HTC Raider Launches in Canada through Bell and Rogers

Bell and Rogers jointly announced the HTC Raider today, with it becoming Canada’s first widely-available LTE option. First released in South Korea last month and rumored to hit AT&T in the US soon, the Raider is being touted as a “powerhouse social networker, entertainer and communicator” – all made smoother thanks to Qualcomm’s 1.2GHz APQ8060 dual-core processor.

Those who have been paying attention to the HTC Raider no doubt see something odd about that statement. The phone released in South Korea featured a 1.5GHz MSM8660 processor – your guess is as good as mine as to the reasons behind the change. It could be that Bell’s version will in fact feature that processor as it’s not out for another week or so, but it’s unlikely.

I digress. The Raider also includes 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage (expandable by another 32GB with a microSD card), an 8MP camera at the back (f/2.2, 28mm lens, dual LED flash) capable of shooting at 1080p, and a 1.3MP camera at the front. The included display is of a qHD variety, sporting a resolution of 960×540, while the battery is specced at 1620 mAh – no battery-life predictions have been given in the press release.

The Raider uses Android 2.3.4 (Gingerbread) with the latest version of HTC Sense software. The phone itself in design looks quite nice, with curved edges in the back for better grip and feel, and a sharp-looking face. Overall, it promises to be a great option this holiday season, and with its inclusion of LTE, you could theoretically use your 5GB monthly data limit in under 10 minutes. What’s not to like about that?

Rogers is the first out the door with the Raider, as it’s available today in-store and online for $149.99 in a 3-year contract or $574.99 free and clear. Bell will get it in another week or two with pricing to be announced at that time.