The last time we talked about the Dell Mini 3i was back in August when it debuted in China via China Mobile. That particular handset features a 3.5-inch touchscreen, 3-megapixel camera with flash, Bluetooth 2.0, A-GPS, and ran on Ophone OMS platform, an Android-based customized mobile OS. Sorely missing were 3G and WiFi connectivity, but we had little concern in these parts as there were no indications that the Dell Mini 3i was going to be released outside China. That was back then. Fast forward to the present where a certain Dell Mini 3iX was spotted over at the FCC, and this time it comes with both 3G and WiFi connectivity.

There’s no picture yet so we’re not 100% sure its the Dell Mini 3i, but given that there’s just a slight change in its name, our gut is telling us that it’s just an improved version of what was released in China a couple of months ago. Approved with 850/1900Mhz GSM/UMTS bands, this could very well be the phone Michael Dell, CEO of Dell, was talking about when he disclosed that they will indeed be releasing an Android phone in the US via AT&T sometime early next year.

We’re not too sure what other features it will come with, but given that the Ophone OMS platform is for China phones only, this will most likely run on a more familiar version of Android, hopefully Android 2.0. Anyway, we’ll report more on this once additional information is made available.

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