5 Smartphones To Look Out For In 2013

1) Sony Xperia Z

Code-named as “Yuga C6603”, the upcoming Xperia entry looks like a stunner, with a 5-inch screen at HD resolution(1920*1080) armed with Sony's Bravia technology. A Russian website, mobile-review.com, have already got their hands on the device, and say the Yuga has a Qualcomm quad-core processor with an Adreno 320 GPU. The phone is also supposed to have a sleek unibody, with plastic flaps covering the micro-HDMI and USB ports. According to the site, the Xperia Z will be the first device offering universal LTE support, being able to work across a range of frequencies. The test device had Android 4.1.2 running on it, which will probably be upgraded to Android 4.2 by the time of release, which is rumored to be in mid January.

2) Samsung Galaxy S4

Taking over as king of the smartphone market with a 10.7% market share, the S3 pushed aside iPhone 4S in 2012. Samsung is hoping to continue this momentum with the S4, supposedly having a 5-inch AMOLED screen and 1920*1080 display, with 441 ppi. The S4 is also rumored to be armed with an Exynos 5440 quad-core processor and a 13-megapixel camera. A fresh report also says that the S4 will include the Galaxy Note's S-Pen, which may not be a welcome change for many users. The Galaxy S4 should be modelled as GT-i9500, and is rumored to be released in mid-2013 with Android 5.0.

3) Blackberry 10

According to reports, Research In Motion will release 2 devices at the end of january with the new OS Blackberry 10, one being the N-Series (with keypad) and the L-Series(full touchscreen). Reports have carried that the L-Series phone will have a 4.2” HD screen, dual-core 1.5 Ghz processor,an 8MP camera and 2GB of RAM. After being prodded out of slumber by the domination of Android and iOS, RIM has finally come up with a new OS, which has a few nifty features. For example, the Blackberry Hub allows users to browse a unified inbox, with emails,messages,notifications and calendar events. A useful feature for BYOD enthusiasts will be “Blackberry Balance”, which provides remote IT management that allows administrators to wipe work data off the device at any time. Watch out for the Blackberry 10 release on January 30,2013.

4) Google Nexus 4

Manufactured in partnership with LG, Google's Nexus 4 was released in late 2012, but is set to make an impact in 2013 once it hits major markets of Europe and Asia. With a 1.5 Ghz quad-core snapdragon processor ,2GB of RAM, 4.7 inch screen at a resolution of 1280*768 and 8 megapixel rear-camera, the Nexus 4 has the hardware to give the like of the Galaxy S3 a run for its money. However, one major criticism of the Nexus 4 is the lack of a LTE radio, which is becoming a standard on most killer phones. While the phone is currently not available in India, it has been reported that LG will bring it to Indian shores in January. If you're in a hurry, you can get it off ebay.in for Rs.36,999.

5) Nokia Lumia 920

Constructed with a robust polycarbonate body and a glossy finish, the Lumia 920 is Nokia's best effort so far to keep up with its competitors in the smartphone space. The Lumia 920 has a 4.5 inch HD screen, Nokia's PureMotion technology limits blurriness while scrolling. The 920's PureView camera has also been lauded for its image stabilization and floating lens, which neutralizes jerking motions while videos are being taken. Running on Windows Phone 8, the 920 has several useful Nokia apps such as Maps and Music. However, the WP 8 app ecosystem falls short of iOS and Android stores, and this leaves much to be desired from the app standpoint. Reports have carried that it will be released sometime in January, around a price of Rs. 35,000.