Android phones on the Verizon network have typically been the territory of Motorola, maker of the Droid and the Droid X, and HTC, maker of the Droid Incredible and the Thunderbolt. But this week two big-name companies are releasing high-profile devices to challenge HTC and Motorola for the Verizon Android crown.

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Both the Sony Xperia PLAY and the LG Revolution have impressive spec sheets and broad appeal that could help them go a long way when matched up against the reigning Android champions. In this article we'll break down both devices and compare them with Motorola's latest creation, the Droid X2.

The LG Revolution: This smartphone is slightly more expensive than most Android phones ($250 with a two-year Verizon contract), but it's also got the benefit of being an LTE device that will let users take full advantage of the Netflix Android app to stream videos on its 4.3-inch, 800x480 pixel touchscreen at speeds of 5Mbps or higher.

Other than the LTE connectivity and the Netflix Android app, however, the Revolution is pretty standard fare for Android phones: It has a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, it runs on Android 2.2 ("Froyo"), it supports Adobe Flash, and it features a 5.0-megapixel camera and 720p video recording. These are obviously very solid specs for most users, but anyone looking to get the most cutting-edge hardware might want to look elsewhere.