The iPhone 5 is a great all-around product. It's pretty, it's intuitive, it's affordable.
But personally, it's also a little small, underpowered, and predictable. It's like the
Donald Bell of phones.
How about we shake things up and take a look at the Top 5 smartphone
alternatives to the iPhone 5, hand-picked by CNET's Brian Bennett.
Starting off at #5, the HTC EVO 4G LTE on Sprint. It has a beautiful 4.7-inch screen, an
impressive camera, and cool extras like NFC, Beats Audio, and a built-in kickstand. We were
lukewarm on this one when it came out, since Sprint didn't have a nationwide 4G LTE
network to run it on, but they are rolling out LTE as we speak.
...it has a kickstand!
At #4, the Droid Razr Maxx HD on Verizon. Not to be confused with the Droid Razr, or the
Droid Razr Maxx, which came out a month later. Those were great phones, but this one
gives you the best of both. You get the insanely great battery life of the Maxx, but a thinner
Razr-y design. 32 hours (!) of mixed-use battery life and you recharge it with one of these --
a Micro USB cable. You hear me, Apple!? Lightning port my ass. *grumble*
Alright, at #3, the HTC One S on T-Mobile, a network that so no love from Apple when it
came to the iPhone 5. It's one of the thinnest Android phones you can buy. The design is
stunning, it runs Ice Cream Sandwich, and the data is 4G-ish. If you're on T-Mobile, this is
the phone to get.
But if you're not on T-Mobile, check out its bigger brother. At #2, the HTC One X on AT&T.
You get a bigger, brighter 4.7-inch screen, and true 4G LTE. And if you're wondering if you
can take a photo with it while plummeting from 10,000 feet in the air... yes, you really can.
Now, before we get to the #1 iPhone 5 alternative, let's talk about the #1 reason why should
should wait a few months before signing any phone contract: Windows Phone 8.
Microsoft's roll-out of Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 is going to be a big deal. The
previews we've seen of the new Windows phones from HTC and Nokia look very impressive.
If you're a Windows user thinking about upgrading to 8, then sit tight and see how this plays
out.
That said, if you want the best not-iPhone phone out there right now, look no
further than #1: the Samsung Galaxy S III. It's on every carrier. It has every
feature. Google Maps with turn-by-turn navigation? Right here. And the biggest
screen of the bunch at 4.8-inches. This phone is so cool, Apple tried to get it
banned in the U.S.
So there you go, 5 phones for people who want just a little more than what the
iPhone 5 can offer. For all the latest cell phone news and reviews, head over to
phones.cnet.com. Or if you just like to see my pretty face, check out
Top5.CNET.com, or follow me on Twitter.
I'm Donald Bell, thanks for watching.
