October is shaping up to be a very big time for new smartphone hardware, due in no small part to Apple’s plans to announce its next iPhone(s). If you’re not on the Apple bandwagon, there’s still plenty of new hardware on other platforms that’s being eagerly anticipated, like the Nexus Prime from Samsung. We’ve been fielding plenty of rumors addressing the reveal and release plans for the smartphone (as well as Android Ice Cream Sandwich), and now a new one looks at the possibility the Nexus Prime will make its debut at CTIA.

The theory is centered on a “favorite product” contest hoping to identify the stars of this year’s CTIA in several different categories; it’s being called the Hot for the Holidays Awards. Most of the nominees are clearly identified, but there are a couple places where a Samsung nominee isn’t expressly named. Obviously, whatever products they represent are expected to garner a lot of attention if they’re notable enough to make this list, but they’ve yet to be publicly announced.

Under the gaming and entertainment category, there’s an entry for “A product to be announced from Samsung Mobile”, and a photography category includes a spot marked “Third finalist is not being announced due to embargo” (the other two are both Samsungs).

These two are not necessarily the same device, and there’s no direct evidence for either being the Prime, but the timing is favorable; Samsung has a CTIA event planned for October 11, and we’ve heard rumors that the Nexus Prime could be up for sale by November 3. For now, it’s just a rumor, and we’re sure we’ll hear plenty more Prime gossip before the phone arrives.

Source: CTIA

Via: Mobile Syrup