TOP 10: Phones of 2012

With the general trend in technology, with my perfect guess the mobile phone is here to stay. It’s not going anywhere soon either. From the year 2000 till date, we’ve seen the transmogrification of mobile phones from shapes to sizes and functionality to sensibility. The internet in recent times has shifted grounds from desktop and PC’s to mobile phones, you can do visually everything with your mobile phone now and you are just a click away. Here are the top 10 phones of 2012 Samsung Galaxy S2  

What we love about the Samsung Galaxy S II is the amount of substance that’s packed in under the chassis – but more important is the way Samsung has used the tech they have to create a phone that just works near – flawlessly. The dual-core 1.2GHz processor, the Super AMOLED plus screen and the excellent sonic performance of the media player all combine to make a real doozy of a mobile phone. The Samsung Galaxy S2 is our pick of the bunch for all those functions in one phone. It’s the ultimate media mobile, the next generation in web browsing thanks to slick Flash integration, a very good replacement for a pocket camcorder and, it makes calls pretty well too.    iPhone 4S   A phone by any other name wouldn’t smell as sweet, and despite being identical in looks to the iPhone 4. There’s enough here to warrant its high place in our rankings. Siri voice recognition has shown itself to be more than a novelty, the dual-core processor has made phone operation even slicker and we’re salivating over what the seven times more powerful graphics chip will be able to do. We were hoping for a larger display and things like a lack of Bluetooth transfer, no Flash integration with the internet browser and an uninspiring contacts app still grate – but they’re no match for the sheer ease of use and general operation of Apple’s best smartphone to date, but that doesn’t matter for Apple, and the amazing camera, professional iOS 5 platform and superb display are still the things other phones should benchmark themselves against.   HTC Sensation XE

With a dual core powerhouse and cutting-edge software, the HTC Sensation is a cracking piece of tech with Sense 3.0 being a real joy to use. The camera is quality, browsing and UI speeds are lightning fast and the overall build quality. HTC has now added a faster processor into the mix, boosting it to 1.5GHz and increasing the battery size – and more importantly adding Beats Audio processing into the mix. A Beats-style upgrade brought red flashes and helped make up for the disappointment of the HTC Sensation XL   Sony Xperia S

The Xperia S almost has too many positive points to list, with a new HD screen, 12MP camera and dual core processor all combining to make one of the finest smartphones of 2012. As you may have gathered from our review, the Sony Xperia S has both an amazing screen and a dual core processor that never slows down – plus that 12MP camera is really one of the best out there. Battery life is the only slight wobble (if you don’t mind a plastic casing) but it will generally last a day under normal conditions, and that’s a solid enough benchmark.   Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray

The Xperia Ray is winning more than a few admiring glances; it’s got the innards of the Arc, plus the same pixel count – in a much smaller screen. That means the display is pin sharp, and while it is a little small compared to the competition, it’s a very pocket able affair indeed. The 8MP camera isn’t as strong photographically as its rivals, but it still delivers quality snaps for a cheaper price tag. Well-packaged and packing in a host of top-end Sony tech, the Xperia Ray is a smaller smartphone that squeezes a large amount of power into its package.   BlackBerry Bold 9900

The Bold 9900 is the best BlackBerry ever created, with a solid framework, easy to use keys, a superbly hi-res screen and touch capabilities too. BB OS 7 might not be much of an upgrade, but it still just works on a phone with a QWERTY keyboard / smaller screen combo. The internet is faster (although not market leading), the camera has been improved and NFC capabilities push the Bold 9900 into next generation territory.   Samsung Galaxy Nexus

The first ‘Google phone’ to come without the search giant’s branding. There’s something great about having a pure Google phone and the show-off factor is strong here since few will be able to get their hands on this. It’s got a fantastic screen, a superb new OS and extra elements like Android Beam for sharing photos, contacts or (in the future) connecting to peripherals. And as a smartphone or even minicomputer, is a great size with a nice weight that doesn’t feel too cumbersome to carry or use. The screen, when lit up, looks fantastic. Its 4.65-inches with a resolution of 720 x 1280, giving a ppi of 316. It really is super sharp.   Nokia Lumia 800

The Nokia Lumia 800 is the Finnish firm’s first handset to use Windows Phone, and it’s been a quite success .The size, shape and weight of the Nokia Lumia 800 provides a quality feel, and is a unique shape compared to many other phones on the market. The GUI feels intuitive with a very impressive speed of response, providing continuity between applications. Essentially, the Nokia Lumia 800 takes the best of Windows Phone – Xbox Live integration, fantastic Office tools and a clever tile-based user interface – and adds in a great quality screen with a nice-feeling chassis. The Nokia Lumia 800 certainly isn’t an iPhone 4S or Samsung Galaxy S2 beater – but it’s the best Windows Phone device out there.   HTC Desire S

The HTC Desire S is a slick, compact and attractive handset that’s an improvement on its predecessor with more compact lines and an improved Sense experience – which has now been updated to the Sensation-matching Sense 3.5 offering. It may only have a 5MP camera, but it’s got a budget-busting price tag, so that means it’s still going to have a decent customer uptake even though the HTC Sensation has arrived – it has  a smoother design, greater pocket ability and more advanced software upgrades.   Motorola Razr

The Motorola Razr of old is back, but in a totally new form factor. A super thin body, oodles of RAM, Kevlar casing and a top end processor are all things we want to see in a phone of this ilk, and it’s good to see Motorola attempting to compete with the likes of Samsung and Apple. Motorola needed a phone like the Razr in its arsenal, and now it has one to be proud of. It’s got all the dual-core power of the Atrix, plus a superior screen; more importantly, it’s jumped from a squat chassis to a sumptuous slim line affair that glides into the pocket.    

About the Author Eru Kobe Godwin is a poet, designer, and a writer at connectnigeria.com.   He is also the CEO at Cypress Concepts: corporate and casual shirt designers and stylists.