GSMArena smartphone shopping guide: November 2013

4 November 2013
One of the most common questions we encounter as writers and editors for mobile tech revolves around which phone to buy. We've taken it upon ourselves to share our insight with more than just our friends, so we're starting a recurring article...

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  • D
  • AnonD-182744
  • 8xr
  • 05 Nov 2013

thanks gsmarena!! =D
great work!!

    • D
    • AnonD-196455
    • dQK
    • 05 Nov 2013

    HTC ONE best of the rest.

      • D
      • AnonD-147377
      • JxS
      • 05 Nov 2013

      Great work GSMarena
      But where is Note II LTE?

        • D
        • AnonD-52738
        • uCn
        • 05 Nov 2013

        Great article! Well done!

          • D
          • AnonD-178238
          • uNW
          • 05 Nov 2013

          Please add up the Dollar pricing alongside the Euro pricing so as to give a better glimpse to all the viewers :-)

            • A
            • Ajax
            • H0r
            • 05 Nov 2013

            wow the samsung galaxy s4 got only 1 cons because of the tired design, so it's the best smartphone with just only 1 cons and the rest of the smartphones got more than 1 cons. Hehe

              • D
              • AnonD-19153
              • mI6
              • 05 Nov 2013

              Thanks gsmarena.com :)

                • ?
                • Anonymous
                • KZ8
                • 05 Nov 2013

                My first android phone was Huawei Ascend P1 before switching to the nexus 4. Both are great phones except that the Huawei Ascend P1 suffering from poor audio quality. Nexus 4 will be perfect if it has FM radio. I'm thinking of getting the Huawei Ascend P6.

                  • M
                  • Makarov
                  • vIf
                  • 05 Nov 2013

                  This is really good work,


                  People would really be benefited by shopping guide,


                  We would be happy if you could do this often, as you guys know the time for a guide like this.



                  Love the work you are doing.


                  great work.....
                  great work.....
                  great work.....
                  great work.....
                  great work.....
                  great work.....
                  great work.....
                  great work.....
                  great work.....
                  great work.....
                  great work.....

                    • m
                    • matalwan
                    • IVx
                    • 05 Nov 2013

                    Pls don't mention iphone. i don't care about it greatness. Greatness come with great money.

                      I think nexus 5 is the combination of best value for money and top notch specs.. Although note 3 is my favorite

                        • ?
                        • Anonymous
                        • vuE
                        • 05 Nov 2013

                        NOTE 3 FTW!

                        Basically they can't find any cons! :-)

                          • D
                          • AnonD-145130
                          • 0Ca
                          • 05 Nov 2013

                          Very good article. I like the G2 a lot (except the OS design and execution).
                          And I agree, the biggest con of the iPhone is the insanely monumental huge pricetag. In my country, the 16 gb one is 1000 $ !!! THAT IS MENTAL. Except that, the iPhone has the best user experience any of this phones has to offer.

                            • D
                            • AnonD-203343
                            • tjJ
                            • 05 Nov 2013

                            AnonD-92238, 05 Nov 2013iPhone 5s.....lolI think now a days iPhone 5 better than any other smartphone.......

                              • B
                              • Big_dikh
                              • uSN
                              • 05 Nov 2013

                              AnonD-4340, 05 Nov 2013What? The ZR is a useless POS, highly overprized, does not ... moreI think your the one smoking here..Here at my country(Philippines)
                              ZR cost 16K to 18K(less than or equal to 300€). No worries for an 8gig internal storage coz you caN Expand it using microSD card. For the battery test ZR beat Z.
                              Check it out sir. :)

                              and xperia z is on different price category.

                                • D
                                • AnonD-48446
                                • g5h
                                • 05 Nov 2013

                                Great article but I would put the Xperia S there as well. 720p screen of 4.3 inches resulting in 342 PPI. That and a good 12 mega camera with a camera key. Being a 2012 phone it's cheap. But still a great general smartphone. And I'm a S4 user.

                                  • ?
                                  • Anonymous
                                  • Kg}
                                  • 05 Nov 2013

                                  Great article GSMArena, as always. :thumbs-up:

                                    • D
                                    • AnonD-4340
                                    • Kg$
                                    • 05 Nov 2013

                                    Anonymous, 05 Nov 2013Android have trouble displaying PDF / Office files. Load so... moreWell, my android is NOT slow at displaying PDF files, its so close to instant that I will approve the use of the word Instant in this case.

                                    And who cares about office files anyway, except people who love to pretend that they use their phones only for "important work" stuff? I don't even need an office file reader on the phone, far less an editor, like I would start editing spreadsheets and write documents? Those who scream loudest about the need for editors are also the ones who don't really need it at work, they just like to feel important.

                                    Yeah that's right, I was once new to working in an office myself and recognize your behavior, after a wile we stop pretending we need everything like this and hthat. Think, who is it who always run to the bosses and asking this and that, and telling them "we really need to buy this software", who are those people? Yes, the inexperienced and overly enthusiastic ones with the lowest salary.

                                      • D
                                      • AnonD-4340
                                      • Kg$
                                      • 05 Nov 2013

                                      If I needed a phone now, at once, I think I just get the Xperia Z again, not too big for the pocket, well tested, stable and reliable with the most perfect ui. Updates has improved the camera significantly as well.

                                      On second place I have the Lg G2, but lack of card slot is a disadvantage, and the most serious shortcoming is the lack of an appswitch button. I have used the G2 and the missing appswitch was really my biggest problem, made it almost as inefficient and cumbersome to operate as a Samsung. Nexus 5 has appswitch button ofcourse but is not available here and never will be (except from suspicious webshops that sell without official warranty and all)

                                      Z1 and Note 3 are too big, I know because I used Note 2 for several months. Z1 size is just sad, Sony displayed very poor judgment in constructing the Z1. Note 3 is even more sad, a saleslady gave me a thorough demonstration and only managed to make me laugh, those features are absolutely not productive at all, its cumbersomeness redefined.

                                        • D
                                        • AnonD-4340
                                        • Kg$
                                        • 05 Nov 2013

                                        Anonymous, 05 Nov 2013Where is the Xperia ZR.. It is a great device and very c... moreWhat? The ZR is a useless POS, highly overprized, does not belong on anyones shopping list. A phone at that high price with only 8GB storage is outrageous. I would have been shocked if ZR made it to the list, one of the poorest buys on the market now.

                                        Go for Xperia Z, gorgeous sharp display, slimmer and better looking, and has 3 times more available internal storage for just a few bucks more. I cant imagine having a "high end" phone with 4GB available storage, wtf were the guys at Sony smoking when they made the ZR?? Even the 11.73 GB available in Xperia Z is low for many people.