The Top 5 Smartphones Available Right Now

Posted by jffcrmr | 6 comments

Jan 18, 12

Many smartphones were released in 2011; some were weak, others were solid, powerful, devices and some others were just outstanding.

Eschewing dull introductions, I’d like to speak about the best and the coolest phones launched in 2011, available right now.

5. Motorola Droid Razr

The first thing you notice when you look at the Motorola Droid Razr is its design. Slim and sleek as almost all of the latest Motorola phones, the Droid Razr is really recognizable with its “edgy” style. It’s rather fast, too, with the dual-core 1.2GHz T1 OMAP 4430 processor it has and Android 2.3.5 OS, and the 4.3-inch AMOLED screen with 540 x 960 resolution is a nice addition to this cool phone.

The Motorola Droid Razr has a 1780 mAh Li-Ion battery, but the users report that the battery life of the phone is actually rather short, and this shortcoming took the phone to the last place in my list. The phone’s SIM-free version can be purchased for about $570.

4. HTC Sensation XE

One of the latest phones in HTC’s Sensation line – the Sensation XE – is the fourth in my list of the best phones released in 2011. Launched in October, it boasts the famous Beats Audio system with its premium-quality headphones that provide very good sound. It also has a 4.3-inch touchscreen display with 540 x 960 pixels resolution (~256 ppi pixel density, which is rather good), dual-core 1.5 GHz Scorpion CPU with Adreno 220 GPU, 768 MB RAM and 4 GB of internal storage.

The HTC Sensation XE also has an 8MP camera with auto-focus and dual-LED flash; it takes 3264×2448 pixels photos and 1080p@30fps videos. As for software, it runs Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread and maybe one day it will be upgraded to the newest version of Google’s patform – Ice Cream Sandwich.

Whilst I haven’t owned a Sensation XE, I think it’s a great phone, one of the best phones HTC has ever made, and I’m almost sure I would buy it if I didn’t own a Samsung Galaxy S2. The SIM-free version of the HTC Sensation XE costs about $650-730, which is, well, a bit expensive, but not too terrible for a powerful smartphone.

3. Apple iPhone 4S

Many people think the new iPhone 4S is the best phone released in 2011. I’ve used it for about a week and I can say now that the phone is good, of course, but it yields to some other phones (which will be the first two in my list), that’s why it has taken the third place.

First of all, the iPhone 4S has a good 3.5-inch screen with a Retina Display – a pixel density of 326 pixels per inch, and upgraded dual-core A5 chip. Second, it has iOS 5 and a smart user assistant called Siri (she sounds to be a great feature, but it’s rather slow to respond and isn’t as smart as I imagined).

The iPhone 4S doesn’t have any microSD or other card slots, which is also a shortcoming for me, since the 16GB version may not be enough, and the 64GB version is rather expensive – about $800-$1000 (though you can find better iPhone deals if you agree to sign a two-year contract with one of the carriers in your area).

2. Samsung Galaxy S2

For many months almost all geeks claimed the Samsung Galaxy S2, released in April, was the best smartphone ever. I’ve been an owner of a Galaxy S2 for several months already, and I can say for sure – those geeks were right, it’s really a great phone.

Armed with a dual-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A9 processor providing good performance together with 1 GB RAM, a good 8MP camera taking 3264×2448 pics and HD videos, a 4.3-inch touchscreen (480 x 800 pixels resolution isn’t much, but the screen of the Galaxy S2 is very bright and clear anyway) and a 1650 mAh Li-Ion battery providing many, many hours of talk time.

The S2 runs Android 2.3 (and Android is a big plus, yeah!) but will most likely be upgraded to ICS soon. The SIM-free version of the Samsung Galaxy S2 can be bought for about $700, but you’ll pay much less for a contract version.

1. Samsung Galaxy Nexus

As I’ve mentioned, I really love the Samsung Galaxy S2, but there is one phone that is better and more powerful – it’s, of course, one of the latest Samsung phones – the Galaxy Nexus.

It has a huge 4.65-inch touchscreen with 720 x 1280 pixels resolution providing about ~316 ppi pixel density and really bright colors. Dual-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A9 it runs on is fast, and the Li-Ion 1750 mAh battery (what else should you expect from a phone with such a big screen?) makes sure you won’t have to charge your phone too often.

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus comes with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and all the goodies it brings, and this is perhaps the best feature this phone has. As for the price, you can buy the contract-free version for about $750, which is a good price for one of the most powerful smartphones released in 2011.

Of course, by this article I’m not trying to say that these are the only good phones released in 2011. There were also the Samsung Galaxy Note (which is something between a smartphone and a tablet – that’s one of the reasons I didn’t include it in my list; the second reason is – I didn’t want three of five best smartphones of 2011 to be made by Samsung), Nokia’s new Windows Phone-based smartphones that are yet to prove themselves, and many other phones, too.

Which smartphones do you consider to be the best on the market right now? Let us know in the comments below!

Author: Amelia Hunter who is a professional journalist and blogger who likes to read and write about technologies, PC games, and the latest smartphones. 

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