AT&T has released one of the long-awaited 4G LTE smartphone HTC Vivid on its network. The latest mobile from HTC will be available from Nov. 6 in stores and online for $199 under 2-year contract.

Vivid packs a dual core 1.2 GHz processor and a 4.5-inch qHD display. The smartphone runs on Google's Android Gingerbread operating system (OS). It is one of the first smartphones able to utilize both LTE and HSPA+ 4G speeds, which allow owners of the smartphone reliable connection in both areas where applicable.

HTC Vivid will certainly face stiff competition from Apple’s iPhone 4S, which was unveiled on Oct. 4, instead of the eagerly-anticipated iPhone 5. The latest smartphone from Apple received an overwhelming positive response and sold 4 million units during the opening weekend.

iPhone 4S missed some prominent specs like edge-to-edge design, a larger display, 4G LTE and Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. However, it featured some important upgrades that were rumored to be a part of the imaginary iPhone 5, like the 1GHz dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor, PowerVR SGX543MP2 GPU, an Apple A5 chipset and an 8-megapixel camera. It also has a 3.5-inch TFT Retina multi-touch display and is loaded with the latest Apple operating system iOS 5.

Let's take a look at specifications of Apple iPhone 4S and HTC Vivid

Display: HTC Vivid features a 4.5-inch qHD display with a resolution of 540x960 pixels, while the iPhone 4S has a marginally smaller screen at 3.5 inches, but boasts a Retina display of 960x640-pixel resolution at 326 ppi.

Size: HTC Vivid weighs 135 grams and has a dimension of 135.5 x 67.9 x 8.9 mm. On the other hand, iPhone 4S comes with 115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3 mm and weighs 140 grams.

OS: Apple's iPhone 4S runs on the newest iOS 5 that comes with 200 new features that will include an improved Notifications System, Newsstand and iMessage. On the other hand, Vivid will run on Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread. It is expected that the phone would be upgraded to the latest version of Google Inc.'s smartphone operating system, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, after the holiday season.

Processor: iPhone 4S, which comes in an A5 chipset, is powered by 1GHz dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 CPU, PowerVR SGX543MP2 GPU. On the other hand, Vivid has a 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.

Camera: The iPhone 4S has an 8-megapixel camera capable of capturing 1080p video footage. HTC Vivid sports an 8-megapixel camera with f2.2 28mm wide angle lens for low light photos and can perform 1080p HD video recording at 60 frames per second.

WLAN/Bluetooth/USB: Both phones have Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Wi-Fi hotspot. iPhone 4S has advanced Bluetooth version 4.0 with A2DP along with USB version 2.0, while Vivid has Bluetooth 3.0 version along with mini USB 2.0 version.

Connectivity: Vivid supports HSDPA, HSUPA, LTE networks. The Apple iPhone 4S has HSDPA 14.4 Mbps and HSUPA 5.8 Mbps support. The iPhone 4S also has CDMA EV-DO Rev. A (800, 1900 MHz) technology.

Memory: Vivid has an internal memory of 16GB and offers microSD support for up to 32GB, while iPhone 4S comes in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models. It doesn't support a MicroSD card slot. Apple has not revealed the RAM capabilities of the iPhone 4S.

Pricing: HTC Vivid will be available for $199.99 under a two-year contract with AT&T. With a two-year contract, iPhone 4S costs $199 for the 16GB model, $299 for the 32GB model and $399 for the 64GB model. Apple-listed prices for a contract-free phone in the United States are $649 for the 16GB model, $749 for 32GB and $849 for the 64GB.

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