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

As we enter one of the last month before the holiday season reaches fever pitch it's about time that we starting seeing new phones hit the market and we have done over the past month. Some have been less new than others but, the fact is that are new phones on the market and with price drops liking to come across all carriers the choice is perhaps even more difficult than before. If you're looking to get your hands on a new phone for Christmas then now is about the time to start getting serious about looking. There have been some new phones coming out that could change the previous decision you told yourself you were set on. If you want to know what's hot for the cold month of November then read on my friends!   10. Droid RAZR M Previous Rank #4 Recently, Motorola released a group of new android smartphones amongst them is the Droid RAZR M that 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 ath the time of writing this stoiry Jelly Bean Update is rolling out.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 9. Motorola Photon Q Previous Rank #9 The Photon Q is very much an undersold device on Sprint but that doesn't make it one of the best on the network either. There are a lot of good things to like about the Q, for instance, its QWERTY keyboard and a decent looking display but, at the end of it all it's just getting by on some midling specs. With the same qHD resolution that's let the One S down it's hard to recommend the Q to somebody. However, if you're someone coming from a BlackBerry or you think you'd be better on a hardware keyboard then you can do a lot worse than this. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that this is your best when it comes to Android and hardware keyboards. § 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 8. HTC One X Previous Rank #2 The One X has been the flagship of the One Series for quite some time now and it's a real shame that it's only available on AT&T in the States but with that comes LTE support and after a recent price drop it's perhaps one of the best phones you can get on the network right now. There's a lot to be said about the phone's gorgeous screen and while it's not the fastest phone out there anymore it more than keeps up. As with any other phone from HTC there are the usual questions about software support but it looks like HTC will be delivery Jelly Bean soon but until then you're stuck with Ice Cream Sandwich and HTC's Sense UI on top. There's a whole lot to love about this phone and if you live in an area with AT&T LTE then this is one of the best phones for you. § 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 7. Sony Xperia TL Previous Rank – New Entry! It's perhaps a little strange to see a Sony phone in a list that is normally dominated by Samsung and HTC but here they are. With another phone for AT&T they've bought the James Bond to the States in time for the film's release and it's interesting to see that this time around there hasn't been many changes unlike the Xperia S and the Xperia ION. The Xperia TL has a lot to it and comes with an excellent 13 MP camera and hardware button to make it easier than ever to take photos on the go. Android 4.0.3 is unfortunately on board but this will be getting an update to Jelly Bean but whether that means 4.1 or 4.2 is up to Sony and we really couldn't say. It looks like Sony have finally bought a decent Android Smartphone to the States but, is it too little, too late for the Japanese company? § Dual-core 1.5Ghz Snapdragon S4 Plus § 4.55" TFT LCD at 1280×720 with 323 ppi § WiFi b/g/n § 4G LTE with AT&T's LTE Network § 16GB or 32GB of Storage – with microSD slot § 1GB RAM § 13MP rear-facing camera with 1.3MP front-facing § 1850 mAh Battery § Launched with Android 4.0, update to 4.1 on the way 6. Motorola Droid RAZR HD and RAZR MAXX HD Previous Rank – New Entry! The new phones from Moto have been received pretty well and while they might just be evolutions of what we've been seeing for some time with the Droid RAZR line the new devices still manage to stay current and up-to-date. There's a lot to the duo of phones that share everything beside the huge battery that's in the Droid RAZR MAXX HD and they're both for different people. If you need a brilliant high-end good looking device then you go for the RAZR HD but if you want the same phone and you don't care how thin it is then you'll be going for the MAXX HD and reaping the benefits of a much larger battery and a much longer usage time. § Dual-core 1.4Ghz Snapdragon S4 Plus § 4.7" Super AMOLED Display 1280 x 720 – 312 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 1.3MP front-facing § 2530 mAh Battery – 3300 mAh on the MAXX HD § Launched with Android 4.0 but will get 4.1 5. HTC One X+ Previous Rank – New Entry! If you're HTC you're probably wondering how you can get something new out there in order to boost your sales at Christmas, right? Well, HTC might not have that with the One X+ but they're certainly betting that they do. It's yet again, only available on AT&T which is a real bummer for those that missed out on the device the first time around. When it comes down to the phone's specs, it's essentially the One X we all knew and loved with a very different heart at the center of it all. The One X+ is packing an improved version of the Tegra 3 that was at the heart of the One X internationally, it's got a Tegra 3 quad-core clocked at 1.7 Ghz which will certainly help when it comes to games and it's also packing 64GB of storage! § 1.7 GHz quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 CPU § 4.7-inch SuperLCD2 display at 1280×720 312 ppi § 1GB of RAM § 64GB of storage no micro SD card slot § Internal speaker with built-in amplifier § 8.0MP rear camera with 1.6MP front-facing camera § 4G LTE with AT&T § Wifi, Bluetooth and NFC support § 2100mAh battery § Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS with HTC Sense 4+ 4. LG Optimus G Previous Rank – New Entry! LG seem to have finally managed to bring a device to more than one carrier that brings with it top of the line specs and polish. Featuring the same specs that are present in the Nexus 4 and a level of design that we'd expect more from Samsung than we would LG there's a lot to to the Optimus G. It looks LG might finally able to enjoy some success when it comes to the US market and we certainly hope so because after all, the more competition there is, the better. With the Optimus G LG are pushing the limits of what they can put inside a smartphone and design. However, when it comes to choosing this over the Nexus 4 there's perhaps one thing that might sway your decision: LTE. § 4.7″1280 x 768 pixel resolution (320 ppi) § Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro § 8 MP rear-facing camera with 1.3 MP front-facing § 4G LTE on AT&T's Network § 16 GB storage § 2 GB RAM § 802.11 b/g/n § NFC § 2,100 mAh § Android 4.1     3. Samsung Galaxy Note II Previous Rank – New Entry!     With the Galaxy Note Samsung has managed to convince that not only are big phones quite useful but also that we'd quite like the pen back in our lives. The S-Pen is something that I'm sure a lot of users out there liked about the original and now with the lastest in the family of gigantic of phones there's even more to the S-Pen and it's suite of applications. Not to mention the overhaul that has been made to the internals of the device, packing a quad-core monster and 2GB of RAM there's little you can't do with the Note II, it's also on a price drop at T-Mobile so, if you're looking to get your hands on one of these for the holidays then now might be the perfect time to convince yourself that you need one. § 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 2. Galaxy S III Previous Rank #1 Samsung's latest flagship has been on shelves for some time now and it shows no signs of slowing down, there's no reason to think that is either. Having sold 30 Million units of the phone in just 157 days, there's got to be something magic that Samsung are doing with the phone. Or, it could just be that the Galaxy S III is offering everything its high-end friends are with the added benefits of a removable battery and a microSD card slot. It's a phone to behold and has recently gotten and update to 4.1 bringing it inline with everything but the soon to be released Nexus 4. The Galaxy S III is perhaps the best Samsung device yet as it appeals to pretty much everyone and if you don't like the S III then you're crazy, sorry but, you're crazy. § 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 rolling out now 1. Google Nexus 4 Previous Rank – New Entry! There are no surprises here, we give it up, we're unoriginal and a boring bunch but when you think about it, how can the Nexus 4 be anything but the best Android out right now? There's a whole lot packed in this beautiful body that LG has lovingly crafted for Google and when you look at the spec sheet and then go and see how much it costs – you'll be blown away. The first Nexus to pack a quad-core in it is certainly an improvement over the Galaxy Nexus and will continue to get better and better with advanced versions of Android. They've outdone themselves with the Nexus 4 and it's said that this is the best made Nexus since the Nexus One. § 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