Smartphone Showdown

A war is brewing right before our very eyes. Abbreviated words and emoticons are thrown carelessly, memory cards flailing about in front of us, touch screens smacking against our apathetic desires to be at the top of the tech curve. Yes, the war being discussed is the battle of the cellular mobile devices. Apple and Samsung brutally target one another in an attempt to rise to the forefront of cell phone technology. RIM and HTC carefully watch from the sidelines, picking up advice for the future of their technology. But who will win? Who deserves the title of phone champion? We all have our favourites depending on which corporation we’ve decided to subscribe to in a cult-like manner, but how often do we look at these new devices with a critical eye and compare what the differences in these devices truly are? Here we take the market’s current top four and most hyped phones and divulge a comprehensive comparison between them. Find which phone is worth your cash money, and discover what the hype is all about.

BlackBerry bold 9900

Size: 115mm (h), 66mm (w), 10.5mm (d); 130g

Display: VGA 640 X 480 pixel resolution, 287 ppi

Average Cost: $630

Camera: 5MP; 720p HD video

Battery (Stand-by time): 12.8 days

Wireless/ Processor: 1.2 GHz (3G)

Operating System: BlackBerry OS 7

Available to: Bell, Rogers Wireless, TELUS, Virgin Mobile, WIND Mobile

Pros: OS 7 features new tools such as the integration of Twitter and Facebook into BBM, Near Field Communication (NFC) which allows devices to connect to nearby devices with the same feature, and a voice-activated searching tool. The best feature of the OS 7 would apply to the ability to separate work and personal contacts and emails to create two separate communities that can be accessed on different days of the week depending on your exact contact needs. In addition, with both a touch screen and an easy to use keypad, you will have easy access to your information regardless of whether the size of your finger tips is conducive to touch screen dynamics or not.

Cons: Ever accidentally tweeted a message that was meant to be a private BBM? If not, now may be your chance to do just that. The BB Bold’s latest addition of integrated apps into BBM may be handy for those with several statuses to update at once, but could also wreak havoc as it could cause textbox confusion and an indecent over share of information. If that doesn’t creep you out just a little, the NFC feature allows friends to follow and track your location. Get excited. And food for thought, the new OS 7 isn’t all that new as it was already featured in the BB Bold 9790. Shucks.

Recommended For: Hardcore office workers and BlackBerry fan girls with clumsy fingers and a desire to separate work and play

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iPhone 5

Size: 123.8mm (h), 58.6mm (w), 7.6mm (d); 112g

Display: Retina 1136 x 640 pixel resolution, 326 ppi

Average Cost: From $699

Camera: 8MP; 1080p HD video

Battery (Stand-by time): 9.375 days

Wireless/ Processor: 4G LTE

Operating System: iOS 6

Available to: Bell, Rogers Wireless, TELUS, Virgin Mobile

Pros: The latest iPhone design features a larger screen and lighter design and one-of-a-kind Apple originals such as Siri, a robotic best friend and secretary, iCloud, used to sync up all devices founded or inspired by Steve Jobs, and the graphically appealing iSight camera which now offers a panorama capturing option. In addition, this beaut also comes with the latest iPod ear buds featuring an all new design, and a smaller and more compact charging cable. Not to mention, the headphone jack is now at the bottom instead of the top.

Cons: Aside from the miniscule difference in size, most of the “new” apps being featured on the iPhone such as enhanced iCloud service and Siri can be downloaded to older models with a simple upgrade in operating systems that is offered free to any Apple device. Sure the new headphones, jack and charging cable seem like fun, but save your money and hang on to your old phone, the upgrade really isn’t worth the extra seven hundred dollar expense. Plus, word on the street is that the release date for the iPad mini is coming up soon - and that seems way more exciting.

Recommended For: Graphic designers in need of a retina display and HD camera, Apple zombies in need of a new device to satisfy their addiction, or stylish hipsters in need of some self esteem.

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HTC One X

Size: 134.36mm (h), 69.9mm (w), 8.9mm (d); 130g

Display:  1280 x 720 pixel resolution, Super LCD 2

Average Cost: $549

Camera: 8MP; 1080p HD video

Battery (Stand-by time): 10 days

Wireless/ Processor: 1.5 GHz, dual core LTE (4G)

Operating System: Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)

Available to: Rogers Wireless, TELUS, Virgin Mobile

Pros: With the same tech offerings as the iPhone in regards to camera features and a super LCD screen (to be honest, I’m not sure if that’s as exciting as it sounds), it offers the same multimedia graphic appeals as its Macintosh counterpart. This phone also has the capability of playing back almost every type of audio and video file imaginable, making life a lot easier for those working with various file formats on a day to day basis. Additionally, this HTC model is more affordable if being purchased without a plan and with the latest Android technology offers the same app world punch as other operating systems.

Cons: It’s a little bit on the massive size depending on what you’re looking for, and in terms of that Super LCD screen, I recently looked it up, and it’s not as exciting as it sounds. The primary downfalls of this device are its lack of style in the design department and inability to be stored in the average pant pocket. Also, HTC isn’t known to be the most reliable of phone and it’s possible that this phone, although inexpensive at first, may have you shelling out cash for upgrades and battery replacements in the future.

Recommended For: Multimedia students who aren’t already Apple zombies, slightly less stylish hipsters who already have reasonably high levels of self esteem, and students on a reasonably flexible budget.

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Samsung Galaxy S3

Size: 136.6mm (h), 70.6mm (w), 8.6mm (d); 133g

Display: 1280 x 720 pixel resolution, HD Super AMOLED

Average Cost: $649

Camera: 8MP; 1080p HD video

Battery (Stand-by time): 30 days

Wireless/ Processor: 4G LTE

Operating System: Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)

Available to: Bell, Rogers Wireless, Virgin Mobile, WIND Mobile

Pros: It’s almost a tablet. Save yourself some money and get the best of both worlds with this innovative phone/ screen of fun. Android 4.0 is in all its glory with this phone featuring connects to Google and a true high definition display. With capabilities of storing up to 64G, you will have the opportunity to save all your needed files, folders and apps on this relatively compact device. Its combination of high resolution graphics, a large memory, fast network capabilities and an adorably sleek design contrary to its larger than normal size makes it today’s number one phone on the market. Available to most service providers, it is easy to access and easy to understand.

Cons: It’s almost a tablet. It is huge. Definitely not conducive to your average pocket it comes in weighing more than any of the other featured devices. Aside from that, you really can’t go wrong with this device.

Recommended For: Techies with substantial upper body strength, app-addicts, ambitious students determined to stay above the curve and people on the fence about the usability of a giant interactive screen.

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Let’s get real here for a second, if the primary use of your phone is casually texting friends and occasionally calling your mom, then any one of these phones will do the job for you. Four out of allow access to Twitter, Facebook and any other social networking site young people of the world are revolving around. Three out of four have 8MP cameras and allow you to Instagram your latest meal. And they all feature graphic and high tech appeal considering the extensive design research that is put into each to appeal to a large audience. If you’re looking into buying a new phone, consider any other features that may be potentially useful to your future. Require a structured email server? Try going with a beloved BlackBerry. Already have several other Apple devices? Go with an iPhone to sync up with iCloud. Need an all around crowd pleasing phone that features the latest growing technology, easy and comprehensive internet access, and high memory capabilities? Consider Samsung. Prefer a more cost effective phone with appealing graphics and a multimedia features waging against the realms of Apple? HTC is the way to go. The cell phone war gets a lot of hype and deserves it given the amount of money these companies are asking us to shell out for such a small device. Choose your phone based on your needs and feel the satisfaction of consumerism filling the emotional void in your soul it was created to occupy.