But which phone should we pick? Well, 2012 has been the year of the smartphone so it’s inconceivable that we’d want anything else.
Here then is the cream of the smartphone crop. (There are no five-inch-or-bigger phone/tablets — also known as phablets — in this list as they are used more as computing tablets than as devices you’d actually want to make a call with.)
Apple iPhone 5
Dubbed by the Cupertino, California-based company as “the thinnest smartphone in the world,” the new iPhone 5 sports an upsized four-inch Retina display and a glass-and-aluminum body that is 18 percent thinner and 20 percent lighter than its iPhone 4S predecessor.
The new iPhone 5 measures a slender 7.6-mm thin (58.6-mm wide and 123.8-mm high) and weighs just 112 grams. It comes in either black and slate or white and silver.
Like the iPhone 4S, the newest Apple smartphone comes in 16-, 32- and 64GB models. It has an autofocus 8MP iSight camera with LED flash and HD video recording capability at 30 fps. The Retina display has a pixel resolution of 1136 x 640 at 326 ppi.
The new handset features Apple’s own new A6 processor, which is claimed to double the speed for loading Web graphics. Battery life, a perennial bane of smartphones, is likewise claimed to have been extended to eight hours with mobile phone and browsing and 10 hours if Wi-Fi connections are used.
Apple also further improved Siri, its pioneering voice-activated assistant, while developing a state-of-the-art mapping program, and — seemingly impossible — managing to even more tightly integrate Facebook into the user interface.
HTC Windows Phone 8X
The Windows Phone 8X is HTC’s first signature Windows phone. This P28,800 smartphone features the new Windows Phone 8 operating system and boasts iconic design, studio-quality Beats Audio, and superb camera capabilities.
Boasting the eye-candy Live Tiles graphical user interface, the Windows Phone 8X blends the virtual and the physical utilizing a three-dimensional, pure unibody design based on the Windows Phone Live Tiles.
HTC applied bold, adventurous colors, including California blue and graphite black, in a premium matte finish to the 8X. And for the first time, HTC is introducing a 2.1MP, f/2.0 aperture, 88-degree ultra-wide-angle front-facing camera that allows up to four people and more to be captured at once. It also supports 1080p video capture.
The rear camera sports an 8MP sensor with backside-illumination for improved low-light performance, along with an f/2.0 aperture, 28-mm lens and the dedicated HTC ImageChip.
A physical shutter button makes it quick and easy to capture spontaneous action, even if the phone is locked.
The 8X features Beats Audio which offers a unique audio amplifier powering the 3.5-mm audio jack and the speaker, boosting the audio signal for studio-quality sound for music, games or video.
HTC’s new Windows Phone also features a stunning 4.3-inch HD-resolution super-LCD 2 screen resistant to everyday bumps and scrapes, thanks to its lightweight Gorilla Glass 2, while optical lamination reduces reflections and glare even under the sun.
HTC One X+
Running the HTC Sense 4+ experience on the latest Android OS, Jelly Bean, the P32,800 HTC One X+ combines the iconic design, amazing camera and authentic audio experience of the HTC One series with increased performance, longer battery life and expanded internal storage.
Featuring a 1.7 GHz quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 AP37 processor, the HTC One X+ is 27 percent faster than its predecessor, making it one of the fastest Android phones in the market in terms of quick Web browsing, fluid gaming and graphic rendering, and speedy downloads.
Its new Self Portrait mode captures high-quality photos by intuitively detecting the human face at various angles and applying subtle enhancements to skin and eyes.
Sightseeing mode lets users capture the moment — one touch of the power button bypasses the lock screen and launches directly into the camera. Two new views in Gallery display images and videos and group them according to where and when they were taken.
Beats Audio is also standard on the One X+. Making it easier to listen to music out loud, and through Sense 4+, the HTC One X+ introduces a new Tap and Go function, which allows you to connect and disconnect the phone and your music to Beats speakers’ when you tap them.
HTC Connect sets a new standard for streaming DLNA audio and video from the HTC One phone to platform-certified home entertainment systems from leading partners such as Pioneer.
HTC has also made it easier to share media content with friends and family with its HTC Media Link HD. Turn any HDMI-enabled TV into the big screen which can display your photos, videos, or anything else on your phone.
A new digital photo frame feature can save and display up to 30 photos in slide show mode.
LG Optimus G
The flagship smartphone from LG houses an expansive 4.7-inch True HD-IPS LCD touch screen, a whopping 13MP camera with autofocus and LED flash, and a generous 2GB of RAM that does wonders for multitasking. This high-performance quad-core 1.5GHz Krait-powered smartphone runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) OS.
Motorola RAZR i
Motorola may have been out of the spotlight for some time, but that doesn’t mean it has lost its spot in the mobile market race. Now owned by Google, Motorola Mobility can now offer consumers more devices that combine Motorola’s hardware expertise with Google’s cutting-edge software innovations.
Case in point: the firstborn in this marriage — the Motorola RAZR i. It’s about the same size as an iPhone 5 at 4.8 x 2.4 x 0.3 inches. Unlike the iPhone, however, the RAZR i has less bezel and more screen. It features edge-to-edge display with practically no border for its Super AMOLED 4.3-inch screen.
The RAZR i is also designed to be tough with a DuPont KEVLAR back, diamond-cut aircraft-grade aluminum frame and Gorilla Glass. It’s also protected with a splash-guard coating. The coating even helps protect the electrical board inside, making it perfect for clumsy folk.
At the time of its US release, the RAZR i was powered by Android 4.0 ICS, but it’s upgradable to Jelly Bean.
Thanks to Intel’s Atom processor, the RAZR i is the first smartphone that can reach speeds of 2.0GHz. Its 8MP camera has a multi-shot mode that lets users take 10 pictures in less than a second. It also has an illuminated sensor at the back and HDR capabilities.
Nokia Lumia 920
A higher evolution of the Lumia 800 and 900 Windows 8 smartphones, the Lumia 920 is big and hardy and quite possibly the most solid smartphone in the market.
Encased in lightweight but high-strength polycarbonate and sporting a Gorilla Glass display, the Lumia 920’s tank-like case can withstand incredible stress and the kind of abuse that would snap lesser smartphones in two.
Nokia even improved the material used to encase the Carl Zeiss lens and the buttons. It is now a Ceramic-Zirconia finish which looks like aluminum but can survive scratching.
It runs on a dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon processor and boasts a superb 8.7MP PureView camera with a floating lens, TrueBlack HD display, and a rich selection of apps (navigation, camera, transport).
The large 4.5-inch screen is gorgeous and is easily one of the best out there. It even offers inductive charging.
Samsung Galaxy S III
It’s dubbed as the iPhone killer. And judging from a lengthy list of heavy-hitting specs, perhaps it really doesn’t take a genius to see how the Samsung Galaxy S III sits at the top of the smartphone food chain.
It all starts with an expansive 4.8-inch High-Definition Super AMOLED screen that’s pure eye candy. It boasts a 1280 x 720 HD resolution and Full HD 1080p video recording.
The Galaxy S III’s innovative Smart Stay feature is smart enough to recognize how you are using the phone (i.e. browsing the Web or reading an e-book) by having the front camera identify your eyes. The phone maintains a bright display as long as your eyes are focused on the screen. Once your eyes look elsewhere for a given amount of time, the screen goes on sleep mode to save battery.
Then there’s S Voice, an advanced and intuitive natural-language voice-command user interface that listens and responds to your words. With S Voice, you can tell the phone to wake up, answer a call, or even take a photo — all via voice commands.
Aside from recognizing your face, eyes and voice, the Galaxy S III also understands your motions. If you are messaging someone but decide to call them instead, simply lifting your phone to your ear will dial their number. The Smart Alert, meanwhile, makes the phone vibrate to notify missed calls and messages.
A superb-shooting 8MP main camera and a 1.9MP front camera come with intelligent features and face recognition-related options like Tilt to Zoom, Palm Swipe Capture, and Best Photo, which picks the best out of eight continuous shots.
The Pop-up Play feature, meanwhile, allows you to watch videos anywhere on the wide screen while you perform other tasks like emailing or texting. It even has Picture In Picture.
Samsung claims up to a whopping 790 hours of standby time and a bill-shocking 11.4 hours of talk time for this handy (it weighs only 4.7 ounces) yet power-packed device. Unique among the flagship smartphones now on the market, the Samsung Galaxy S III sports a removable battery for easier serviceability.
The Galaxy S III runs on the Android 4.0 ICS OS and is available with either 16GB or 32GB user memory (64GB is going to be available soon) with an option for expansion up to a 64GB microSD card.
It’s also LTE-enabled, which means that it’s compatible with the cutting-edge ultra-fast fourth-generation of mobile connectivity, Long Term Evolution. All sorts of operations and apps run smoothly and swiftly thanks to its fast 2GB of RAM.
The Galaxy S III is also Near Field Communication-ready. Other exclusive and state-of-the-art features of the Samsung Galaxy S III include S-Beam (which lets you transfer pictures, music, videos and more from one Galaxy S III to another simply by placing them back to back), ShareShot, Group Cast, Direct Call, Palm Touch Mute Pause, Turn Over to Mute, and a really cool feature called Shake to Update.
Samsung ATIV S
Samsung’s Windows Phone 8-running ATIV S has the look and feel of a Galaxy S III — even the unlock screen is the same. The sturdy-feeling aluminum-bodied ATIV S, with its largest-in-class 4.7-inch AMOLED screen, really brings WP8 to life.
It has yet to reach local availability, but the ATIV S looks like a great Windows Phone 8 option, especially with its slim form factor, powerful and advanced features, and a long-life battery.
Sony Xperia acro S
The Xperia acro S (available in black or white) is a fitting option for discerning photography and video enthusiasts. This sleek and handsome smartphone boasts of a 4.3-inch scratch-resistant HD display powered by Sony’s Mobile BRAVIA Engine, a stunning 12MP(!) fast-capture camera, and full 1080p HD video-recording capabilities.
It also features quick and seamless connectivity via an HDMI port for easy multimedia viewing on the big screen, as well as built-in Sony media apps (Album, Walkman, and Movies) for the user’s enjoyment.
The Xperia acro S offers the highest level of water-resistance in an HD smartphone, making it an extremely durable option for today’s active individuals. It even features Wet Finger Tracking, allowing one to use the phone even with wet fingers.
The P26,990 Xperia acro S runs with a 1.5GHz dual-core processor on Android 4.0 ICS.
For those on a budget
Just because it’s on a wish list doesn’t mean it has to be expensive. For those who are into budget gadgets, there are three smartphones that deliver just about as much smarts as the preceding flagship phones but without breaking the bank.
Cherry Mobile Flare
Cherry Mobile’s Flare may come with an extremely low price — P3,990 — but that doesn’t stop it from having some serious smartphone specs.
It’s got a Qualcomm MSM8625 Snapdragon S4 1.2GHz dual-core processor, an Adreno 203 GPU, a 4.0-inch IPS capacitive touch panel, 512MB RAM, 4GB internal storage (expandable up to 32GB via microSD card), 3G/HSDPA/Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity, Wi-Fi hotspot capability, GPS with aGPS support, dual-SIM functionality, Dual-Standby, a 5MP rear camera with flash, and a VGA front camera.
The Flare runs on Android 4.0 ICS. It has a 1500mAh battery and weighs 152 grams.
MyPhone A878 Duo
The P6,999 dual-SIM triband MyPhone A878 Duo boasts fast performance, a 5MP autofocus camera with LED flash, a large and vivid 4.3-inch capacitive touch screen, and Android 4.0 ICS.
It’s even got EDGE and Wi-Fi connectivity, a Motion Sensor, GPS, an FM/MP3/MP4 player, a microSD slot (up to 16GB), Bluetooth, USB, a 3.5-mm audio jack, and a built-in Pinoy Phone app.
Starmobile Astra
The Astra is Starmobile’s new Android smartphone. It runs on Android ICS and has fast processing power, thanks to a 1GHz dual-core processor and a powerVR GPU. The phone has an impressive 8MP rear camera with flash and autofocus.
The Starmobile Astra, which comes in black or white, has a 1500mAh battery, 4GB of internal memory, and up to 32GB of memory via MicroSD card.
But that’s not all: This smartphone has — hold your breath — a big 4.3-inch capacitive touch screen, Mobile TV, 3G, Wi-Fi, video calling, A-GPS, Bluetooth and more features than you can hold your breath to. It’s even dual-SIM! The clincher, of course, is the price — an unbelievably low P6,990.
source: philstar.com
