Verizon teases new Android smartphones

Verizon Wireless, the biggest U.S. mobile service provider, on Tuesday announced three new phones under its Droid smartphone brand from Google Inc’s Motorola.

The phones, the Droid Mini, Droid Ultra and Droid Maxx will go on sale for $99, $199 and $299 for customers who sign a two-year contract and will be available in Verizon stores Aug. 20, according to Verizon Wireless.

The lowest price phone, the Mini, is a compact device with a 4.3 inch display screen. Motorola boasts that its midpriced phone in that range, the Ultra, is the skinniest smartphone that can run on high-speed long-term evolution, known as LTE,  networks.

It claims that its Maxx phone has the best battery life of any LTE phone on the market. It can be used for as long as 48 hours without being charged, compared with a previous version of the device which boasted 32 hours of battery life.

Verizon said the full retail price would be $499 for the Mini, $599 for the Ultra and $699 for the Maxx.