2012-11-28

Smarter phones




The smartphone market moves quicker than Tom Cruise on the front of a Eurostar. Keeping up with things isn’t easy, so we thought it would be handy to come up with a list of the best mobile phones available today. It should help you make up your mind when it comes to choosing a new mobile phone.

We’ll be updating it each time we find one that’s better. That way, you can rest assured that, whenever you’re reading this, the names on this page are still the very finest mobile phones that money can buy.

Best for gaming

HTC One X+, ?455

HTC’s One X+ has a powerful 1.7GHz quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor inside. This translates to best-in-class gaming capabilities on a smartphone. Being a Nvidia processor also means you get access to Tegra Zone, which features a number of apps with uprated graphics.



The One X+ managed to iron out a lot of the issues with the One X that would have brought your gaming session to an abrupt end. A bigger 2,100mAh battery ensures you can enjoy apps longer on the One X+’s top-of-the-line 720p LCD screen.

READ: HTC One X+ review

Best for beginners

Nokia Lumia 820, ?380

The Nokia Lumia 820 features the latest version of Microsoft’s mobile operating system, Windows Phone 8. Simple and slick, it is the ideal way to get to grips with the world of the smartphone.

The Lumia 820 is also a nicely put-together piece of kit, with Nokia’s typical build quality. It might lack some of the features that flagship phones carry, but as a set of smartphone training wheels, it is perfect.

READ: Nokia Lumia 820 review

Best value

Google Nexus 4, ?240

The Nexus 4, like its Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 brethren, offers one of the best smartphone experiences right now, for a price you can’t really argue with. Well designed and featuring a clean, clutter-free, Android experience, not only is this phone great value, it also beats most of the competition.

The only shortfall we have found with the Nexus 10 comes in its camera. But if you're not bothered about using your phone for photography, this handset offers exceptional value.

READ: Google Nexus 4 review

Best for pocketability

Motorola Razr i, ?300

The Motorola Razr i measures in at 60.9 x 122.5 x 8.3mm, making it extremely thin and portable. It features a near bezel-free display, so even its 4.3-inch screen adds little bulk to the phone overall.

The result is a compact and portable handset that comes with the functionality and screen size of bigger phones. We also like the solid battery performance on the Razr i and that its UI and interface don't veer too far from Android’s conventional set-up. A great pocketable mid-range handset.

READ: Motorola Razr i review

Best for watching movies

Samsung Galaxy Note 2, ?410

The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 has a large 5.5-inch screen, making it perfect for watching movies. Bridging the gap between phone and tablet, this is probably the biggest mobile movie experience you can get at the moment.

We found the Note 2 to be one of the most captivating handsets we have used in a long time. Once you get over the sheer size of it, the great screen, innovative S Pen and performance of the handset make it an ideal phone for media and movies.

READ: Samsung Galaxy Note 2 review

Best for browsing the web

Samsung Galaxy S III LTE, ?410

The SGS3 was already a performer, but throw in LTE connectivity in the EE exclusive version and it's one of the smartphones to have. LTE means faster network connectivity which, when coupled with the lightning-quick Chrome browser on Android, turns the Samsung Galaxy S III into a web-browsing machine.

The SGS3 also has a large, bright, 720p 4.8-inch screen with a pixel density of 306ppi. This means crisp text and sharp images on every web page. You can also see more of the page itself, thanks to the Samsung Galaxy S III’s hardware Android buttons, which leave the whole of the web browser to fill the screen.

READ: Samsung Galaxy S III LTE review

Best for taking pictures

Nokia Lumia 920, ?495

Nokia’s Lumia 920 keeps up the Finnish manufacturer’s imaging heritage with its top-of-the-line PureView camera. The 8.7 megapixel sensor uses optical image stabilisation tech to significantly improve its low-light shooting capabilities.

We might have found the phone fairly hefty in our review, but we couldn't argue with its image quality. The f2.0 lens could be a touch hit and miss, but when the Lumia 920 got it right, it approached DSLR levels of quality.

READ: Nokia Lumia 920 review

Best for reading

Apple iPhone 5, ?529

The Apple iPhone 5 comes with the largest display Apple has ever put on an iPhone. At 4-inches, this IPS Retina display boasts crisp text and rich colours. You also get Apple’s iBooks to play with, which is one of the best ways to download and store books on a handset.

And of course, you get an iPhone 5, which is one of the best put-together smartphones released this year.

READ: Apple iPhone 5 review

Tags:
Phones Mobile phones Features Nokia Samsung Apple Motorola LG HTC

Best mobile phones available today originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 28 Nov 2012 16:17:00 +0000

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