Best Android Smartphones (April 2013 edition)

Looking to replace your aging Android companion with something newer and with a little more oomph? Here are five excellent Android-powered smartphones from Google, Motorola, and Samsung.

No matter whether you are looking for a consumer handset or something that will be suited to a BYOD role, you're bound to find something of interest here.

The handsets are arranged in no particular order, but my current favorite is the Nexus 4. It's a powerful package that delivers what I believe to be the best, purest Android experience possible.

The Nexus 4 is the smartphone that Google thinks Android should be loaded on.

One of the downsides to the Nexus 4 is that it doesn't come with LTE support, despite having a supporting integrated modem. According to LG, the manufacturer of the Nexus 4, the LTE modem requires a signal amplifier and filter to work, and these components have been omitted to keep the cost of the handset down.

Despite this, the Nexus 4 is a solid, well-made Android handset.

• Jelly Bean (Android 4.2)

• 1.5 GHz quad-core Krait processor

• 4.7-inch WXGA IPS display

• 8MP rear camera

• 1.3MP front camera

• 8/16GB internal storage

Here we have a new entry from Motorola — the Razr i.

Perhaps not the best — or best made — handset around, but the Razr i is nonetheless a decent, solid smartphone that won't break the bank.

The DuPont Kevlar fibre and Corning Gorilla Glass construction gives it a good feel in the hand, and it comes with an SD-card slot for storage expansion, something that the Nexus 4 doesn't have.

• Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0), but Jelly Bean in inbound

• 2GHz Intel Atom Z2460

• 4.3-inch Super AMOLED 540x960 display

• 8MP rear camera

• VGA front camera

• 8GB internal storage

The Samsung Galaxy Note II is the Android smartphone for those people with large hands to hold it with, and large pockets to keep it in.

The Samsung Galaxy Note II really is a solid handset packed with an array of high-end features. It even comes with the S Pen that can be used to copy text, crop images, and to even share content.

• Jelly Bean (Android 4.1)

• 1.6 GHz quad-core Samsung Exynos processor

• 5.5-inch Super AMOLED HD display

• 8MP rear camera

• 1.9MP front camera

• 16/32/64GB internal storage

• MicroSD slot

The Motorola Droid Razr Maxx HD is Motorola's latest high-end smartphone, and it brings both a high-definition 4.7-inch display and a massive 3,300mAh battery, good enough for 32-hours of use.

It's also tough, constructed form DuPont Kevlar fibre and Corning Gorilla Glass, and features water-repellent nanoparticles to shield against water, even on the internal circuit boards.

The only downside to this handset is that it is powered by Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, but an upgrade to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean should be available before the end of the year.

• Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0), but an update is on the way

• Dual-core 1.5GHz processor

• 4.7-inch Super AMOLED HD Display, 720p (720x1280)

• 8MP rear-facing camera

• 1.3MP front-facing with 720p HD video capture

• 1080p HD video capture

• 32 GB internal storage

• MicroSD card slot

Without a doubt, this is still the best Android smartphone available today — at least until the S4 is released. If you can wait, I suggest waiting, but if being at the bleeding edge doesn't matter, then the S3 is now a great buy.

Not only is it packed with high-end features, such as an amazing 4.8-inch super AMOLED display and a really solid camera, but it also appeals to the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) crowd. The handset has a number of enterprise-friendly features, including AuthenTec's QuickSec VPN client technology that allows users to access corporate networks when out and about.

• Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0)

• 1.5 GHz dual-core Krait processor

• 4.8-inch Super AMOLED display

• 8MP rear camera

• 1.9MP front camera

• 16/32GB internal storage

• MicroSD slot