loads access to Netflix, Slacker, and Zinio — hopefully easily removable if unwanted. The Gaalxy S II has DLNA media sharing and HDMI output capabilities. TouchWiz complements Android 2.3. There is a 2 megapixel front-facing camera for video chat as well. The rear-camera supports 1080p video capture. Users can pop in a microSD card to complement the 16 GB of integrated storage. Unlike the Sprint Epic Touch 4G variant, this phone comes with NFC support for technologies such as mobile payments. Bluetooth 3.0, WiFi a/b/g/n, and a mobile hotspot come built-in.

Availability and Pricing

Both devices will appear on T-Mobile.com beginning October 10th for pre-order and will reach retail stores on October 12th. The HTC Amaze goes for $259 after a $50 mail-in-rebate while the Samsung Galaxy S II is a bit more affordable at $229 with a $50 mail-in-rebate. Of course, as with any new smart phone, T-Mobile requires signing a new two-year contract for the subsidised pricing.