Apple's latest and greatest phone is finally out of the cage. The iPhone 5 went throught millimetric scrutiny the weeks and months ahead its release and as it turns out, most of the late rumors we'd heard about a larger 4-inch screen, thinner body, LTE support, among others proved to be exactly true.
Most Apple fans won't look past the iPhone 5, after all it is a faster, more polished device and undoubtedly the best phone that has ever come out from Cupertino. However, sticking to the facts, the iPhone 5 is met today with a formidable pack of competitors that include but is not limited to the Samsung Galaxy S III, HTC One X, LG Optimus 4X HD, and the upcoming Nokia Lumia 920.
Check out the table below for a spec by spec rundown of what we consider are the best smartphones on the market today:
| Apple iPhone 5 |
Samsung Galaxy S III |
Nokia Lumia 920 | HTC One X | LG Optimus 4X HD | |
|
Price (on contract) |
$200 | $100 | N/A | $90 |
$460 (unlocked) |
| Availability | September 21 | Now | Q4 2012 | Now | Now |
| Metascore | 89 | 87 | 83 | ||
| Review | More info | Review | More info | Review | Review |
| Processor |
Apple A6 1Ghz dual-core |
Snapdragon S4 1.4GHz quad-core |
Snapdragon S4 1.5GHz dual-core |
Snapdragon S4 1.5GHz dual-core |
Nvidia Tegra 3 1.5GHz quad-core |
| Display |
4-inch IPS |
4.8-inch Super AMOLED |
4.5-inch IPS LCD |
4.7-inch S-LCD 2 |
4.7-inch IPS LCD |
|
Resolution (PPI) |
640 x 1136 (326) |
720 x 1280 (306) |
768 x 1280 (332) |
720 x 1280 (312) |
720 x 1280 (312) |
| RAM | 1GB | 1GB | 1.3GB | 1GB | 1GB |
| Front camera | 1MP | 1.9MP | 2MP | 1.3MP | 1.3MP |
| Rear camera | 8MP | 8MP | 8.7MP | 8MP | 8MP |
| Storage | 16/32/64GB | 16/32/64GB | 32GB | 16GB | 12GB |
| USB | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| microSD | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Cellular | HSPA+ / LTE | HSPA+21 / LTE | HSPA+ / LTE | HSPA+ / LTE | HSPA+ |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.1 | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 |
| NFC | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Operating System | iOS 6 | Android 4.0 | Windows Phone 8 | Android 4.0 | Android 4.0 |
| App Marketplace | iTunes | Google Play | Windows Marketplace | Google Play | Google Play |
| Weight | 112g | 133g | 185g | 129g | 141g |
| Other | Airplay |
HDMI out via microUSB |
Wireless charging |
HDMI out via microUSB |
HDMI out via microUSB |
OS and ecosystems draw the most evident divide between phones running Android, iOS and Windows Phone. You may already have a favorite, but it's a very dynamic environment out there.
Stay tuned as we get our hands on the Apple iPhone 5 for a full review soon.