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January 2013 Mid-Sized Smartphone Buyers Guide

Posted by Unknown Selasa, 01 Januari 2013 0 komentar

Yesterday I came up with a list of 4-inch smartphones which I consider to be the best options in the market. Today we will go up one level in size and take a look at the 4.3 to 4.5-inch, or mid-sized, options available in the market.

Prices indicated are for phones with a manufacturers warranty.

1. Cherry Mobile Flame (Php6,299) - Good but a bit underpowered

Like in the compact category Cherry Mobile Flame provides the lowest cost handset I am inclined to recommend. The Flame is a 4.5-inch Android handset with a qHD display (540 x 960). Inside it has a Qualcomm MSM8255 S4 Play chipset, with a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, Adreno 203 graphics and 512 MB of RAM. This chipset is used in a lot of WVGA (480 x 800) phones. Pairing the Adreno 203 graphics with a qHD display does push the graphics chip close to its limits.

With a WVGA display, the graphics chip has to push a total of 384,000 pixels. With a aHD display, the graphics chip has to push 35% more pixels, or a total of 518,400 pixels. Still the phone does work.

The Cherry Mobile Flames specifications are pretty much the same as what you find in other lower cost models, with dual SIM support, 512 MB of RAM, 4 GB of storage (half of which is user available), a MicroSD card slot, and a 5 MP camera and VGA front camera. The battery is a good sized 1800 mAh unit and dual-sim support. This phone also offers 5-point multi-touch support, while most lower cost phones only offer 2-point multi-touch support.

For an operating system, it comes Android 4.0.4, rather than the newer Android 4.1 or 4..2, but that is not a big issue since the Android 4.x line maintains software compatibility.

This phone is good enough for doing all the typical smartphone stuff. I would advice games to consider something else however.

2. Cloudfone Thrill 430x (Php7,777) - The endurance king

The main issue with smartphones today is battery life. Keep the 3G turned on, have it automatically sync data, browse websites, download email and checking social networks leaves most with just about a days worth of power. The 4.3-inch Cloudfone Thrill 430x has a solution for that. It equips it phone with a 4160 mAh battery.

This phone has the same Android 4 operating system, Qualcomm dual core processor, chipset, storage and dual SIM capability as the Cherry Mobile Flame, but it does comes with a smaller 4.3-inch qHD display (540 x 960). This is not a bad thing, as the slightly smaller display, with the same resolution, also means it is sharper.

Aisde from the larger battery, the Cloudfone Thrill 430x has 50% more RAM than the Flame, at 768 MB. The Thrill 430x also has a larger 8 MP camera, but not necessarily better picture quality, than the Flame. The larger battery and additional RAM easily justify the higher Php7,777 asking price.

This phone is not for everyone, though. The larger battery means that it is all of 14 mm thick and 182 grams in weight. Basically, if the size and heft don't bother you, it is easy to recommend the Cloudfone Thrill 430x over the Cherry Mobile Flame. On the other hand, if the Thrill 430x feels like a brick to you, pick up the Flame instead.

Some users have reported problems with the bundled charger.

3. ZTE Grand X V970M (Php9,990) - A nicely balanced qHD smartphone

The ZTE Grand X is another 4.3-inch qHD (540 x 960) powered by a dual core processor, but this one is on a MediaTek chipset with PowerVR SGX531 graphics. The PowerVR SGX531 graphics is a bit more powerful than the Adreno 203 graphics chip found in our lower cost mid-sized options, and is better suited for running a qHD display.

The other features are pretty standard for the class with 512 MB of RAM, 4 GB of internal storage, expandable via a MicroSD card slow, a 5 MP camera and a VGA secondary camera. The battery is a decent size 1650 mAh unit.

ZTE is a big manufacturer. If you are not ready to give Cherry Mobile or Cloudfone a try, this one should comes from an established enough manufacturer to suite you. The PowerVR SGX531 also makes the additional money worth it.

Going past the ZTE Grand X, and the options start to thin out.

4. HTC One S (Php19,500) - A bit expensive for what it offers.

The HTC One S is the most beautiful smartphone HTC has ever built. The phone is just 7.8 mm thick, and when combined with its fairly large 4.3-inch screen and contoured aluminum case make it look sliver thin. The display is a qHD (540 x 960) Super AMOLED display.

Two versions of the HTC One S exist. The first is the US/Euro version which is powered by a 1.5 GHz dual core Krait processor with Adreno 225 graphics which is built on 28 nanometer technology. In that form the HTC One S performs at par with the first generation quad core phones and give excellent battery life. Unfortunately, because a shortage of Kraits, the Asia/Philippine model is powered by the older Scorpion processor which is clocked at 1.7 GHz and paired with Adreno 220 graphics, which is pretty much what was used in the 2011 HTC Sensation. This older chipset is built on less power efficient 45 nanometer technology. Had the Philippine gotten the Krait version, this would have been one of the top smartphones in the market. Still the price has dropped over 25% since its release, and it is looking like a more reasonable proposition these days.

As compared to the ZTE GrandX you get double the RAM at 1GB, and a much better 8 MP camera and 1080p video capture. You also get more internal storage at 16 GB, but it is not user expandable. So couple with a low cost 16 GB MicroSD Card the Grand X would offer more storage. The battery is a 1650 mAh unit, like the Grand X. The phone comes with Android 4.0 out the box, but the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update is rolling in the next few weeks.

It is a better phone than the Grand X, but I am not sure that is is worth twice as much.

5. Sony Xperia acro S (Php22,650) - Sharpest display on the Philippine Market

The Sony Xperia acro S brings a HD display 4.3-inch 720p display (720 x 1280), which makes it the sharpest display on any smartphone available in the Philippines, even sharper the the iPhone retina display. This gives it an edge over the HTC One S. It also comes with a larger 12 MP camera and 1910 mAh battery. The Xperia acro S has 1 GB or RAM and internal storage is 16 GB like the HTC One S, but the Xperia acro S has a MicroSD card slot. The Xperi acro S is also a ruggedized phone, being IP57 certified to be dust and water resistant, and with a reinforced front glass. All in all, it can justify it 3K price difference with the HTC One S.

The Xperia acro S still has the same dual core 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Scorpion processor as the One S, clocked at a slower 1.5 GHz. The Adreno 220 graphics is pushed harder running the HD display, hence the HTC One S will get better 3D performance due to its lower resolution display. The HSDPA radio is an older 14.4 Mbps unit, which is another area where the HTC One S has the advantage.

This phone come with Android 4.0.4 out of the box, but an update to Jelly Bean has been confirmed for this phone.

6. HTC Windows Phone 8S (Php24,150) - Best Windows Phone in the market

Like the Xperia acro S, the Windows Phone 8S has a 4.3-inch HD (720 x 1280) display. Inside you will find the powerful dual core 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Krait processor. Mated with a 1800 mAh battery, this phone promises good battery life. The other specifications are standard for the class, with 1 GB of RAM, 16 GB of storage (which is not user expandable) and a HSDPA+ 21.1 radio.

The main reason to choose this phone is if you want a high end Windows Phone 8 device. It is the best Windows phone available in the market right now, well until the Nokia Lumia 920 arrives anyway.

7. Sony Xperia V (Php26,990) - LTE onboard

The Sony Xperia V is an upgraded version of the Sony Xperia acros S. It has the similar specifications to the Xperia acro S but is powered by the dual core 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Krait processor. It has a slightly higher resolution 13 MP camera. Most importantly, this phone has a HSPA+ and LTE radio, and is available from Smart Communications with an LTE plan. All in all, despite the price, this phone is easy enough to recommend.

Internal storage is less than the Xperia Acro S, at 8 GB, but it does come with a MicroSD card slot. The battery is a smallet 1750 mAH unit, but with the more efficient processor, it should give good battery life.

This phone come with Android 4.0.4 out of the box, but an update to Jelly Bean has been confirmed for this phone.

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Judul: January 2013 Mid-Sized Smartphone Buyers Guide
Ditulis oleh Unknown
Rating Blog 5 dari 5

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