FIVE BEST SMARTPHONES

Apple, Windows and Android are in a slugfest. Here’s what we think about World War III.

Apple iPhone 5

If you haven’t heard the phone mentioned at home, on the way to work, in the office, in the club after work or even during the taxi ride back home, you’re most certainly deaf. You already know that the screen got longer (but not wider), the A6 dual core processor now clocks in at 1.3 GHz as opposed to the 800 MHz of the iPhone 4S and the RAM was nearly doubled to 1 GB from the previous generation of the iPhone 4S. The specs aren’t impressive, and neither are the prices, which range between Rs 59,500 (16 GB), Rs 73,599 (32 GB) and Rs 86,699 (64 GB). Then again, you know that if you were to place any Apple product on a coolness weighing scale, it wouldn’t just max out but it would also say “to be continued.”

HTC One X+

You hate Romney because he’s got two sets of rules: one for those at the top and another for the rest. You dislike Obama too because he hasn’t delivered as much as he promised. But unlike the Presidential elections, you don’t have to settle between just two when it comes to the iOS v Android debate (read: Apple v Samsung). Think of HTC as Samsung’s running mate. The One X+ is a very worthy candidate with a 1.7 GHz quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor, 1 GB RAM and an Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS. Are the running mates set to steal the Presidential candidates’ thunder?

LG Nexus 4

Google uses its Nexus line to test partnerships with hardware majors. The first Nexus smartphone (the Nexus One) was produced in association with HTC, followed by the second and third (Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus) in collaboration with Samsung. For the fourth phone, Google ditched Samsung and set up a rather questionable nexus with LG. Although this device is slated to be officially unveiled on October 29, there have been a number of leaks surrounding the design and its spec sheet. According to these leaks, the 1280 x 768 pixel display will be backed by a 1.5 GHz quad-core processor and 2 GB RAM. Best of all, it may also be the first smartphone in the world to debut Google’s Android 4.2 – this one’s called Key Lime Pie.

Nokia Lumia 920

It wasn’t the 41-megapixel PureView that saved Nokia from eternal damnation. That knight in shining armour was their Lumia series. It had a sleek polycarbonate unibody form factor that probably gave Jonathan Ive sleepless nights, and now boasts of a spanking-new Windows 8 OS. Nokia aren’t as confident as Apple, who’ll go ahead and launch one device in all their markets (price and local sensibilities be damned), and hence the Finnish manufacturers have also launched a cheaper lower-specced Lumia 820 that may hit developing markets. If you’ve got the dosh though, it’s the 920 with its dual-core 1.5 GHz kit, 1 GB RAM and 32 GB of on-board storage which should be your next weapon of choice.

Samsung Galaxy S3

Samsung has been through a messy legal affair. But, there’s no sign of that slowing down its momentum to enter and push their devices into markets like India that Apple have been too snobbish or ignorant to enter. The S3 is their flagship device and has a 2-megapixel front-facing camera, an SD-card slot and a 4.8-inch screen – all of which better Apple’s iPhone 5. Plus, it’s way cheaper than the iPhone 5. They’ve even launched a Mini Galaxy S3 recently. Don’t mistake its size to be proportional to its capabilities. It may not match up to the S3 in terms of its specs – but at an expected price point of Rs 25,000, it may be the Mini S3 that teams up with its big brother to fight a protracted street fight with Apple.