There are dozens—probably hundreds—of Android phones on the market today. Some of them are exclusive to specific carriers, some of them are available around the world, but only a few of them are at the head of their class. This week we wanted to know which Android phones you thought were the best available, not just because they round out a checklist of features or high-end hardware, but because you think they offer a great overall experience. Here's a look at the top five Android phones, based on your nominations.
Earlier in the week, we asked you which Android phones you thought were the best. There are plenty of sites willing to tell you which phones are the best based on the chips inside, the camera, the storage, or the version of Android pre-installed, but those things don't always add up to a great user experience. We asked you which phones—past or present—you thought were the best, and over 300 nominations later, we're back to highlight the top five.
Often referred to as a "phablet" because of its included stylus and massive 5.3" Super AMOLED display, the Samsung Galaxy Note (AT&T, $299 w/contract) is huge, but many of you praised it for blending the portability of a phone with some desperately needed tablet-like real estate. The 8MP and 2MP rear and front-side cameras and 1.4GHz dual core processor don't hurt matters either, and while it's definitely not the right size for everyone, those of you who have one love it, and others are looking forward to its release on other carriers. Plus, even though the Galaxy Note ships with Android 2.3 Gingerbread pre-installed, there are plenty of ROMs available to bring it up to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, or just replace Samsung's TouchWiz interface entirely.
HTC One X/S
The HTC One series is HTC's most recent attempt to recreate itself, not that the company really needed to—most people who have used HTC devices love them, and the HTC One X and One S are no exceptions to the rule. The One X (AT&T, $199 w/contract) is HTC's new flagship phone, sporting a 4.7" screen, a quad-core NVidia Tegra 3 (internationally) or a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon (US/Canada) processor, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (with HTC's Sense UI on top), built-in Beats Audio, and an 8MP rear camera with a 1.3MP front-facing camera. The HTC One S (T-Mobile, $189 w/contract) on the other hand is a slightly smaller 4.3" screen, a 1.5Ghz dual core processor, 8MP rear and VGA front cameras, Beats audio, and Ice Cream Sandwich. Both devices are slim, powerhouse devices designed to bring Android lovers' focus back to a select group of high-end HTC devices, instead of the dozen-plus ones HTC has released in the past. So far, it's working.
Samsung Galaxy S/S II
The Samsung Galaxy S series of devices are some of the most popular smartphones in the world, and even though Samsung and Apple are embroiled in a patent lawsuit over exactly how similar the Galaxy S is to the iPhone (and vice versa), that hasn't stopped the Galaxy S and the Galaxy S II from selling millions of units worldwide. The Galaxy S was one of the first dual-core Android smartphones, and definitely one of the first to feature Samsung's new (at the time) Super AMOLED display, offering bright and crisp colors even in bright light. It's still available for a song depending on the carrier you pick it up from (in the US, it was sold under the name Vibrant (T-Mobile), Captivate (AT&T), Fascinate (Verizon Wireless), and Epic (Sprint) in both 3G and 4G variants.) History aside, the Samsung Galaxy S II is the company's current model and features a 4.3" Super AMOLED display, a 1.2GHz dual core processor, and while it shipped with Android 2.3, most carriers have been slowly rolling out updates to bring the device up to Android 4.0. Pricing varies depending on the carrier and variant you pick up, but one thing is certain: when it was launched, most people considered the Galaxy S II the best Android smartphone—if not the best smartphone—available on the market, which makes the furor over the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S III that much louder.
The Droid by Motorola (Motorola Milestone, internationally) series was one of the earliest Android phones on the market to really bring Android to the masses—and definitely the first Android phone available on Verizon Wireless at the time. It was a tough call to group the Droid series together, but it's worth noting that those of you who nominated the Droid line in large numbers specifically mentioned the slider models, not the candybar models like the Droid Razr, Razr Maxx, or the Bionic (although they all got strong nominations as well)-all available on Verizon Wireless in the US. The Motorola Droid 4 (VZW, $199 w/contract) is the current iteration of the phone, featuring a 4" qHD display, a 1.2GHz dual core processor, 8MP rear and 1.3MP front-facing cameras, and most notably, a slide-out backlit keyboard that allows the phone to be used in both portrait and landscape modes without sacrificing screen real estate. The Droid line is still one of the few high-end Android devices to feature a physical keyboard, making it popular for both portability, and with people who prefer physical keyboards to on-screen ones. The Droid 4 sports Android Gingerbread, and rides Verizon Wireless' 4G network.
The Samsung Galaxy Nexus (VZW, Sprint, $199/w contract, $399 unlocked) is the current official "Google Phone," having launched with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and currently serves as the flagship Android device. It sports a 4.6" Super AMOLED display, a curved contour screen, a 1.2GHz dual core processor, and 5MP and 1.3MP rear and front-facing cameras. It's a pure Google experience, meaning the phone is (largely) free of bloatware and other apps pre-installed by carriers and manufacturers, and is notably missing Samsung's TouchWiz UI layer in favor of a clean version of Ice Cream Sandwich. The phone also sports Google's NFC payment system, Google Wallet. The camera boasts zero shutter lag, and it was the first phone to launch with Ice Cream Sandwich pre-installed, and it's still one of the few devices you can get that already has it. If you want the more true and pure Android experience possible, or want an Android phone that's officially supported by Google, this is it.
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