Images of the third Google Android powered handset to come out of HTC’s capable doors are now doing the rounds online.

The pictures of the G3, AKA the HTC Hero were passed to CodeAndroid by “an anonymous reader” and they certainly look as legit as it gets.

The device bears more than a passing resemblance to the Vodafone Magic that launched recently here in the UK (and is due to launch soon in the US) but with the trackball navigation omitted and extra hardware buttons in its place.

From the look of the profile pictures it seems that the bottom of the handset is angled, presumably to improve the performance of the microphone and therefore call quality.

It also seems that HTC have chosen to drop the silly proprietary headphone connection too, opting instead for a standard 3.5mm socket, a move that we applaud.

Despite the seemingly slimmer form of the G3 I think that the rounded edges of the G2 appeal more – but I’ll withhold any judgement until we get some official info and pics to sink our teeth into, stay tuned.