Top 5 smartphones (February 2013 edition)
Summary: Five of the best smartphones. Something for those who like iOS, Android, and Windows Phone.
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Introduction
Whenever I present a list of what I believe are the best smartphones and tablets, I invariably get comments from readers who feel that it is artificial and arbitrary for me to break down devices by operating system. They feel that the 'best' device should come down to the hardware, and not the operating system it runs.
OK then, let's do that.
Here are five of the best smartphones currently on offer.
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Talkback
Say the iphone is king just cus it sells alot is a hipsters folly
Unless you love cracked screens maybe or condom cases on your iphone, idk lol
You should of just said here are the top 5 in no order.
Your Analogy...
There are two many droid phones, not really counting cheap ones
Find me a material as impact resistant as polymers
And while you search, I'll just point out that plastics is far and away a better choice than a cheap aluminum alloy that starts flaking away even before it gets out of the package, and that is the case for many reasons, durability being the greatest. Or are you going to argue that people have those plastic and rubber cases on their iphones for a reason other than making up for the iPhones inherently fragile body?
Because their easy to find for their models.
As for the body, plastics wear badly, metal's paint flakes. Nokia's approach with their windows phones has been the best so far in that respect; if you scratch it the colour doesn't get scratched off but it also won't crack as easily as a plastic bodied phone.
It's one of the great irony's; all my mobile tech will spend most of it's life in protective cases (none of them are truly built for the lives they lead) yet I still make final decisions based on look and feel without it; apple know this so they use the expensive metals and glasses in their cases. It makes them harder wearing, but more prone to impact damage. Nokias solution seems to be the future to my mind, but it's a little to early to tell. Cheap bendy plastics on plus 300 units is not acceptable.
Forgot to say the razr maxx had is my favourite by far.
All In all excellent list! I'd possible swap out the note2 for the sony xperia Z as I think the form factor makes it a but niche but otherwise excellent list covering all the bases!
battery life
Yes but I also want a smart phone...
One of the reasons they are remembered for their battery life is that they were most popular with teenagers - my generation. 5110 3210 8210 I owned them all I even had a 3310 for a while on loan. Forget unlimited calls, everyone was on pas as you go and calls cost around 35p a minute. If you called someone you got off the phone as quick as possible not to "rinse" your credit. This meant that you would spend maybe less than an hour on the phone a month, communicating via text message.
Result of this; the phone was nearly always on standby and standby lasted so long because it didn't do anything but talk to the network; no wi-fi, Bluetooth, email checking, cloud syncing, no mobile data. And then when you did use it; low res monochrome screen with led backlight - no large brightly lit hd colour screen to power, no camera or music playback.
Don't get my wrong I love those old Nokias; they defined my generation, but credit where it's due; yes they were designed to use as little power as possible, just like the razr maxx series, but it wasn't quite "legendary" performance. Fact is tech moves on; the phones that replaced the old Nokias got better talk time - the iconic colour/camera motorola's got around 7 hours and then their replacements the fantastic Sony cybershot devices would usually have 9 hours talk time, with budget compact camera rivalling performance and memory card/Walkman capabilities. Of course if you went near WAP your portability would suffer!
The reason I praise moto so much for it is that no one else seemed to be bothering; smartphones also get very good talk time, but have very poor general usage time because they have to do so much. As the tech has moved on, companies such as apple and Samsung seem to have just used the advances to shrink the battery to make it smaller/lighter rather than increase life - you'll have to charge it every day anyway my razr maxx replaced my 4s and now I won't be going back; I just don't find myself constantly watching the battery meter on the way home.
battery life
my 920 last all day, at worst I get half a drain if
At night I just set it on the free wireless charger nokia provides on my nightstand.
Haven't plugged it in, in months.
But I do agree with your analagy to Mercedes
Perceived quality
A Camry and Mercedes do not use the same engine, gas tank, etc. ;)
Lags behind in HW? You must be joking. iP5 is inferior
If the use of more metal equates to upscale build quality and advanced HW, I am afraid that I need to go back to school to take a degree on psychology!
Toyotas Last Longer
"Best" is always subjective ....
As far as limiting it to the hw only, that is pretty ridiculous. HW without sw is as useful as a stick.
Speaking of software
Your living in the past app man
and do it
wp is pretty smooth, but I'll never understand how people want to use that paint shop explosion.
Yes they do, CB7
And of course you have no obsession with Windows 8 Phone whatsoever, nore are scared by it in any way. If that was the case you'd comment on it all of the time.
All of the time... ;)
I agree Troll Hunter you troll
You noob