How to choose the right smartphone explained: the best phones of 2013
If you are in the market for a new smartphone, the choice can be bewildering. Here's our advice on how to choose your next mobile phone. Also check out Group test: what's the best smartphone?
What smartphone should I buy? Mobiles in 2013
The iPhone wasn't the first smartphone, but its arrival in 2007 changed things beyond recognition. Designer gadget and utilitarian tool, the iPhone wrapped existing features and functions into one desirable package. It's taken the rest of the world five years to catch up, but catch up it has.
Now there are multiple top-quality smartphones, on various platforms at a range of prices.
Which handset you opt for will be a matter of personal, subjective choice. The iPhone 5 remains at the pinnacle, but it is joined there by Android handsets such as the Nexus 4 and the Samsung Galaxy S3, as well as Windows Phone 8 devices such as the Nokia Lumia 920 and HTC Windows Phone 8X. Each offers excellent build and performance, and a full range of smartphone features from email and web browsing through to multimedia playback, apps and games.
There are differences in storage and screen size, and you will have your personal preferred style – one man's ugly brick is the next chap's statement-making slab.
One thing we can all agree on is that price is a key consideration: some phones cost more than others, of course, especially if you are buying a handset outright and then sourcing your SIM elsewhere. This is often the most cost-effective way of purchasing a smartphone: be sure to compare the lifetime cost of your phone against any contract deal offered.
iPhone 5 vs Samsung Galaxy SIII: comparison review video
What smartphone should I buy? Android vs iPhone vs Windows Phone 8
Often, your choice of phone will come down to platform. And with apologies to RiM and Canonical, until we see what BlackBerry 10 and Ubuntu Mobile have to offer the choice for all but CrackBerry addicts is iOS, Android or Windows Phone. Each has good reasons to choose it.
Remember that if you are moving from one platform to another you will have to replace the apps you use, which will add additional cost to your purchase. In most cases – and especially when moving to Android – you should have no problem moving across music and movies.
iOS benefits from being the longest established of the big players. iOS 6 is beautiful, easy to use, stable and secure. And although Android has as many apps, the iPhone remains the phone of choice for developers. Whatever you want to do on your iPhone, there's an app for that.
You don't get a lot of choice with iOs, however. It's the iPhone 5 or the iPhone 5. And unless you jailbreak your handset, you can install only apps from Apple's App Store. You won't install any malware, but you are locked in to the view of the world from Cupertino.
You are also limited to using iTunes to administer – and purchase – music and movies.
Android has come a long way, but not all Androids are equal. As well as a wide variety of handsets to choose from, a bewilderingly complex range of Android operating systems is available on new phones.
Because Android is – to an extent– open, hardware makers can choose which version they use. It also gives phone builder little incentive to pass on upgrades from Google. Check which version of Android you are getting – it makes a difference in terms of user experience and what apps you can install.
High-end phones such as the Galaxy Note II and Nexus 4 run Android 4 Jelly Bean. Other recent handsets such as the Sony Xperia T and the HTC Desire X offer the earlier Ice Cream Sandwich. Both of these are mature mobile OSes, offering something approaching the slickness and ease of use of iOS. These days all the major apps are accounted for, and Android offers more customisation to both handset owner and maker.
Google Nexus 4 video review
This means you can choose from where you purchase music, videos and even apps. It also allows phone makers to experiment, leading to the creation of game-changing devices such as the Galaxy Note II phone/tablet hybrid. The same openness does, however, leave you open to the possibility of installing malware, both from within the Google Play Store and without. See also: Which is better: Android or Windows Phone?
Windows Phone 8 sits somewhere between iOS and Android, being both locked down and available on a variety of handsets. Like Apple's platform it benefits from a curated – although sparsely populated – app store. It's great to look at and easy to use, and the strict minimum specifications mean that all available WP8 handsets provide slick performance. IE10 offers an unsurpassed mobile web-browsing experience, and WP8 feeds all email and social messaging into a single unified pane (whether you like that or not).
Those same minimum specs lead to a certain uniformity when it comes to Windows Phones, however. Leaving aside looks, storage and camera, all new Windows Phones are the same. If you like it, you'll love it. For everyone else, there's an Android or iPhone device to suit. See also: What's the point of Windows Phone 8?
What smartphone should I buy? The verdict
By a hair's breadth the iPhone 5 remains the best phone on the market, being the complete package of performance, build quality and features. But its advantage over the Nexus 4 evaporates when you take into account the relative price of each handset. The Nexus 4 is, simply, a brilliant deal. Well built, full featured, and with great specifications.
If you can't source the Nexus 4, Android fans will find plenty to enjoy with the other Droids, and if they shop around may even find a bargain in the Xperia T or Desire X.
The Galaxy Note II is an intriguing device, offering some of the benefits of a tablet in a form factor only marginally different to a traditional smartphone. It won't be for everyone, but if you need a portable computer on which to create as well as consume, the Note II offers great performance and – glory be – a stylus. Those who would like a Samsung android phone should consider the Galaxy S III, a little long in the tooth, but still a great phone. We look forward to the Galaxy S IV with interest.
Nokia Lumia 920 video review
Windows Phones remain the jokers in this particular pack. They offer some of the benefits and some of the down sides of both Android and iOS, without being obviously better than either. But the Nokia Lumia 920 and HTC Windows Phone 8X are well built, high-performance handsets. If you want Windows in your pocket, you won't go far wrong with either of these.
Comments
disqustang said: Ive had PCs over 12 years with never an HD crash Not so with Apples in my family 3 replacements with lost data in ONE YEAR I do not like Apple Sam I Am
Jonathan Mercieca said: I use iphones Androids and Windows Phone 8 Im a lover of technology and there are good and bad points about all 3 platformsThe truth is Windows Phone is the only real difference They have not tried imitating anyone Its fresh bold new amp modern Sure you either love it or loath it but hats off to Microsoft for giving us something fantastic to use which is a completely different ball game and experience to any other OS out there And I dont think it will be a failure if anything come back to this post in 2 or 3 years and you might find Apples or Googles shares that have shrunk to a global mobile share similar to Meego or Symbian People worldwide are getting bored and frustrated of Apples locked down Buy it or dont have it eco system and Androids fragmentation where security issues are a real threat and joke but updates to resolve any issues are rarer than rocking horse st Microsoft have hit the perfect balance and I strongly believe they will only get better
Abdul said: i sold my new samsung galaxy ACE and NOTE 7000 due to no proper batter back up thats a reason i m swicthing to nokia lumia 820i agree that windows Phone are best
Matt Egan said: Heres an early sentence from this review Which handset you opt for will be a matter of personal subjective choice Im just giving an overview of the options - or rather I was in January Due an update now
Ettercap said: Ive never understood why people write articles telling people what they should buy They tend to be completely based upon opinion which guarantees absolutely nothing Whenever someone asks me what smartphone they should buy i say You should go and test a couple out and see which one you like because last time i checked peoples opinions vary depending on what they are looking for Another good way is to check the specs and learn how to read and understand the components that build a smartphone so you can better understand what youre buying because you could buy a brand new car with a old motor and bad transmission in it and it would be about as good as an old car with the sameThe other people posting are only responding in a way thats natural to a debate based on opinion rather than fact
Russianblowt said: personally prefered the htc a lot much more
K8ppa said: Dont nokias have a habit of freezing though hmmthink they do
Shawn Plano said: Lumia 920 here its definitely the best choice out there by and large i will never go back to android or iOS
brandon haynee said: Go jelly bean
Saubaalchanabatla said: go for fumia or fanderoid or findos any one of empay wisely
Matt Egan said: Very kind Appreciate all comments friend and foe
talonace said: Hello Matt Your article is well written Some of the review that I have read suggest only one thing to me ignorance to opinion Keep up the good work and I look forward to more
Rockyboot2asses said: U chutiya
Matt Egan said: Thats great but its not available in the UK
atish said: The HTC Butterfly really aced our audio quality test showing nicely clean output and garnishing it with way above average volume levelsThe smartphone did great in the active external amplifier part of the test posting great scores all over the field In addition it had volume levels higher than all of its competitors and close to that of the Apple iPad 4 tablet which is the loudest device we have tested recentlyMore impressively theres next to no degradation when you plug in a pair of headphones The stereo crosstalk rises but thats the only affected reading Volume levels remain at the same high level too This is one of the first occasions when HTC has really made the Beats audio logo stand for something other than a simple equalizer but the wait was probably worth it best regards httpmobileinindiain
ArchAngel_7 said: Actually my apple experience is that it does work Except iTunes How that could have been developed by apple is beyond me And its reason number two I own an Android
ArchAngel_7 said: Did Microsoft pay you to write thatRelax the things you state as strengths dont appear to be to me If I want to use a locked down OS Im gonna be hard pressed not getting an IPhone
ArchAngel_7 said: Which phone is best depends on what you want to do I moved from my IPhone 4s to a Galaxy Note largely due to the larger screen Now that Im nearing my next upgrade Ill have to think hard on my next one Android offers great flexibility Not having to use ITunes is huge So is being able to download ringtones and music directly to my phone The Note 1 though is slow and a bit laggy There are issues with posting on message boards like this and though Ive tried chrome and dolphin none are as sleek as safari Infact Im writing on my I pad right now only because the note is so buggy for this purposeThe IPhone is like living in a gilded cage If you can stomach iTunes and its archaic feel then kudos to you iTunes makes me want to kill my computer Otherwise an iPhone works like a dream The IOS is far and away superior to Android ICS and there is still no jellybean update for my note The iPhone has such an elegant feel though that I can stand the cageSo it came down to screen size Even the IPhone 5 is tiny to me If indeed the iPhone 6 has a 45 inch screen I may go back Otherwise Im staying with Android
Zinga said: u chutiya
Corey said: I couldnt agree more