Nokia Lumia 900 vs HTC Titan II: Head to head

The two LTE smartphones, which we have on our hands today, couldn't be more different as far as the manufacturer goals and ambitions are concerned. The Nokia Lumia 900 for instance, carries the burden of turning the fortunes for the Finnish giant. The smartphone was launched with an aggressive price tag, and a massive marketing budget. The Nokia offering has no other choice but to succeed.

The HTC Titan II is on the other side of the urgency scale. Being one of the best established players in the Android realm, HTC needs not bet its fortunes on a smartphone, running a less than popular OS. The Titan II does not need to sell in large numbers - the Taiwanese company has the One Series up to this task. Such lack of pressure is sometimes the key to a great product.

This head-to-head feature should hardly be a surprise - after all the LTE sporting Nokia Lumia 900 and the HTC Titan 2 were both announced during CES 2012. The two Windows Phone handsets also hit the AT&T shelves in the same day. All in all, great news in case you are a fan of Windows Phone devices, shopping around for the latest hardware.

Speaking of hardware, you have probably guessed by now, that the HTC Titan II and the Nokia Lumia 900 have quite a few things in common, thanks to Microsoft's strict hardware policy for the mobile platform. Displays and camera units aside, the two smartphone can almost pass for identical twins hardware-wise.

Here's a quick look at what the two flagship wannabes have to offer.

HTC Titan II over Nokia Lumia 900

• A slightly faster CPU, clocked at 1.5GHz
• Lighter by 13 grams, despite being larger in measures
• Larger 4.7" S-LCD screen
• 16MP camera sensor with various shooting modes
• Video recording has a better continuous auto focus
• A number of handy, exclusive HTC apps
• Equalizer/sound enhancer preinstalled

Nokia Lumia 900 over HTC Titan II

• Arguably better design, and more distinctive looks
• Polycarbonate unibody and Gorilla Glass covered display will handle abuse better
• 4.3" AMOLED screen is a better match for Windows Phone OS; has better pixel density too
• 8MP camera sensor has excellent dynamic range
• Costs half as much with a contract
• Better battery life performance
• Nokia Drive free lifetime navigation out of the box

If looks are main factor, then the Nokia Lumia 900 is likely the favorite here. Its polycarbonate unibody, coupled with a display, sporting infinite contrast levels and punchier colors, looks like nothing else on the U.S. smartphone market. Free navigation from Nokia Drive is a sweet proposition on the software side of things. In a nutshell, there is plenty to like about the newcomer.

The HTC Titan II on the other hand, sports a faster CPU, and weighs less, despite it being larger overall. Its 16MP camera sensor is the biggest you can find on a smartphone in the United States. HTC's exclusive apps add a much needed dash of Sense-d eye candy to an otherwise generic Windows Phone OS look.

Nokia Lumia 900 and HTC Titan II live photos

We are now going to put these two on each other's path, and try to find out which one deserves your hard earned cash better. Following next is a look at the handsets' design, build quality, and hardware features.

Sony Xperia P review: Ironclad

Introduction

Sealed in an aluminum unibody but still oozing the new NXT series style, the Sony Xperia P joins an elite club of metal-clad phones. And then there's the WhiteMagic screen to make it unique in the mobile world. In short, the Xperia P is one of the most advanced midrange phones out there.

Sony Xperia P official photos
The Reality display on the Sony Xperia P spans 4 inches and has qHD resolution, featuring the traditional for the Xperia series Mobile BRAVIA Engine. What's unique to the Xperia P is the WhiteMagic technology - an extra white subpixel to the usual RGB setup pushes brightness up to extra high levels while reducing power consumption. Specialized software aims to keep both power usage and color rendering optimal at all times.
The other standout feature is the aluminum unibody - if you like the solid feel of metal, there aren't too many phones that can deliver. The build of the Xperia P isn't just about the metal though - the phone is part of Sony's GreenHeart program and uses nature-friendly recycled plastics and waterborne paint.
Here's the cheat sheet on the Sony Xperia P:

Key features

• Aluminum unibody
• Quad-band GSM /GPRS/EDGE support
• 3G with 14.4 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA
• Bright 4" 16M-color capacitive LED-backlit LCD touchscreen of qHD resolution (540 x 960 pixels) with Sony Mobile BRAVIA engine and WhiteMagic (fourth white subpixel); Scratch-resistant glass
• Android OS v2.3.7 Gingerbread, planned Android 4.0 ICS update
• Dual-core 1 GHz Cortex-A9 CPU, 1 GB RAM, Mali-400 GPU, NovaThor U8500 chipset
• 8 MP autofocus camera with LED flash and geotagging, Multi Angle shot
• 1080p video recording @ 30fps with continuous autofocus and stereo sound
• VGA front-facing camera
• Wi-Fi b/g/n and DLNA
• Built-in GPS receiver with A-GPS
• NFC connectivity
• 16GB built-in storage (13GB user accessible)
• microHDMI port, dedicated TV launcher
• microUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth v2.1
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• Stereo FM radio with RDS
• Voice dialing
• Adobe Flash 11 support
• Deep Facebook integration
• Accelerometer and proximity sensor

Main disadvantages

• No Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box
• Display has poor blacks, high brightness levels result in poor color rendering and loss of contrast
• No memory card slot
• microSIM only
• Modest battery capacity of only 1305mAh results in mediocre battery life

While it was the outside of the Sony Xperia P that grabbed our attention, a dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM and Mali-400 GPU should easily be able to keep it. We just wish Sony would get over the ICS hurdle once and for all (the update is expected in Q3).
Some users will certainly appreciate the standard microHDMI port and hardware shutter key - two things that are just about going extinct in the mobile world, even though virtual shutter keys aren't as comfortable and MHL ports require you to carry (and pay for) additional adapters.

Sony Xperia P live pictures
With all this buildup, the Xperia P is starting to sound like the Sony phone that people "in the know" will buy. You know, not the top of the product line, but the one that offers the best set of features for a fair price.

LG Optimus L7 review: L-egant droid

Introduction

A fashion phone for the designer-challenged. Last season's Prada at knockdown prices. The LG Optimus L7 will have to face comparisons with the latest Prada phone by LG and we cannot think of many that will swing in its favor. But there's no need to be negative. The L7 is big-screened, inexpensive and Ice Cream Sandwich-flavored. Doesn't sound too bad now, does it?
A very respectable connectivity set, complete with NFC, is sure to give the LG Optimus L7 a good advantage against midrange competition. The phone is well built and quite attractive, much of which goes down to the impressive slimness. Changing out of the designer outfit was no big deal but one CPU core had to go with the Prada dress. In theory, the old Snapdragon chipset should flash red on all alarms but our concerns over speed have eased a little.

LG Optimus L7 official pictures
The bigger loss is HD video recording. The L7 is obviously not even half the cameraphone the Prada is. And LG know they have no use of an overpriced designer handset in the midrange. An affordable, good-looking and reasonably equipped smartphone is what they need instead. The Optimus L7 might just be it.

Key features

• Quad-band GSM and tri-band 3G support
• 21 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA
• 4.3" 16M-color capacitive IPS LCD touchscreen of WVGA resolution (480 x 800 pixels)
• Android OS v4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich
• Single-core 1GHz ARM Cortex-A5 processor, Adreno 200 (enhanced) GPU, Qualcomm MSM7227A Snapdragon chipset
• 512 MB RAM
• 4GB of inbuilt storage (2.7GB user available)
• 5 MP autofocus camera, face detection and geotagging
• VGA@30fps video recording
• Wi-Fi b/g/n and DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot
• NFC
• GPS with A-GPS
• Stereo FM radio with RDS
• microSD slot up to 32GB
• Accelerometer and proximity sensor
• Front facing VGA camera, video calls
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• microUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth v3.0, MHL TV-out
• Smart dialing, voice dialing
• DivX/XviD video support
• Polaris Office document editor
• Dolby Mobile and SRS sound enhancement

Main disadvantages

• Outdated hardware with a single-core processor
• Occasional performance hiccup and laggy browser
• Less than impressive camera performance
• VGA video recording only
• Poor sunlight legibility

The LG Optimus L7 is in charge of the new L-style series that debuted at this year's MWC. Much of the latest Prada styling has been carried over to the three new phones, which should give LG good coverage of the entire midrange. This is not the first time LG have taken design cues from collaboration with a fashion brand to use on their own line of devices.

The Optimus L7 live pictures
The L-Style phones continue the Black Label series tradition of iconic phones like the Chocolates and the Secret. The big difference is that smartphones are involved this time around. And as far as we can tell, Android wouldn't put up with anything too fancy. The L-Style phones seem to have gotten it right though, with a distinct but subtle design. Let's see. The full hardware inspection is coming up after the break.

Samsung Galaxy Pocket S5300 review: Happy meal

Introduction

Samsung are back to basics and they say there's always room for one more in the low end. Especially one that doesn't take too much space. The Galaxy Pocket makes the Galaxy Mini look like it's on steroids and the Y series like a bunch of semi pros.
Life at the bottom of the food chain is far from enjoyable but it can be pretty exciting, and some creatures have figured out how to adapt. They're usually small, fast and good at mimicry. The Galaxy Pocket meets the size requirement, but we'll have to check about the speed. And no, no one will mistake it for a trimmed down S III but some feature phones may be fooled into getting too close.

Samsung Galaxy Pocket official photos
It's an exaggeration perhaps that the likes of the Galaxy Pocket herald the demise of the dumbphone. But this and other droids in sheep's clothing will just keep on coming.

Key Features

• Quad-Band GSM and dual-band 3G support
• 2.8" 256K-color QVGA TFT touchscreen
• 832MHz ARMv6 processor, 289MB of RAM
• Android OS v2.3.6 (Gingerbread) with TouchWiz UI
• 3 GB of internal storage, hot-swappable MicroSD slot (up to 32 GB)
• 2 MP fixed-focus camera with geotagging
• GPS receiver with A-GPS
• Stereo FM radio with RDS
• 3.5mm audio jack
• Accelerometer and proximity sensor
• Swype text input
• MicroUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth 3.0
• Social network integration

Main disadvantages

• Low screen resolution limits choice of apps
• Fixed focus camera
• No secondary camera
• No camera flash, no dedicated camera key
• QVGA video recording @15fps
• No Adobe Flash support

This is obviously as basic as a smartphone package gets, but the Galaxy Pocket is still a true droid. It gives users quad-band GSM connectivity and dual-band 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS, and a capacitive, multi-touch enabled screen. It can be a basic music player and a basic camera - and the expandable memory is one of the key features that make the Galaxy Pocket a smart buy.
There're lots of blank spots on its spec sheet, which make it vulnerable to older midrange droids in the same price range, but the Samsung Galaxy Pocket is for learners, not knowers. Convenience and affordability were top priorities, in what Samsung would like to see as the first step towards a long-term commitment.

Samsung Galaxy Pocket live photos
We too are going to look at the Galaxy Pocket one step at a time. As usual, we start with the look and feel.

Sony Xperia sola review: Light 'em up

Introduction

Sony are busy extending their Xperia line, after the Japanese behemoth bought out their Ericsson counterpart, and the Xperia sola lies squarely in the middle of the pack. The flagship Xperia S has set the ceiling and the Xperia U will set the floor of what to expect from the company's Android offerings. The Xperia sola, for its part, must be keen to bolster the impression that Sony is in pretty good shape since going solo.

Sony Xperia S official photos
Although technically not a part of the NXT series, the Xperia sola shares some of the design choices of its 2012 Xperia siblings. It offers a few notable features to make up for its lack of Ice Cream Sandwich (the Android 4.0 update is scheduled for summer 2012). These include a super-crisp Reality display with Floating Touch and a powerful dual-core processor, which promises tp run Gingerbread perfectly smooth. It also has NFC, and the retail package comes with a couple of NFC tags to play around with.
Here's the lowdown on the pros and cons of the Sony Xperia sola:

Key features

• Quad-band GSM /GPRS/EDGE support
• 3.7" 16M-color capacitive touchscreen of Full WVGA resolution (854 x 480 pixels) with Sony Mobile BRAVIA engine; Floating touch display
• Android OS v2.3.7 Gingerbread, planned Android 4.0 ICS update
• Dual-core 1 GHz Cortex-A9 CPU, 512 MB RAM, NovaThor U8500 chipset
• 5 MP autofocus camera with LED flash and geo-tagging, Multi Angle shot
• 720p video recording @ 30fps with continuous autofocus and stereo sound
• Wi-Fi b/g/n and DLNA
• GPS with A-GPS
• 8 GB built-in storage (5 GB user-accessible)
• microUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth v2.1
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• Stereo FM radio with RDS
• Voice dialing
• Adobe Flash 11 support
• Deep Facebook integration
• Accelerometer and proximity sensor
• NFC connectivity and included NFC tags

Main disadvantages

• No front-facing camera
• No Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich out of box
• Display has poor viewing angles
• Stiff and unresponsive shutter key
• Non user-replaceable battery

The Sony Xperia sola strives to give you a feature-rich experience to set itself apart from the crowd of midrange droids. The Smart tags are definitely a step in the right direction, with NFC continuing to pick up steam. Overall, the Xperia sola has a competitive set of features for its price range and the Floating Touch technology adds a measure of exclusivity. The display can react to not only taps but hovering fingers.

Sony Xperia sola live pictures
Coming up is our unboxing of the Xperia sola, as well as an examination of its design and build quality.

Samsung Galaxy S III vs. Galaxy S II: Intergalactic

Introduction

With the dust still settling from one of the most exciting smartphone battles the industry has seen, and clouds of stardust swirling around a complete review, it's time to step back and take a sober look at two great phones. Two glorious chapters in Android history, two milestones on Samsung's rise to the top.
Keeping a cool head about gadgets like these two isn't the easiest of things but one has to be calm and rational in matters of upgrade and, ultimately, money. To get the obvious out of the way, the Samsung Galaxy S III boasts a massive HD screen and double the CPU cores of its predecessor. It's as simple as that - and more than enough for most people. What we're trying to do here is look closer at the differences between the two generations and find out what the upgrade costs and what it's worth.

The Samsung Galaxy S III is clearly the better equipped phone - it bests the S II on practically every count - but that doesn't necessarily mean it's the right Galaxy S for you.
Here's a quick list we threw together to help you get an idea of what Samsung improved on with the S III, but also why an S II might still be a smart buy.

Why the Galaxy S III is better

• Bigger, 720p screen
• Not slimmer, but the thickness is much more uniform
• Quad-core processor, faster graphics
• S Beam, S Voice, Smart stay, smart alarm, 50GB Dropbox and so on
• Better battery backup
• Snapping photos while recording FullHD video
• GLONASS support
• Bluetooth 4.0 LE
• 64GB storage option (comes with a price premium)

Why the Galaxy S II is still good enough

• Cheaper to buy new, plenty of second-hand deals too
• Smaller, lighter device
• SuperAMOLED Plus screen (has a full set of subpixels)
• Equally good camera with 8MP stills, 1080p video
• Same amount of RAM - 1GB
• Regular SIM slot

Of all the reasons listed, price is perhaps the biggest ace up the Galaxy S II's sleeve. Yes, it's gotten old, but it remains a very solid device, albeit in an upper-midrange position. Then there's the vibrant developer community around the S II, which might give it Android 5.0 Jellybean, even if Samsung decide not to do that officially.

Samsung Galaxy S II and Galaxy S III cohabitating in our office
On the other hand, if you are after the crème de la crème in Android, the list is pretty short and the SGS III is on it. Samsung have treated the Galaxy S III as a droid royalty and the smartphone is getting plenty of cool accessories (wireless charging, AllShare Cast, the Pebble), fancy software (S Voice, etc.) and it's practically a lock for a Jellybean update.
To get the full picture, we'll need to look at hardware and software, performance and camera. The next page kicks things off with a look at the hardware and the screen.

Nokia Asha 302 review: E-serious

Introduction

The Nokia Asha 302 comes between the Asha 300 and the Asha 303 in Nokia's updated featurephone lineup, but it doesn't quite follow the numerical order. Although obviously not a smartphone, this S40 messenger is almost halfway there. It aims to bring good connectivity and more than reasonable processing power without unnecessarily complicating the interface.
Touchscreen and dual-SIM support are the two extremes in the Asha lineup but the Nokia Asha 302 sticks to the middle, finding balance and confidence in robust functionality and good build quality. It's a value package with plenty to offer to many potential upgraders looking to replace their S30 or S40 phones.

Nokia Asha 302 official picture
The Asha 302 is compatible with any GSM network worldwide and features both 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity. It makes sure your email, Facebook and Twitter accounts are never more than just a click away. That's where the QWERTY keyboard is most welcome too. On the outside, a side-mounted memory card slot and metal accents make the best out of a classic messenger design. Here's what goes on inside.

Key features

• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
• Penta-band 3G with 14Mbps HSDPA and 5.76Mbps HSUPA
• Asha S40 platform
• Four-row hardware QWERTY keyborad
• 2.4" QVGA 256K-color TFT display
• 1GHz processor
• 128MB RAM, 256MB ROM
• 3 megapixel fixed-focus camera
• VGA video recording at 15fps
• Wi-Fi b/g/n
• Stereo FM radio with RDS
• Bluetooth v2.1 (with A2DP)
• Standard microUSB port (charging enabled)
• USB On-The-Go support
• microSD card slot (32 GB supported, 2GB included)
• 3.5mm audio jack

Main disadvantages

• No multitasking
• Fixed-focus camera
• No smart dialing
• No video-call camera
• No document viewer

So, the Nokia Asha 302 is raising the stakes in the low-cost telephony but makes sure it doesn't get into fights it cannot win. Halfway between a Nokia C3 and an E63, it looks on the safe side of the line. We cannot think of a better example to follow than the immensely popular Nokia C3 but it should be aware of the potential pressure of affordable smartphones - Symbian and Android alike.

Nokia Asha 302 live pictures
The Asha 302 is ready for a presentation, and so are we. Proceed to the next page where we begin to discover what the latest of the Ashas is really made of.

Samsung Galaxy Y Duos S6102 review : Double smart

Introduction

It got around the block quickly enough that entry-level Androids are big money earners. Not that Samsung needed the heads-up. They've had a foot in that door for as long as we can remember. As of late, their Galaxy Y series have taken over from the likes of the Galaxy Gio, Mini and the Fit to offer affordable smartphones for youths and emerging markets.

Samsung Galaxy Y Duos
At one point an almost exclusive Nokia territory, the low-end market is now fair game for cheap smartphones and the Galaxy Y Duos doesn't have to try hard to make itself comfortable.
The Galaxy Y Duos builds on the single-SIM Galaxy Y with a slightly larger screen, a higher-resolution camera, larger capacity battery and, most importantly, an extra SIM slot. The latter will, of course, be its key selling point in emerging markets, but here's what else is on offer.

Key Features

• Dual-SIM (dual stand-by)
• Quad-Band GSM and dual-band 3G support
• 7.2 Mbps HSDPA
• SIM switch in notification area
• 3.14" 256K-color QVGA TFT touchscreen
• 832MHz ARMv6 processor, 290MB of RAM
• Android OS v2.3.5 (Gingerbread) with TouchWiz UI
• 160MB of internal storage, hot-swappable MicroSD slot, 2GB card included
• 3.15 MP fixed-focus camera with geotagging
• GPS receiver with A-GPS
• Stereo FM radio with RDS
• 3.5mm audio jack
• Document viewer
• Accelerometer and proximity sensor
• Swype text input
• MicroUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth 3.0
• Social network integration

Main disadvantages

• Low screen resolution limits choice of apps
• Fixed focus camera
• No secondary camera
• No camera flash, no dedicated camera key
• QVGA video recording @24fps is pretty low
• No Adobe Flash support

The Galaxy Y Duos is aimed at entry level smartphone enthusiasts who want to make the best out of a limited budget. This dual-SIM droid is based on the original Galaxy Y - which in turn was a cut above the usual dumbphone.
We guess the two won't directly compete with each other: the dual-SIM smartphone will probably reach a different demographic. A package like the Galaxy Y (single SIM) is a more short-term affair - a phone to learn the basics with before moving on to something more advanced.
A dual-SIM phone on the other hand is the sensible choice for the budget-conscious - a typically older audience that's not as keen to upgrade ever so often. On the other hand, teens too will probably enjoy the flexibility of mobile plans that two SIM cards provide.
Anyway, Samsung have a solid dual-SIM track record but what we're interested in is how two phone lines are managed and operated in an Android environment. The first thing you'd notice is the lack of dedicated SIM management key and hot-swappable SIM cards. On the other hand, a handy SIM switch is integrated in the Android notification area and a SIM manager tops the settings menu. Quad-band support on both SIM cards and dual-band 3G are of course more than welcome.

The Galaxy Y Duos at HQ
But enough spoilers - let's see how the Galaxy Y Duos handles its two jobs, a smartphone and a dual-SIM phone. The trip starts right after the break - first stop is hardware.