iPhone 5

Review :
The good: The iPhone 5 adds everything we wanted in the iPhone 4S: 4G LTE, a longer, larger screen, free turn-by-turn navigation, and a faster A6 processor. Plus, its top-to-bottom redesign is sharp, slim, and feather-light.

The bad: Apple Maps feels unfinished and buggy; Sprint and Verizon models can't use voice and data simultaneously. The smaller connector renders current accessories unusable without an adapter. There's no NFC, and the screen size pales in comparison to jumbo Android models.


The bottom line: The iPhone 5 completely rebuilds the iPhone on a framework of new features and design, addressing its major previous shortcomings. It's absolutely the best iPhone to date, and it easily secures its place in the top tier of the smartphone universe.

The iPhone 5 is the iPhone we've wanted since 2010, adding long-overdue upgrades like a larger screen and faster 4G LTE in a razor-sharp new design. This is the iPhone, rebooted.

The new design is flat-out lovely, both to look at and to hold, and it's hard to find a single part that hasn't been tweaked from the iPhone 4S. The iPhone 5 is at once completely rebuilt and completely familiar.

I've had the chance to use the iPhone 5 for nearly a week

, and have been using it for nearly anything I can think of. Is it as futuristic or as exciting as the iPhone 4 or the original iPhone? No. Does this change the smartphone game? No. Other smartphones beat it on features here and there: if you want a larger screen, go with a Samsung Galaxy S3. If you want better battery life, go with a Droid Razr Maxx.
But, if you want a great, all-around, beautifully engineered smartphone .

What's different?
Look at our review of last year's iPhone 4S, where we said, "Even without 4G and a giant screen, this phone's smart(ass) voice assistant, Siri, the benefits of iOS 5, and its spectacular camera make it a top choice for anyone ready to upgrade."    

Well, guess what? Now it has 4G LTE and...well, maybe not a giant screen, but a larger screen. That's not all, though: the already great camera's been subtly improved, speakerphone and noise-canceling quality has been tweaked, and -- as always -- iOS 6 brings a host of other improvements, including baked-in turn-by-turn navigation, a smarter Siri, and Passbook, a location-aware digital wallet app for storing documents like gift cards, boarding passes, and tickets.

The question is: a full year later, is that enough? For me, it is. I don't want much more in my smartphone. Sure, I'd love a new magical technology to sink my teeth into, but not at the expense of being useful. Right now, I'm not sure what that technology would even be.

Like every year in the iPhone's life cycle, a handful of important new features take the spotlight. This time, 4G, screen size, and redesign step to the top.

You've gotten the full rundown already, most likely, on the various ins and outs of this phone, or if you haven't, I'll tell you about them below in greater detail. Here's what I noticed right away, and what made the biggest impression on me.

First off, you're going to be shocked at how light this phone is. It's the lightest iPhone, even though it's longer and has a bigger screen. After a few days with it, the iPhone 4S will feel as dense as lead.

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Samsung Galaxy S III vs.Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX HD HD

Motorola has come with a series of beasts running on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and each one of them are going to compete with each other on Verizon LTE network as well as smartphones from other companies like Samsung. By design, the Motorola Droid RAZR series are certainly one step ahead with sturdy look, Kevlar coated back and compact form factor, Droid RAZR MAXX HD has a fatty form factor due to the beefy battery inside though.

What makes it difficult to compare the RAZR HD and Galaxy S III is that they have fairly competitive specifications.

For instance, they both feature 1280 x 720 pixel HD resolution AMOLED screens (a resolution often referred to simply as "720P"). They also sport 1.5 GHz dual-core processors which give them similar speed, microSD card slots for expansion, roughly the same amount of memory, same 4G technology, same camera, right down to the Gorilla Glass that protects the touchscreen. While the Galaxy S III's screen is a tenth of an inch larger than the RAZR's, you're not likely to miss the difference.

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Samsung Unveils Galaxy Grand Smart Phone

How many Galaxy-branded phones will Samsung launch? We’re not sure, but it’s not stopping anytime soon. The company on Tuesday unveiled its latest device, the Galaxy Grand, an Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean smartphone with a 5-inch display. That places it right between the size of the screen on the Galaxy S III and the 5.5-inch display on the Galaxy Note II.

The Galaxy Grand packs a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, an 8-megapixel camera, a 2-megapixel camera for video chat, Bluetooth 4.0, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of expandable storage and support for HSPA+ 21Mbps networks. It also sports several Touch Wiz features that are available on the Galaxy Note II, such as the Multi Window feature for quickly jumping between applications, Smart Alert, which shows missed calls when you pick up the phone, pop-up video previews, S Voice and more.

Samsung is planning to release two versions of the Galaxy Grand, including a single SIM model and one that accepts two SIM cards. That means international travelers can have two numbers routing to the phone, which makes it a great option for work/recreation or for two people who need to share a single device.

We expect we’ll see this phone during Mobile World Congress in February, where we hope Samsung will discuss pricing and availability in more detail.

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