Top 5 Best Android Phones – April 2013

1. HTC One

I’m sure that a lot of you are going to disagree with us in the comments for this but, it did score higher in a poll we ran some time ago. Not only that but, HTC have really done something different here. While The S IV is certainly just another smartphone – a great one at that – the HTC One is a brilliant piece of hardware. With a real eye for detail on the imaging side of things with the new “Ultrapixel” camera and the use of premium materials has delivered a solid-feeling and great-looking device that’s unlike anything else out there. It’s a real shame about the delays HTC are facing but there’s nothing to say that they can’t turn this around and deliver and excellent device to kick off the year with.

4.7-inch 1080p display giving it a 468ppi
1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor
2GB of RAM
32/64GB internal storage; No microSD card slot
“UltraPixel” rear-facing camera, 2MP front-facing camera
Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, GPS and GLONASS
2,300mAh battery
Android 4.1.2 with Sense 5.0
IR Reciever allowing you to use the HTC One as a TV remote

2. Samsung Galaxy S IV

The latest and greatest from Samsung, turned out to be more of the same. Let’s not beat around the bush here, we all thought the Galaxy S IV was going to be more than the device we saw on stage in New York. Now, this isn’t to say it’s a bad phone, far from it, Samsung announced something really successful with the Galaxy S III and there’s no reason they shouldn’t just build on that. With all this talk of Octa-Cores and Quad-Cores it’s hard not to look at the Galaxy S IV, but therein lies the problem. What is seen, cannot be unseen and once you look, you find out that the Galaxy S IV is very much a Galaxy S III, a little taller, a little slimmer and with a few new tricks. That’s not a bad thing but, we all expected a little more.

5-inch 1080p displayHD Super AMOLED Display 440PPI
1.9GHz quad-core Snapdragon Processor S4 Pro/Exynos 5 Octa for the International Version
2GB of RAM
16GB/32GB/64GB internal storage; Expandable via MicroSD card up to 64GB
13MP rear-facing camera 2MP front-facing camera
Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth 4.0
IR Blaster
2600mAh battery
Android 4.2.2 – Jelly Bean

3. Google Nexus 4

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  Sure, the Nexus 4 is getting a little long in the tooth, and Google and LG have taken their time in getting their distribution sorted out but, the Nexus 4 is still a great device. With a quad-core Cortex A15 CPU and a good-looking design, there’s little to find fault with when it comes to the latest Nexus device. Not only that but, thanks to it being a Nexus device, there’s no way that the Nexus 4 will get less updates than these devices listed here. Google will support the Nexus 4 far longer than the HTCs, Sonys or Samsungs in this list, and that could be more valuable than anything.
• 4.7″1280 x 768 pixel resolution (320 ppi)
• Quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro
• 8 MP rear-facing camera with 1.3 MP front-facing
• 4G HSPA+ up to 42mbps
• 16 GB storage
• 2 GB RAM
• 802.11 b/g/n
• NFC
• 2,100 mAh
• Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
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• 4. Samsung Galaxy Note II

  
  The Galaxy Note II is a great device, plain and simple. That doesn’t mean it’s for everyone though, it’s far too large for some and for others it’s the best scree-size in the world. Regardless of how you feel about it though, the Note II is a quality device that has enough horsepower to keep up with 2013′s smartphones and Samsung have done a great job at supporting their devices recently. Let’s not forget the S-Pen, that makes Fruit Ninja far more fun than it ever should be! Take a look at our review here.
• Quad core 1.6 GHz Exynos 4412
• 5.5″ Super AMOLED Display at 1280 x 720 – 265 ppi
• 2GB of RAM
• 16GB storage with room for microSD card
• 8MP rear-facing camera with 1.9MP front-facing
• 4G LTE on Sprint, AT&T and Verizon
• WiFi, Bluetooth and NFC
• 3100 mAh
• Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
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  5. HTC Droid DNA

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  I know a lot of you are going to ask why the first 1080p superphone is doing so high-up this list. Well, it’s got a lot to do with availability, the DNA is a pretty awesome smartphone and you can check out our review here but, if it’s only available on one carrier – no matter how good their coverage is – doesn’t make for a super-popular smartphone. Also, with HTC focusing on the One, it wouldn’t surprise us if the DNA got left behind in updates, and we already know how bad HTC are at providing updates for their devices.
• SLCD3 1080p with a mind-blowing 440ppi density
• Qualcomm S4 Pro 1.5GHz quad-core CPU
• 2GB of RAM
• 8MP camera rear-facing camera capable of 1080p at 30fps
• f/2.0 2.1 MP Front-facing camera capable of 720p
• Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with Sense 4+ on top
• 4G LTE
• 2.5v headset and speaker amplifier with Beats Audio
• 2020 mAh Battery
• 9.1mm thin