Samsung Galaxy S III

Introduction

Today is no ordinary day for the GSMArena test track, which is about to see the Bugatti Veyron of smartphones do the rounds in an attempt to beat the lap record of its predecessor. Samsung have spared no effort to protect the Galaxy S III against any odds. What we get as a result is the most amazing blend of performance and features we are likely to see this year.

The Koreans took their time with the new flagship, giving the predecessor a full year at the helm. But they were taking no chances and they've got the spec sheet to prove it. With most of the hardware made by Samsung themselves, the Galaxy S III is an endless list of mind-blowing numbers. The quad-core beast packs a 720p Super AMOLED screen and a massive battery, but keeps its slim waistline.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Here's the underwater part:

Key features

• Quad-band GSM and quad-band 3G support
• 21 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA support
• 4.8" 16M-color Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen of HD (720 x 1280 pixel) resolution; Corning Gorilla Glass 2
• Android OS v4.0.4 with TouchWiz launcher
• 1.4 GHz quad-core Cortex-A9 CPU, Mali-400MP GPU, Exynos 4 Quad chipset, 1GB of RAM
• 8 MP wide-angle lens autofocus camera with LED flash, face, smile and blink detection
• 1080p HD video recording at 30fps
• Dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 b, g, n
• GPS with A-GPS connectivity; GLONASS support, Digital compass
• 16/32/64GB internal storage, microSD slot
• Accelerometer, gyroscope and proximity sensor
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• microUSB port with USB host and TV-out (1080p) support, MHL, charging
• Stereo Bluetooth v4.0
• FM radio with RDS
• Great audio quality
• Super slim at only 8.6mm
• 2MP secondary video-call camera
• Full Flash for the web browser
• NFC support
• Document editor
• File manager comes preinstalled
• Extremely rich video and audio codec support
• Impressively large 2100 mAh battery

Main disadvantages

• All-plastic body of dubious aesthetics
• No dedicated camera key
• microSIM slot
• S Voice is hardly as functional as ads might make you believe

A long list of assets and a rather short list of cons speak volumes about the amount of effort that went into building the Samsung I9300 Galaxy S III. Were they just trying to improve each and every aspect of the user experience over the Galaxy S II, or was creating the ultimate droid their goal all along? The more we think about it, the more it looks the same.

Samsung are in a way raising their own bar yet again. But the competition hasn't been idle either. We've seen proof already that the Galaxy S III is a smartphone that thrives on a challenge. It now has the stage all to itself. You could call it a curtain call if the story of the Galaxy S III wasn't just about to begin.

Samsung Galaxy Note II

Following closely the footsteps of its international sibling, the US Samsung Galaxy Note II takes on our review course. Just like its smaller brother, the Galaxy S III, the Samsung Galaxy Note II is launching across all major carriers.

The US launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note II represents a major shift in the company's product lineup across the Atlantic. Unlike the first generation Galaxy Note and, more recently the Galaxy S III, the second generation of the popular phablet didn't need a chipset transplant to swim across the pond. This means that users in the United States will have the pleasure of using the same hardware as the rest of the world. In the case of the Samsung Galaxy Note II we are talking an Exynos 4412 Quad chipset with four Cortex-A9 CPU cores.

Here goes the Samsung Galaxy Note II's full list of talents.

Key features

• Quad-band GSM and quad-band 3G with 21 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA support
• LTE connectivity (carrier dependent)
• 5.5" 16M-color Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen of HD (720 x 1280 pixel) resolution
• Android OS v4.1 with TouchWiz launcher
• 1.6 GHz quad-core Cortex-A9 CPU, Mali-400MP GPU, 2GB of RAM, Exynos 4412 Quad chipset
• S Pen active stylus with deep system integration
• 8 MP wide-angle lens autofocus camera with LED flash, face, smile and blink detection
• 1080p HD video recording at 30fps
• 16/32GB internal storage, microSD slot
• Dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n support
• GPS with A-GPS connectivity; GLONASS support, Digital compass
• NFC support
• Stereo Bluetooth v4.0
• microUSB port with USB host and TV-out (1080p) support, MHL, charging
• Accelerometer, gyroscope and proximity sensor
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• Great audio quality
• Slim at only 9.4mm
• 1.9MP secondary video-call camera
• Document editor and file manager comes preinstalled
• Extremely rich video and audio codec support
• Huge 3100 mAh battery

Main disadvantages

• Large size makes single-hand operation problematic
• No dedicated camera key
• All plastic construction (would have probably weighed a ton otherwise, though)
• No FM radio (the N7100 has one)

The Samsung Galaxy Note II is easily among the most powerful handsets in the US market at the moment. The presence of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean on board makes the device part of a really privileged club of gadgets, booting the latest version of the Google mobile OS. The S Pen has also made quantum leaps compared to its predecessor.

All in all, the US Samsung Galaxy Note II ticks many of the right boxes and promises to deliver as great an experience as its international version. Normally, we'd say that's an offer you shouldn't miss, but given that the Galaxy Note II is also among the most expensive devices on the American market, we'll need some more convincing.

Sony Xperia SP

Introduction

Sony created quite the stir in the Android high end with its Xperia Z flagship - a slick device of elegant design and impressive spec sheet. Today, it's looking to capitalize on that momentum with a new higher midrange offering in the face of the Xperia SP. Sony's most competitive devices have historically come from the midrange, so we're eager to see how the SP will do.

Sony has put a respectable 4.6-inch 720p display on the Xperia SP, which is powered by a dual-core Qualcomm MSM9860Pro chipset, 1GB of RAM, and Adreno 320 graphics. There's also a fresh looking transparent light strip at the bottom, which can be customized to serve notifications in various color combinations.

Here's a quick view of the Sony Xperia SP feature list:

Sony Xperia SP at a glance:

• General: 2G/3G/4G connectivity
• Dimensions: 130.6 x 67.1 x 9.98 mm, 155 g
• Display: 4.6" 16M-color TFT capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels (319ppi)
• Chipset: Qualcomm MSM8960T
• CPU: Dual-core ARM Krait 1.7 GHz processor
• GPU: Adreno 320
• RAM: 1GB
• OS: Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)
• Memory: 8GB storage (5.8GB user-accessible), microSD card slot
• Still camera: 8 megapixel auto-focus camera, HDR mode, panorama, face detection, touch focus and image stabilization; VGA front-facing camera, video calls
• Video camera: Full HD (1080p) video recording
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0, standard microUSB port with MHL features (TV Out, USB host), GPS receiver with A-GPS and GLONASS, 3.5mm audio jack, NFC
• Battery: 2370 mAh
• Misc: Sony custom UX, built-in accelerometer, multi-touch input, proximity sensor, gyroscope sensor, Glove mode, battery STAMINA mode, customizable ambient light strip, dedicated camera key

There's a clear line between today's midrange market and fullHD flagship territory, but the 720p resolution on the 4.6" display is not overly stretched, and results in a respectable pixel density of 319ppi. The Xperia SP also comes with the standard array of connectivity features, complete with LTE support.

The 8MP camera is capable of shooting fullHD (1080p) video, and comes with an LED flash and a VGA front-facer to boot. On the following page, we'll take a closer look at the device, including our general impressions of the design and build.

Motorola DROID RAZR HD

Introduction

Roughly a year after Motorola brought the RAZR franchise back to the masses, we have the second generation of the popular DROID on our hands. The Motorola DROID RAZR HD for Verizon Wireless comes to the market hot on the heels of its frameless baby brother, bringing a few extra tricks to go with the more impressive screen.

Motorola DROID RAZR HD official photos

Unsurprisingly, the Motorola DROID RAZR HD is a major improvement over its predecessor. Starting with the 4.7" Super AMOLED screen of HD resolution, all the way to the Snapdragon S4 chipset, the smartphone packs enough punch to keep all but the most demanding users happy.

Here goes the full list of talents which the Motorola DROID RAZR HD has on tap:

Key features

• CDMA/EVDO network support
• Quad-band GSM and 3G support (available only outside of the United States with Verizon roaming)
• LTE network support
• 21 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA
• 4.7" 16M-color Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen with HD resolution (1280 x 720 pixels); Corning Gorilla Glass
• Superb build quality; Kevlar coated, splash resistant body
• Lightly customized Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich
• 1.5 GHz dual-core Krait CPU; Adreno 225 GPU; Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8960 chipset
• 1 GB of RAM and 16GB of storage; microSD card slot
• 8 MP autofocus camera with LED flash; face detection and geotagging; 1080p video recording
• 1.3MP front-facing camera for video-chat
• Wi-Fi b/g/n and DLNA
• NFC connectivity with Android Beam preinstalled
• GPS with A-GPS
• Accelerometer, proximity sensor and auto-brightness sensor; compass
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• microUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth v 4.0
• microHDMI port
• Beefy 2500mAh battery with good performance
• Smart dialing, voice dialing
• Google Chrome preinstalled as the default web browser
• DivX/XviD video support
• Office document editor

Main disadvantages

• No dedicated camera button
• CPU and chipset not on par with the latest crop of competitors
• Battery is not user-replaceable
• Huge amount of preinstalled bloatware

Even a quick glance at the spec sheet of the Motorola DROID RAZR HD is more than enough to show how massive an improvement the newcomer is over its predecessor. At the same time Motorola's designers have been extremely conservative with the looks of the DROID RAZR HD - the smartphone is unmistakably a RAZR.

Google's touch is strongly felt throughout the software of the device - staring with the barely modified UI, all the way to Google Chrome being the default web browser. An update to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is promised before year's end, so the overly anxious have no reasons to worry about being left with the cold Ice Cream Sandwich for long.

However, we can't help but notice that, even at its launch, the Motorola DROID RAZR HD appears outgunned by some of its competitors in terms of processing power. Quad-core is the talk of town these days and the latest DROID RAZR is not a member of the elite club. Read on to find out if it has enough other talents to overcome its shortage of CPU cores.

BlackBerry Z10

Introduction

The BlackBerry Z10 heralds the rebirth of a fallen leader in the smartphone market. It's a clean break from the past with a big touchscreen and novel OS, but the same business mentality that made it the favorite of office dwellers around the world. Except, this time BlackBerry has also added a dash of fun.

BlackBerry's previous generation of touch-driven smartphones felt a lot like Nokia's early attempts to knock Symbian into shape for touchscreen. With the Z10, however, the company threw everything out and started fresh.

BlackBerry 10 that powers the phone is a modern operating system with a brand new gesture-based interface and support for powerful dual-core CPUs. If you think dual-core Krait is old news on Android, you'd be right, but the Z10 is closer to the iPhone in this regard - the OS has been optimized to run on very few devices (just one right now, one more on the way), allowing for maximum efficiency.

Then BlackBerry equipped the Z10 with a 4.2" WXGA screen - slightly bigger and sharper than the iPhone 5's retina display - but kept the package more compact than certain massive droids. Then came all the connectivity features, hardware ports and slots.

Here's what they ended up with, the good and the bad of it:

Key features

• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, tri/quad-band UMTS/HSPA, optional 100 Mbps LTE
• 4.2" 16M-color WXGA (768 x 1280 pixels) capacitive touchscreen TFT
• Dual-core 1.5 GHz Krait, 2GB RAM, Adreno 225
• BlackBerry 10 OS; advanced on-screen keyboard; Office document editor
• BlackBerry Hub with extensive social networking connectivity
• BBM with video chat and screen sharing
• 8 megapixel auto-focus camera with face detection and Time Shift; LED flash, 2MP front facing camera
• Full HD (1080p) video recording at 30fps; 720p recording with front-facing camera
• 16GB storage, microSD card slot; built-in Dropbox and Box integration
• Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot; Wi-Fi sync
• Bluetooth 4.0
• NFC
• standard microUSB port, microHDMI
• 3.5mm audio jack
• GPS receiver with A-GPS

Main disadvantages

• Brand new UI has a steep learning curve
• Occasional crashes and unstable behavior
• BlackBerry World missing key apps
• BlackBerry Maps are even worse than Apple Maps
• Camera offers little control over image quality

As with any newborn platform, there will be growing pains - sparse app market and iffy maps for one. The biggest concern is whether the sleek new interface will put people off (both current and new BB users). It's fast and intuitive once you get used to it, but doesn't have the level of familiarity of the iOS or Android (which honestly took years cultivating).

That's the mission ahead of the BlackBerry Z10. It can't single-handedly recapture the market and bring BlackBerry to its former RIM glory, instead it sets the stage for future devices (the Q10 is a couple of months away).

That's not to say that the Z10 won't achieve popularity - with quality hardware and software, the Z10 can easily net both people who need a BlackBerry but are tired of the aging BB OS 7 devices and new users who are equally tired of iOS and Android.

So, revolution or evolution? The hardware is miles ahead of Berries of old, but you'll have to jump over to the next page to see how it stacks up against current Androids and the iPhone.

HTC One

Introduction

Voted Manufacturer of the Year in 2011 by the GSMA and emerging as the top US smartphone vendor later that year, HTC hit a rough patch and was struggling to find form through the better part of 2012. Complacency, fatigue, or something else - we don't even want to think arrogance - the company somehow forgot that even great products, which the One X and One S certainly were, need proper support and marketing to sell.

At the speed smartphones are evolving, a bad year can cause all sorts of trouble and HTC had to learn it the hard way. Fortunately, the financial trouble seems to have had no impact on the company's ability to produce excellent smartphones, as the HTC One is here to prove.

Arguably one of the most exciting pieces of smartphone design in recent times, the HTC One is also properly powered and flaunts a screen that should please even the most demanding eyes. It also brings an overdue redesign of the Sense UI and a new camera that takes a completely new approach to mobile photography.

Key features

• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support; 3G with HSPA; LTE
• 4.7" 16M-color 1080p Super LCD3 capacitive touchscreen with 469ppi pixel density
• Android OS v4.1.2 Jelly Bean with Sense UI 5.0
• Quad-core 1.7 GHz Krait 300 CPU, 2 GB RAM, Adreno 320 GPU; Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 chipset
• 4 MP autofocus "Ultrapixel" camera with 1/3'' sensor size, 2µm pixel size; LED flash
• 1080p video recording @ 30fps with HDR mode, continuous autofocus and stereo sound
• HTC Zoe
• 2.1 MP front-facing camera, 1080p video recording
• Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct and DLNA; Wireless TV out
• GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS
• 32/64GB of built-in storage
• MHL-enabled microUSB port
• Bluetooth v4.0
• NFC
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• Accelerometer and proximity sensor
• Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
• Aluminum unibody
• Front-mounted stereo speakers with BoomSound tech
• Class-leading audio output

Main disadvantages

• 4MP camera has disappointing performance in good lighting conditions
• Non-expandable storage
• Awkwardly-placed and uncomfortable power button
• Sense UI still lacks connectivity toggles in notification area
• Non user-replaceable battery
• Poor video and audio codec support out of box

The One is a tempting package indeed and even though it will take HTC a while to get out of the slump, this is certainly a confident step in the right direction. With proven performers in both the computing and screen departments, it's only the low camera resolution that will potentially raise doubt. HTC say the extra-large "ultrapixels" are worth the sacrifice though, and we are as keen as you are to find out if that claim is justified.

With a spec sheet like that, the One has nothing to fear when it takes on the likes of the Xperia Z and the Galaxy S4 in the battle for the ultimate flagship. Here's hoping that it delivers on the promises in real-life performance.

As the tradition goes, we start with the unboxing and hardware checkup right after the break.

LG Optimus G Pro

Introduction

LG's first 1080p droid is also the company's first smartphone to cross the 5" mark, but a massive screen isn't the only thing that warrants the Pro tag. The LG Optimus G Pro boasts a new chipset too, and a significant software update over the Optimus G.

The phablet duties are taken seriously - the screen offers 20% more real estate than a full-HD 5 incher, without dropping below 400ppi. The Optimus G Pro also improves on multi-tasking with the updated Snapdragon 600 chipset and revamped QSlide multi-tasking that works a lot better than the version we saw on the Optimus G.

The LG Optimus G Pro is quite the entertainer too - it can be the device that ties together your whole multimedia setup at home. It has multiple ways to stream multimedia (both wired and wireless) and thanks to Dual Screen Dual Play, the phablet's display is independent of the TV display.

And it's not done when you press play either, with its IR emitter and QRemote app the G Pro can control your TV and stereo, but also a projector and even an air con.

Key features

• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
• 3G with HSPA; LTE
• 5.5" 16M-color 1080p True HD IPS Plus FullHD capacitive touchscreen; works with gloves
• Android OS v4.1.2 Jelly Bean; LG Optimus UI
• Quad-core 1.7 GHz Krait 300 CPU, 2 GB RAM, Adreno 320 GPU, Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 chipset
• 13 MP autofocus camera with LED flash, geotagging, Intelligent Auto, image stabilization, Time catch shot, smart shutter and VR panoramas
• 1080p video recording @ 30fps with continuous autofocus and stereo sound; HDR mode, Dual recording
• 2.1 MP front-facing camera, 1080p video recording
• 32GB of built-in storage; microSD card slot
• MHL-enabled microUSB port, USB host support
• Independent content output over MHL (Dual Screen Dual Play), Miracast
• Bluetooth v4.0
• NFC
• Wi-Fi a/ac/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct and DLNA
• GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• Stereo FM radio with RDS
• Voice dialing
• Multi-tasking with mini-apps and optional transparency (QSlide)
• Accelerometer and proximity sensor
• Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
• User-replaceable 3,140mAh Li-Po battery
• Wireless charging support (Qi)
• IR emitter for remote control of home appliances

Main disadvantages

• Reflective screen doesn't do too well outdoors
• No Android 4.2 at launch
• 1080p video quality is unimpressive, HDR video is poor
• Over-sensitive screen prone to accidental taps

LG has put a 13MP main camera on the Optimus G Pro, same as the regular G, and bumped up the front-facer to 2.1MP / 1080p. This may seem as a minor upgrade, but it's made cooler by the Dual recording feature - it uses both cameras to capture both the photographer and the subject. The still camera grew a couple of new features too, Intelligent Auto and VR Panoramas (which are basically Photo Spheres).

The phablet has a 3,140mAh battery, about what you'd expect from a device this size. But it also comes with a spare battery with its own charging dock, which also serves as a stand for the handset (no need to swap batteries to have them both charged, but no simultaneous charging either). That's great news anyway for heavy users who run their battery flat in under a day. The G Pro supports wireless charging out of the box too.

LG Optimus G Pro at our office

The LG Optimus G Pro has the specs to appeal to both business users and tech enthusiasts, but those two groups are quite picky about the hardware - it just has to be top notch. So, can the flagship LG phablet deliver? Head over to the next page where we begin to find out.