Two long-awaited mobile phones are launching in the next few weeks: Sony (NYSE: SNE) Ericsson’s Xperia, and HTC’s so-called Dream phone, the first mobile using Google’s Android. The Windows-based Xperia goes on sale at the end of September in the UK, German and Sweden, and rolls out in Europe, Asia and Latin America later in the year, while HTC’s Android-based phone will reportedly be announced at the end of the month, with the gadget hitting the market at the end of October to catch upcoming holiday season sales.

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Both are under immense pressure to succeed. SE’s Xperia is being pegged as the make or break product for the struggling Sony Ericsson (NSDQ: ERIC) that has seen its fortunes plummet in the last year, while the entire market is waiting to see if the first Android-based phone will be able to deliver. The hope from Google (NSDQ: GOOG) HQ is that a successful device will pave the way for a whole host of Android handsets, allowing the internet giant to extend its dominance into mobile advertising. But as BusinessWeek notes, Xperia—first announced in February—may be too late to the market, superseded by the likes of the 3G iPhone as well as the BlackBerry Bold. Google, meanwhile, has come under attack from software developers, who have complained about the way the platform is evolving. By alienating developers, the cool applications that Google is hoping for, may take a longer time in coming.

The real winner with both these launches may just be HTC, the Taiwanese manufacturer, that’s been trying to step out of the shadows as a white label handset provider into one of the “big five”. HTC isn’t just behind the Dream phone, but SE’s Xperia as well. Though the handset maker currently ships 15 million units a year, which means to crack the top five its got to ship at least six times this amount, it’s shown more innovation with its Touch series than SE’s recent offerings, while the Dream launch—barring a last minute disaster—will only increase its profile. The WSJ reports that “person close to the situation” said the company is hoping to ship 600,000 to 700,000 units of the upcoming Dream phone, though analysts believe they will ship closer to 300,000 to 500,000.