It seems a tad overwhelming to compare 4 of the best smartphones of 2012 with each other – but we decided to take up the challenge. But we’re giving this showdown our little twist and doing it in a slightly different manner, instead of directly pitting one device against the other. If you’re among the blessed few for who budget is not a concern and wouldn’t mind splurging on a high end smartphone, but unsure of which way to go, this article could be just the enlightenment you require.
Here’s what we do and don’t love about each of these four gorgeous smartphones:
Apple iPhone 5
What we love: It’s an Apple iPhone – need we say anything more? Priced at Rs 39999 with a much faster processor in a slimmer, lighter body, the iPhone 5 is without a doubt a huge step forward when compared to the iPhone 4S. iOS 6 works like a dream and with a plethora of apps to choose from, it’s definitely one of the most handy smartphones one could ever pick up. The iPhone 5’s 8 MP rear camera with advanced features like HDR modes and 360-degree panorama can make anyone fall in love with photography!
What we don’t love: To start with, probably the biggest disappointment was the 4-inch display which Apple hasn’t enhanced. Viewing isn’t as much of a delight on what we now feel a small screen, especially when you compare it with the other 3 smartphones in its league. We also wish Apple had put in a little more RAM. The 1 GB of RAM does seem little inadequate, considering that HTC Droid DNA and the Galaxy Note 2 come with 2 GB of RAM. Oh, and not to forget the lack of a microSD card slot, which means you’re limited to internal storage.
Samsung Galaxy S3
What we love: Let’s start with its looks – we love the curved edges and the pebble design. Priced at Rs 35999 with a gorgeous 4.8-inch Super AMOLED display, colors are reproduced in a brilliant manner on the Galaxy S3’s screen. Samsung has been thoughtful enough to include a microSD card slot, giving us the option of expanding the memory of this phone, which is an absolute delight. The Galaxy S3’s got a great camera too – 8 MP with LED flash that also records videos at full HD resolution. We love its additional functions, especially the burst mode, panorama, face and smile detection, etc. The 2100 mAh battery also provides adequate power to keep the phone running for over a day, even with heavy usage.
What we don’t love: This section’s really hard to write, given that we can find so few faults with Samsung’s flagship Android smartphone. However, we wish Samsung would have bumped up its RAM to 2 GB, instead of having just 1 GB. Because, with a dual-core processor, more RAM would just let us enjoy multitasking even more!
HTC Droid DNA
What we love: For once, Samsung has found a worthy enough contender in HTC’s Droid DNA, and even if this phone just showed up rather recently, we think it’s quite an interesting competitor. Priced at Rs 35000, it’s as powerful as the Galaxy Note 2, with a quad-core processor, 2 GB RAM and a 5-inch Super LCD 3 display. We also love its 2.1 MP front-facing camera which is the highest resolution among its contenders. It’s shipped with Android 4.1 and can be upgraded to Android 4.2.
What we don’t love: The biggest disappointment about the Droid DNA is its limited memory. It comes with 16 GB of internal storage and no microSD card slot. For a device that’s as powerful, we really wish HTC would have put more thought into this aspect. We also feel that the 2020 mAh battery might not be adequate for such a large phone.
Samsung Galaxy Note 2
What we love: It’s got an absolutely stunning 5.5-inch Super AMOLED display which works with an S-Pen. Priced at Rs 35499 with 64 GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot, Samsung’s designed this device to be an optimal computing partner for those on the go. Its quad-core processor and 2 GB of RAM bring out the best of Android with multitasking capabilities. Its massive 3100 mAh battery gives it more than enough power to last for over a day as well.
What we don’t love: In terms of phablets, this one’s definitely as grand as it can get. However, we do worry that the size might be a hindrance for some, as it can’t be pocketed and carried around as easily as the other phones. The Galaxy Note 2 is shipped with Android 4.1.1 and upgradable to Android 4.1.2 – we’re not sure if it can be upgraded to Android 4.2 yet.