SMARTPHONE..WHICH TO BUY? STILL UNDECIDED!

THE SMARTPHONE SHOOTOUT BEGINS

The last five months have thrown up some of the biggest models – now, it’s time for you to pick a winner

T HE MOBILE phone is a unique beast. It came suddenly and out of nowhere and once out, was reviewed as mediocre technology and dismissed as a niche luxury device with a market of a few thousand. Today, the mobile phone is the only piece of technology that always seems to deliver above expectations. Billions in sales, an insatiable appetite to upgrade among customers and an inexhaustible demand for new phones is keeping this category hot and flaming.
New phones are pouring in at the speed of light, breakthrough features are a dime a dozen, lower priced phones can swap punches with some of their big brothers and the technology inside the phone can make most laptops and desktop computers look positively puny in comparison. Yet, within this plethora of phones, each company has a benchmark device. A device that sets a standard, a phone that defines who they are as a company. Usually benchmark phone releases are few and far between. But not this time. The first five months in 2012 have thrown up some of the biggest phones in the history of mobiles. Thus, it’s time to do a shootout. The super smartphone shootout of 2012.
Let’s take a quick look at some critical features that stick out and can swing buying decisions either way.
1. Screen: The one thing that you interact with all day. The trend is towards big screens and while the S3 has the biggest, it’s not only about size. PPI or Pixels Per Inch matter – and at one time, the iphone 4S was miles ahead with 330PPI. The Xperia S has pipped it now with a 342PPI screen.
2. Weight: In a world where screens are big and phones are small and light, the XOLO is the lightest and the Lumia the heaviest. Still it’s only 30 grams that separate all the phones.
3. Processors: HTC and Samsung ace it with quad core hearts while Sony and Apple have dual cores. Interestingly the XOLO with Intel inside is a serious contender here.
4. Optics: The S3, the One X, the iphone, the Lumia and the XOLO all top out at 8 megapixels. The Sony forges ahead with 12 megapixels.
Powerhouse: The Samsung S3 packs a punch with a 2100mah battery while the XOLO and the iphone bring in the bottom.
Out of Pocket: The S3 is expected to be priced at around R36,000, the One X is around the same, while the Xperia S is available for R31,000. The iphone 4S starts at around R43,000, the Lumia 900 is expected at R32,000 and the XOLO is priced at around R22,000.

AND THE SMARTPHONE CONTENDERS ARE...

SAMSUNG GALAXY S3
The phone that set the cat amongst the pigeons. The humanisation of technology, the device with built-in intelligence inside and the mobile phone that talks about features rather than hardware. But will the S3 humanisation gamble work?
HTC ONE X
This uber-designed phone sizzled at MWC in Spain. With a polycarbonate unibody, a sleek feel in the hand that defied its size, a powerhouse of a processor and a Beats Audio sound that makes your very bones thump. But did HTC do enough against what came right after?
SONY XPERIA S
It’s the footloose, fancy free and all-on-its-own Sony. And they’ve got a few axes to grind and a lot of points to prove. They’ve had four big releases in a span of two months but the benchmark is still the Xperia S – but can Sony regain lost ground with this new blitz?
IPHONE 4S
First off the block and easily the King of the Hill. Typical Apple: clean lines, a supreme screen, a talk-back assistant and all the goodness of Apple’s ‘just works’ IOS. But now that it’s been out for a while is the 4S showing its age against the younger lot?
NOKIA LUMIA 900
Nokia’s showcase Windows phone, it started the trend of polycarbonate over metal and glass and is the one phone that makes sure that Windows is now a contender in the world of smartphones. But does the Lumia 900 have it to take on the Android and Apple?
XOLO Intel
When an Indian company stands tall with the iconic Intel – and releases a world first – it’s time to celebrate. With ‘Intel Inside’ blazing on the outside, the XOLO promised performance, speed and ability above all. Does it deliver?

RAJIV MAKHNI HTBR 120520