Casio’s not a name we usually associate with high-end smartphones. While we saw the company release its G’zOne Commando last year, that Android was notable more for its ruggedized construction than anything along the lines of a screaming-fast processor or high-resolution screen. Casio may be re-thinking just what tier of smartphone it wants to be producing, at least according to reports from the company’s recent efforts with focus groups.

Admittedly, getting input from the public about product ideas doesn’t mean that any of these particular devices will make it to market, but at the least they might give us some insight into what we should expect.

According to one smartphone fan who found himself in a Casio focus group, the company has plenty of phones it’s working on, at least a couple smartphones, and one in particular that could be big. Supposedly, this model’s got a large AMOLED screen that’s somewhere around 4.6 inches diagonally. The phone itself is remarkably thin, supports NFC and LTE, and is based-around a quad-core processor. It should have an eight-megapixel main camera, a two-megapixel front-facer, and arrive running Ice Cream Sandwich. To power all that hardware, Casio’s outfitted the handset with a 2000mAh battery.

If all that’s accurate, this model could signal a big change in direction for Casio. Sure, it will likely still continue with the G’zOne line – another such model was featured in this focus group – but from the sound of this, Casio might be about to try stepping-up its game.

We’re not sure if it applies to this specific Android model, but some of the devices demonstrated in this focus group showed Verizon badging; considering the carrier’s past affiliation with Casio, it would be a likely home for the phone.

Source: Droid-life