Samsung Galaxy S III versus the world

Samsung’s flagship handset has sparked a huge debate about the design choice and materials used but underneath it all, there’s no denying that it’s one of the fastest and most modern smartphones to hit the street, when it launches in June.

Although the chassis is mostly plastic, their new Hyperglaze coating gives you a good grip and feel of the phone. No one’s going to be looking the back though when you have such a gorgeous 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED upfront. Samsung has managed to squeeze a massive screen into form that’s just a little larger than the S II, which is quite a feat.

Beating inside, is their latest Exynos 4 Quad SoC which is giving many smartphones a run for their money. More than the specifications though, it’s new special features that make phone unique like the S Voice, Smart stay, etc. If you don’t feel like waiting till the end of the month though, then here’s some very good options in the market right now.

HTC One X
The One X was the first quad-core smartphone is arguably one of the best built phones in the market. The polycarbonate shell makes is very durable and super light as well. One of the unique features of the HTC One X is the new Burst mode in the camera interface. This lets you capture photos in rapid succession which means you can get some really good action shots. The One X also boasts of zero shutter lag which means capturing a photo is almost instantaneous. The phone is great if you game a lot as it’s powered by Nvidia’s Tegra 3 SoC, which has one of the best GPUs in any phone till date. For Rs36,000, it’s currently the best Android in the market.

Apple iPhone 4S
Apple’s iPhone is always an option when money is not a constraint. The 4S takes all the goodness of the iPhone 4 and adds some more as well. It now packs in a beefier dual-core CPU from the iPad 2, giving it 1080p recording capabilities. The new 8MP BSI sensor improves on the already good sensor of the previous one for better low light photography. And then there’s Siri, your personal assistant to answer your every beck and call. The 4S sits at the top end of the price bracket at Rs45,000.

Sony Xperia S
Compared with the other handsets, the Xperia S may not come across as a serious contender but it has one of the best cameras and display right now. The plastic and chrome finish have been ditched for a classy, matt finished chassis. The HD resolution, 4.3-inch screen makes everything super sharp and crisp so reading eBooks and web pages is a dream. It also has one of the best cameras for outdoor shooting. The 12MP sensor can snap up some really detailed pictures, making it a joy for Instagram enthusiasts, especially macro shots. The phone is also slated to receive an ICS update. If a camera is off high priority, then at Rs31,000, this is your best bet.