Today’s Best Smartphones (December 2011)

Since this article was first written, an updated version has been posted here. Check it out. A lot has changed.

I’ve spent a lot of time over the past six months looking for a new smartphone. It hasn’t been an easy process because there are so many great phones available today. To make it possible to compare specs, I made the following chart:

	Apple iPhone 4S	HTC Rezound	HTC Vivid	LG Nitro HD	Motorola Droid RAZR	Samsung Galaxy Nexus	Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket
Processor	800MHz dual-core	1.5 GHz dual-core	1.2 GHz dual-core	1.5 GHz dual-core	1.2 GHz dual-core	1.2 GHz dual-core	1.5 GHz dual-core
RAM	512MB	1GB	1GB	1GB	1GB	1GB	1GB
Storage	16-64GB	16GB	16GB	16GB	16GB	32GB	16GB
Screen	3.5”	4.3”	4.5”	4.5”	4.3”	4.65”	4.5”
Resolution	960×640	1280×720	960×540	1280×720	960×540	1280×720	800×480
Pixel density	326 ppi	342 ppi	245 ppi	329 ppi	256 ppi	316 ppi	207 ppi
Rear cam	8MP	8MP	8MP	8MP	8MP	5MP	8MP
Front cam	0.3MP	2MP	1.3MP	1.3MP	1.3MP	1.3MP	2MP
Video	1080p @ 30fps	1080p @ 30fps	1080p @ 30fps	1080p @ 30fps	1080p @ 30fps	1080p @ 30fps	1080p @ 30fps
Network	HSPA	LTE	LTE HSPA+	LTE HSPA+	LTE	LTE	LTE/HSPA+
Dual-band	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
Bluetooth	4.0	3.0	3.0	3.0	4.0	3.0	3.0
NFC	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
Thickness	9.3mm	13.65mm	11.2mm	10.4mm	7.1mm	9.47mm	9.40mm
Weight	140g	170g	177g	128 g	127g	150g	132g
Battery	1420 mAh	1620 mAh	1620 mAh	1830 mAh	1780 mAh	1850 mAh	1850 mAh
Operating System	iOS 5.0	Android 2.3.4	Android 2.3.5	Android 2.3.5	Android 2.3.5	Android 4.0.2	Android 2.3.4
Carrier(s)	AT&T, Verizon, Sprint	Verizon	AT&T	AT&T	Verizon	Verizon	AT&T

I suggest you start by deciding what matters the most to you.

• Are you an Apple fan that has just got to have an iPhone?
• Are you dying to get a phone that supports LTE for fastest possible data speeds?
• Are you looking for the largest display, or the thinnest phone?

You get the idea. This chart should help you to narrow your decision down.

I should mention that I cut two phones from the chart due to space restrictions. I debated including a second chart, but decided against it because the specs of both of these phones, while good, are not as good as the other phones here. In case you’re wondering, the phones I cut were the Samsung Galaxy S II and the HTC Titan (a Windows Phone). There were also several other great phones I omitted because they are not yet available in the U.S. including the HTC Sensation XL, Samsung Galaxy Note and Samsung Galaxy S II HD LTE. Watch for the Galaxy Note to cross the pond next year.

Since great new smartphones are coming out every month, I’ll be posting frequent updates to this chart. Expect to see the first one after I return from CES in 2012.

If you think I missed a phone that should be here, let me know. Thanks.

– Rick

Note: An update to this article was recently published here.

Copyright 2011 Rick Schwartz. All rights reserved. Linking to this article is encouraged.