Top 10 Best Android Phones, Monthly Power Rankings – October 2012

Looking to buy a New Android Phone or see how your current phone stacks-up against the ever more powerful competition? Every month we rank the Top 10 Android Smartphones on the market.Our rankings are based on several factors: Age of the Device, Hardware Specifications, Android Version and of course, Sales. It's beginning to get a hell of a lot busier as we hurtle towards the end of the year and with that comes new devices however, if they're not available to buy at the compilation of this list – they won't be here. That's not to say we're blind to what's coming, we know that there's some really powerful phones coming from HTC, Motorola and others. We'll be talking about them today but, unfortunately they won't be in the rankings proper. So, read on to see how this month's rankings have stacked up! 10. HTC One S Previous Rank: #9 When the One Series was announced way back in February there was big talk from HTC on how the company would be cutting down on the number of models released and that this would be how HTC could reclaim the high-end. It's certain that the Taiwanese outfit has released less phones in 2012 than they did last year but, the One S fro HTC is starting to show its age. Which is a strange thing to say as it has a decent processor and some good design cues however, the qHD display and the looming One X+ has put this phone's writing firmly on the wall. § Dual-core 1.5Ghz Snapdragon S4 CPU § 4.3" Super AMOLED Display at 960×540 – 256 ppi § WiFi b/g/n § Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP § 16GB of Storage with no card slot § 1GB RAM § 8MP rear-facing camera with VGA front-facing camera § 1650 mAh battery § Launched with Android 4.0 but Jelly Bean update on the way 9. LG Intuition New Entry! This somewhat strange device – with it's 4:3 aspect ratio and massive footprint – was originally destined for South Korea only. Despite how many times LG said as much we always knew that they'd be some carrier crazy enough to try such a device and it turns out that it was Verizon who stepped up. It's unsurprising that they would carry such a device however as they probably wanted to compete with AT&T's Galaxy Note however, this isn't the device to do it with. There's very little on offer here that would pull you in over the original Galaxy Note and let's not forget that the Note 2 is headed to Verizon soon. Nice try LG but, we don't want massive square slabs in our pockets. § Dual-core 1.5Ghz Snapdragon S4 CPU § 5.0" HD-IPS Display at 1024×768 – 226ppi § WiFi b/g/n with WiFi Direct § Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP § 32GB Storage, no microSD card slot § 1GM RAM § 8MP rear-facing camera with 1.3 MP front-facing camera § 2080 mAh Battery § Launched with Android 4.0.4 8. Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX Previous Entry: #7 Many of you will be wondering why the new, 32-hours of talk time packing RAZR MAXX HD isn't here but that's because it's not available for purchase yet. That isn't to say the original Droid RAZR MAXX isn't still a good option, especially if you can pick it up at sale price. It's got a massive battery in there and still carries some good looks and decent hardware. Whilst you'll only get a qHD display, at 4.3" that isn't too bad. There should be some good news on the software side of things as well because, the device got it's update to Ice Cream Sandwich and Motorola and Verizon should have no excuse updating this to Jelly Bean however, with their terrible track records, don't your breath. § Dual-core 1.2Ghz TI OMAP 4430 § 4.3" Super AMOLED Display 960×540 – 256 ppi § WiFi b/g/n § 4G LTE on Verizon § Bluetooth 4.0 with LE+EDR § 16GB of Storage with room for microSD § 1GB RAM § 8MP rear-facing camera with 2MP front-facing § 3300 mAh Battery – yeah, that's bigger than your phone's battery § Launched with Android 2.3 but upgraded to 4.0 7. Samsung Galaxy Note Previous Rank: #6 The original phablet from Samsung is soon to be replaced by the Galaxy Note 2 but, that hasn't quite arrived yet making this your best  - and pretty much only – option if you need some stylus input in your life. The hardware inside might be starting to show it's age but it's still more than capable when compared with other phones, not to mention the massive screen and battery that could have you replacing your tablet. It's only available on AT&T after a brief stint on T-Mobile. So, if you're an AT&T user looking for an upgrade right about now, you could do a lot worse than the original Galaxy Note. When the new Galaxy Note hits I'm sure these will be super-cheap so you could always wait a while? § Dual-core 1.4Ghz Exynos § 5.3" Super AMOLED Display at 180×800 – giving the mammoth phone 258 ppi § WiFi b/g/n § 4G on AT&T's LTE Network § Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP and EDR § 16 to 32GB of Storage with room a microSD § 1GB RAM § 8MP rear-facing with 2MP front-facing § 2500 mAh battery § Launched with 2.3 but upgraded to 4.0 6. HTC EVO 4G LTE Previous Rank: #5 Sprint and HTC came together to create yet another EVO device earlier in the year and whilst it was a good device it was a lot of the same – apart from maybe a kickstand. Curiously enough, Sprint launched an LTE device with next to no LTE coverage. Device wise though, this harkens back to the original EVO days and those upgrading from that will be pleased with the advances, the kickstand is back and makes even more sense with that 720p HD display. If you're on Sprint this is a pretty appealing device out of the line-up and if you're not wanting a QWERTY-keyboard then this is the most powerful option available to you. § Dual-core 1.5Ghz Snapdragon S4 § 4.7" Super IPS LCD2 at 1280×720 with 312ppi § WiFi b/g/n § 4G on Sprint's Small LTE Nerwork § 16GB of Storage with room for microSD § 1GB RAM § 2000 mAh Battery § Launched with 4.0 but upgrade to 4.1 on the way 5. Motorola Photon Q 4G Previous Rank: #2 This latest QWERTY device from Motorola generated a lot of buzz when it hit the carrier, being Sprint's first decent QWERTY offering in a long time. However, when you get down to it, there really isn't a lot to love about the device. It's got a design and a decent keyboard but you have to sacrifice quite a bit, so says Motorola, there's no HD display instead there's the usual qHD and camera performance is pretty poor. If you're absolutely desperate for a QWERTY keyboard though, look no further, this is everything the Droid should have become. There is one bonus though – the bootloader here is unlockable so, development should deliver some promising results. It might be the best device on Sprint right now but it's well worth a look. § Dual-core 1.5Ghz TI OMAP § 4.3" 960×540 LCD – at 256 ppi § WiFi b/g/n § 4G on Sprint's small LTE Network § 8GB Storage with room for microSD § 1GB RAM § 8Mp rear-facing camera with HD front-facing camera § 1785 mAh Battery § Launched with Android 4.0, no word of an update to Jelly Bean 4. Galaxy Nexus Previous Rank: #4 We all know and love the Galaxy Nexus, right? Of course we do, the first device to bring us Ice Cream Sandwich and the first to bring us Jelly Bean after that. The G.Nex might be getting a little old in the tooth but that doesn't mean it's going down without a fight. The device packs a competent processor, a decent screen and did I mention, it's a Nexus? With all the rumors circling new Nexus phones from all manufacturers people are starting to feel Nexus fever and what better way for them to get a cure by picking one of these up right away. You can buy them unlocked from the Play Store for a great price and you can get LTE on Verizon and Sprint but, be warned, updates will take far longer than they should on the two CDMA giants. § Dual-core 1.2Ghz TI OMAP 4460 § 4.65" Super AMOLED HD at 1280×720 with 316 ppi § WiFi b/g/n § 4G LTE on either Verizon or Sprint's LTE network – no AT&T LTE § 16GB or 32GB of Storage – no microSD slot § 1GB RAM § 5MP rear-facing camera with 1.3MP front-facing § 1750 mAh Battery § Launched with Android 4.0, updated to 4.1 3. Droid RAZR M New Entry! Recently, Motorola held an event to herald in the age of "new Motorola" and whilst we didn't get all the things we wanted – like say, a complete U-turn on their terrible record of device updates – we did get some new phones. Amongst them is the Droid RAZR M that's just launched and for $99 on contract this thing is amazing value. You get the same dual-core Snapdragon found in the One X and AT&T and whilst you only get a qHD display and poor cameras you get a lot for your buck here. It's a shame to see the device launch with Ice Cream Sandwich but you can never expect too much from Motorola now can you? Design wise it sort of seems like a cheap Chinese knock-off of the Droid RAZR line but, it's not terrible, just not as good as it could be. For sub-$100 you're getting a really great phone and whilst the screen could be better, at this price it's not the least of your worries. § Dual-core 1.5Ghz Snapdragon S4 CPU § 4.3" Super AMOLED Display at 960×540 with 256ppi § WiFi b/g/n § 4G LTE on Verizon § 8GB of Storage with room for microSD card § 1GB RAM § 8MP rear-facing camera with VGA front-facing camera § 2000 mAh Battery § Launched with Android 4.0.4, Jelly Bean update promised 2. HTC One X Previous Rank: #3 The One X is still going strong despite some competition coming from all sides and the looming launch of the One X+. With good design and some great power it's still a great option and one of the best phones you can get right now on AT&T. If you're a big HTC fan then you'll love the One X, whilst it's been out some time some of you have only just arrived at your upgrade point and what better time to upgrade than now? It's a shame that the free storage from Dropbox is missing here but that doesn't make the phone anything less than brilliant. A stunningly accurate and bright display round off an excellent phone. § Dual-core 1.5Ghz Snapdragon S4 § 4.7" Super IPS display at 1280×720 – 312 ppi § WiFi b/g/n § 4G on AT&T's LTE Network § 32GB of Storage, no microSD card slot § 1GB RAM § 1800 mAh battery § Launched with Android 4.0 with 4.1 update promised 1. Samsung Galaxy S III Previous Rank: #1 It's been the king for some time now and it sees no slowing down. Whilst upcoming phones may have the power to compete, few of them have it all like Samsung's latest flagship. There's a removable battery, microSD card slot and more. You can now get it in a variety of different colors, making the Galaxy S III one of the few high-end devices that you can get in anything other than black or white. It's available on all the big carriers so you can pretty much take your pick who to go with, whether to stay or go. This is how we think all phone's should be launched as having certain phones are certain carriers doesn't do all that much for the industry. With the S III Samsung finally got the US market right. § Dual-core 1.5Ghz Snapdragon S4, Quad-core 1.4Ghz Exynos in some markets § 4.8" Super AMOLED HD Display at 1280×720 – with 306ppi § 4G on AT&T, Sprint and Verizon – HSPA+ on T-Mobile § 16, 32 or 64GB storage with room for microSD § 2GB RAM § 8MP rear-facing camera with 1.9MP front-facing camera § 2100 mAh battery § Launched with Android 4.0 with Jelly Bean update imminent