Give the gift of a reliable smartphone this year! If you, your spouse, teenager, or business partner want a new phone, these recommendations top Bergen IT’s list.
Apple iPhone 5s
If you’re hooked on Apple products, the iPhone 5s is the way to go. The iPhone 5s is Apple’s newest model with the best features of any of their phones. The phone is small enough to fit into your pocket and is easy to hold for phone calls. If you’re looking for a powerful, high-speed smartphone, the 5s does well. Apps and games load quickly and smoothly for a more enjoyable and productive experience. The 5s’s motion-tracking chip makes texting and game playing intuitive and easy.
One of the 5s’s claims to fame is its photo functionality. Compared to most camera phones, the 5s takes the cake when it comes to photo quality and flexibility. It offers an incredible array of photo filters, and includes additional technical photo-adjustment options like image stabilization, flash adjustment and redeye removal. Watch out, Instagram.
But, if you’re looking for a system that works well with a variety of apps, the iPhone is not the phone for you. Apple has a hard time sharing its customers with Microsoft. So just like with iTunes, iPads, iPhones or iMacs, choosing an iPhone means that you’ll be isolated from any Android or Microsoft product.
Before buying the 5s, consider which apps are important to you and do your research into whether they’re iPhone compatible. If so, then welcome to the Borg.
Available on AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile networks.
Apple’s iPhone 5s
HTC One
The HTC One is the best and the newest Android phone that HTC offers. We highly recommend this phone, and overall, we consider it the cream of the crop. The HTC One shines in more than one arena: sleek design, audio equipment, and screen quality.
But let’s start with the basics: hardware. The HTC One boasts a Snapdragon 600 processor, which basically means the One is fast. Super fast. The HTC One was the first smartphone to use a Snapdragon processor, so the phone was built with speed and smooth sailing in mind. So, go ahead and fire up those apps and web pages. You’ve got nothing to lose.
On top of the One’s wonderful processing power, its audio equipment is exceptional. The phone is complete with two speakers – beside each end of the screen – that make any movie-watching or music-listening experience complete. The speakers themselves are crafted with Beats technology and can be loud enough to act like portable speakers. Most importantly, you’ll be able to clearly hear your friends at the other end of the phone line.
As for screen quality, the HTC One probably has the best screen out there. The screen takes up 90% of the front of the phone, and it’s complete with a 1080 pixel LCD display. The screen’s quality makes pictures look vivid and colorful, and makes it easy to view text on websites, emails, and apps. The design of the phone itself is long, sleek and thin with a metallic hue. It can feel awkward to hold during long conversations because of how long it is, but the phone can get away with that minor detail because it’s just so pretty.
Available on Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, and AT&T networks.
The HTC One
Samsung Galaxy S4
Samsung is rolling out its newest phone, the Galaxy S5, in February. We hear rumblings that a wrap-around display (what?!), an Isocell camera sensor, and an eye-scanner could be in store for this mythical phone. Unfortunately, it’s only December and February is months away. Luckily, there’s a Samsung phone that can tide you over for the meantime, and that’s the Galaxy S4.
The Galaxy S4 is designed much like the HTC One: its screen takes up most of the phone’s front, and its body is nearly as thin. The S4 is a little awkward to hold, due to how wide the phone is. In Samsung’s defense, they were aiming for an optimal viewing experience. The bigger the screen, the better you can see the images on that screen. And in fact, the 1080 pixel, HD AMOLED display makes visuals crisp and clear. The S4 even gives the user the option of changing the display’s color tone. The phone is perfect for viewing videos and great for playing games.
The S4 has some pretty cool extras. One of the best ones is the face scanner that’s used for unlocking your phone. Just take a picture of yourself and you’re in. There’s Smart Pause, which feels like a feature sent from the future. If you’re watching a video and get distracted by something else in the room, the phone will sense your eyes straying and will pause until your eyes come back to the screen. Another neat feature is the ability to answer a phone call by waving your hand in front of the screen — because pushing a button wasn’t easy enough.
Overall, the Galaxy S4 runs smoothly and efficiently and has incredible extras. This phone is definitely worth a look.
Available on Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Cricket, and Sprint networks.
Samsung’s Galaxy S4