July 2013: Top Five Smartphones

Now we look at the cream of the crop. Smartphones priced at Php20,000 or higher. Understandably, for this amount of money, well, we expect a lot. LTE for instance is a must to make it on the elite list.

All prices posted are for units covered by a manufacturer's warranty.

1. LG Optimus G (Php20,990) - Nexus 4 with LTE

The LG Optimus G is the phone on which the Google Nexus 4 was based. Basically, it as a Nexus 4 with double the storage and LTE.  Priced at just over 20K, it is a compelling option.

Quick specifications:

• Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)
• 4.7-inch HD (768 x 1280) display
• 32 GB internal storage, not expandable
• 2 GB RAM
• 1.5 GHz quad core Qualcomm Krait processor
• Adreno 320 graphics
• 13 MP autofocus primary camera with LED Flash
• 1.3 MP front camera
• LTE/HSPA+
• WiFi
• Bluetooth
• A-GPS
• 2100 mAh battery

The LG Optimus G put together the best of 2012 technology. While it won't stand up to the best of the 2013 offerings, it is a very good value for money offering.

You can read more about the LG Optimus G at this link.

2.  Nokia Lumia 920 (Php22,600) - The best Windows Phone 8 device in the local market

The Nokia Lumia 920 is the best Windows Phone 8 device in the market. 

Its claim to fame is the 8MP primary camera which has Carl Zeiss Optics and optical image stabilization (OIS). The Nokia Lumia 920 is the first phone to offer OIS. A gyroscope is used to detect the motion of the phone and the whole optical assembly moves in the opposite direction to cancel out the movement. That happens 500 times a second. This really does wonder for HD video capture, especially for the action junkies. The still image quality though is disappointingly not up to par with the cameras on the Apple iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S4. 

Quick specifications:

• Windows Phone 8
• 4.5-inch HD (768 x 1280) display
• 32 GB internal storage, not expandable
• 1 GB RAM
• 1.5 GHz dual core Qualcomm Krait processor
• Adreno 225 graphics
• 13 MP autofocus primary camera with LED Flash
• 1.3 MP front camera
• LTE/HSPA+
• WiFi
• Bluetooth
• A-GPS
• 2000 mAh battery

The price of the Nokia Lumia 920 has dropped a lot since its release, and offers good value for the asking price.

We wrote more about the Nokia Lumia 920 in a previous post at this link.

3. Sony Xperia ZL C6503 LTE (Php26,850) - The most compact 5-inch Full HD phone in the market

The Sony Xperia ZL sports a Full HD display tech and a fast quad core processor. The processor is the same one found on the lower cost LG Optimus G. While not as fast as the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One, it is fast enough.

This is also the most compact 5-inch smartphone in the world. By comparison, it is 5 mm shorter, and 0.5 mm narrower than the Samsung Galaxy S4. While its more expensive sibling, the Sony Xperia Z, may look more upscale with its glass case, this one feels better in the hand with its curved back.

Quick specifications:

• Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)
• 5-inch Full HD (1080 x 1920) display
• 32 GB internal storage, not expandable
• 2 GB RAM
• 1.5 GHz quad core Qualcomm Krait processor
• Adreno 320 graphics
• 13 MP autofocus primary camera with LED Flash
• 1.3 MP front camera
• LTE/HSPA+
• WiFi
• Bluetooth
• A-GPS
• 2370 mAh battery

4. Samsung Galaxy S4 i9505 (Php29,990) - The best smartphone ever built

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is the fastest smartphone in the Philippine market. The only thing faster is the Korea only Galaxy S4 LTE Advanced. It has gobs of RAM, LTE connectivity, and an excellent camera. You can expand the internal storage and the battery is user replaceable.

There are very few bad things you can really say about this phone. The TouchWiz enhanced has been given several features which is not necessarily  a good thing. I have to admit, it has gotten to the point that it feels gimmicky. Another frequent complaint about it is that it is made out of plastic.

Quick specifications:

• Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean)
• 5-inch Full HD (1080 x 1920) Super AMOLED display
• 16 GB internal storage, expandable via a MicroSD card
• 2 GB RAM
• 1.9 GHz quad core Qualcomm S600 processor
• Adreno 320 graphics
• 13 MP autofocus primary camera with LED Flash
• 1.3 MP front camera
• LTE/HSPA+
• WiFi
• Bluetooth
• A-GPS
• 2600 mAh battery

5. HTC One (Php30,900) - The best looking smartphone ever built

If you cannot get over the plastic of the Samsung Galaxy S4, don't worry. There is the HTC One. The HTC One has a smaller 4.7-inch screen than the Samsung Galaxy S4, but it also has a Full HD screen. Like the Nokia Lumia 920, it is equipped with optical image stabilization. It has a 4 MP Ultra-Pixel camera, which is designed for better low light performance.

The HTC One is not as fast as the Samsung Galaxy S4. The battery life is shorter. The camera is not as good. But if you can live with being second best in performance, as long as you get the top dog in terms of design, this is the phone for you.

Quick specifications:

• Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)
• 4.7-inch Full HD (1080 x 1920) display
• 32 GB internal storage, not expandable
• 2 GB RAM
• 1.7 GHz quad core Qualcomm S600 processor
• Adreno 320 graphics
• 4 MP autofocus primary camera with LED Flash
• 2.1 MP front camera
• LTE/HSPA+
• WiFi
• Bluetooth
• A-GPS
• 2300 mAh battery

You can read more about the HTC One at this link.

Wildcard: Apple iPhone 5 (PPhp31,300) - The best iPhone ever

There are plenty of reasons for wanting an iPhone. It gives you access to the Apple ecosystem of apps and services for one. In terms of ease of use, it is probably the simplest of the current mobile operating systems.

The Apple iPhone 5 is the best iPhone ever built. The main new feature of the iPhone 5 is the larger 4-inch (640 x 1136) display. You also get substantial hardware upgrades, with 1 GB of RAM,  new dual core A6 processor and LTE making this twice as fast as the iPhone 4S. The A6 processor is built on 32 nm technology, which gives the iPhone 5 not only more power, but also better battery life than previous iPhones. The 8 MP camera is excellent, with only the camera on the Samsung Galaxy S4, and the dedicated camera phones being better.

The Apple iPhone 5 comes in three models, with 16 GB, 32 GB or 64 GB of storage. Storage is not expandable.

Quick specifications:

• iOS 6.1
• 4-inch (640 x 1132) display
• 16/32/64 GB internal storage, not expandable
• 1 GB RAM
• Dual core A6 processor
• PowerVR SGX543MP3 graphics
• 4 MP autofocus primary camera with LED Flash
• 2.1 MP front camera
• LTE/HSPA+
• WiFi
• Bluetooth
• A-GPS
• 1440 mAh battery

The iPhone 5 is getting a bit long in the tooth, and cannot match the performance of the latest Androids. The next model looks to still be five months away. So if you want an iPhone now, this is not a bad phone to live with for the next two years.

Check out my other top five lists:

Top Five Mid-Level Smartphones for July 2013

Top Five Entry-Level Smartphones for July 2013
Five interesting phones that did not make it to the top five list