What are the best mobile phones to buy in 2013 so far?
2013 is shaping up to be quite a year for smartphones. We’ve already seen plenty of new devices launched in and around CES 2013 and Mobile World Congress 2013. And there’s still a lot more to come – in September alone we'll see the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, HTC One Max, Sony Xperia Honami, Nokia Bandit and, of course, Apple's iPhone 5S.
So far we’ve seen launches from some of the industry’s most significant players: Samsung, Sony, Nokia, BlackBerry, HTC, LG, Huawei, and ZTE. All of which represent a significant leap forwards in terms of processing power, display technology, and features.
Most of 2013’s new high-rolling handsets feature full HD displays and high-end processors, CPUs that make last year’s Snapdragon S4 look practically remedial. And some handsets, notably the Xperia Z, Samsung Galaxy S4 Active and Huawei Ascend D2, are also water and dust resistant – that means you can use them in the bath.
Here’s our pick of the best handsets of 2013 so far:
Samsung Galaxy S4 Active
It’s basically the Samsung Galaxy S4 just ruggedised, meaning you can submerge it in water and drop it on the floor without having to call your insurance people. And, best of all, Samsung hasn’t scrimped on the spec here either – the Galaxy S4 Active packs just as much as a punch as its flagship brother.
Launched alongside the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom and Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini, as well as Samsung’s new Galaxy Camera, the Active is, essentially, a direct rebuttal to Sony’s big-selling Xperia Z handset. And, importantly, it’s one that hits all the right buttons.
Know Your Mobile scribe Damien McFerran put the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active to the test over the course of a couple of weeks. Below are his concluding comments on the handset:
‘Although it has a weaker camera and lacks the striking Super AMOLED screen of the standard S4, the Galaxy S4 Active is actually the better phone of the two, purely because it offers the same degree of power but comes with water and dust resistance.
The increased resilience to the elements might seem like a gimmick, but not having to worry about getting your phone wet when you’re waiting for the bus on a raining evening is actually more of a blessing than you might think. It’s also hard not to prefer the rugged appearance of the S4 Active - the revised casing and physical buttons below the screen are sure to strike a chord with many who considered the standard S4 to be too similar to the S3.’
Samsung Galaxy S4 Active Specifications
| Length | 139.7 mm |
| Width | 71.3 mm |
| Thickness | 9.1 mm |
| Weight | 153g |
| Screen Size | 1080 x 1920 pixels TFT, 5 inches |
| Camera Resolution | 8-megapixels (rear), 2-megapixels (front) |
| Operating System | Android 4.2.2 |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 with 2GB of RAM |
| Built-in Memory | 16GB (of which you get 11GB) |
| Additional Memory | up to 64GB via microSD |
| High-speed Data | 3G and 4G |
LG G2
LG's flagship G2 may have only just launched, but it's certainly looking like a strong contender in the smartphone popularity race.
On the front, there's a 5.2-inch HD display, while the back features a rather oddly-placed volume/power button on the back alongside the camera.
The camera is a 13-megapixel snapper with advanced optical image stabilisation allowing for super-crisp snaps.
Packed inside, there's 2GB RAM and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor running at 2.2GHz.
The LG G2 ships with Android 4.2.2, although we're hopeful this will be updated to Android 4.3 in the near future.
HTC One Mini
To call the HTC One Mini a cheaper HTC One – which it is – just doesn’t do this handset justice. HTC has crammed in so much of what made the HTC One by far and away one of the best handsets of the past 12 months that it’s difficult, save for the size difference, to tell the two devices apart.
You get Beats Audio, the same MegaPixel camera that’s found in the HTC One, a very competent Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 CPU, Sense 5.0, and integrated support for things like HTC Zoe, Watch and even 7digital. There’s no NFC or IR Blaster, however, but given the slew of stuff that did make it across we’re more than happy to let that slide.
HTC One Mini Specs
- Android 4.2.2 with HTC Sense 5 and BlinkFeed
- Display: 4.3-inch at 720p, for 341 pixels per inch
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 400, dual-core, 1.4GHz
- Total storage: 16GB, available capacity varies
- RAM: 1GB DDR2
- Battery: 1800 mAh
- Size: 132 x 63.2 x 9.25mm
- Weight: 122g
After spending some time with the HTC One Mini, we concluded:
'HTC told us that it took a ‘no compromise’ approach to developing the HTC One Mini. Looking at the device, holding it in your hand, and flicking around the UX illustrates this point profoundly. Everything that set the One apart from the crowd is here – imaging technology, quality build materials, UX design and functionality.'
Nokia Lumia 1020
Nothing divides opinion like Microsoft’s Windows Phone OS, but what Nokia has come to the table with here cannot be disputed. The Nokia Lumia 1020’s imaging capabilities, with its 41-megapixel PureView camera, are unprecedented within the mobile space. And the specs aren’t bad either, as you can see below:
Nokia Lumia 1020 Specs
- 41-megapixel camera, 1080p video and a Xenon flash
- 3X zoom and six-lens camera, and secondary camera with wide-angle lens
- 4.5-inch AMOLED HD+ display with resolution of 1280x768
- Screen made of Gorilla Glass 3
- 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor
- 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal memory.
- Talk-time of 13.3 hours on 3G, extending to 16 days standby time
- Available in three different colours – black, white and yellow
- Optional camera grip and tripod attachment, and dedicated shutter button
