Phone Plan: Google Now, Exclusive Nokia , Samsung Soon or Apple Later?

If you are in the market for a high-end smartphone today, which phone would you choose? Android smartphone, Windows 8 phone or iOS devices? Every platform and manufacturer has its partisans, but the three front-runners are clearly the Google Nexus 4, Nokia Lumia 920, the soon-to-be released Samsung Galaxy 4 and (at the moment) the iPhone 5. Adding to the confusion about the decision is the uncertainty of the release date of the next iPhone, likely called the 5S, which could drop any time between June and November.

For the sake of clarity (at the expense of the full, mind-numbing complexities that these questions imply), I will isolate each of these three products in terms of its most essential proposition about what you value in a smartphone and let you reach your own conclusions.

Google Nexus 4

If you are a true lover in the Google platform, Nexus 4 is for you. The Nexus 4 comes with the latest version of Android and gets updates directly from Google, so you’ll always have the fastest, most up-to-date software on your phone. Although the Galaxy 4 ships with the latest version of Android and will support Google Now—the jewel of Google’s software crown—the Nexus 4 is assured of maintaining current Android status with firmware updates, while Samsung may fork its TouchWiz user interface further in its own direction. Contentious competition with Apple means that the Nexus 4 is and will remain the best way to have the full Google experience, if that’s what you are after.

• See also:  Battle of the Androids: Samsung Galaxy S4 vs. LG Nexus 4

Samsung galaxy s4

In terms of pure hardware specs, the Galaxy 4 beats the other current competitors and perhaps even the forthcoming iPhone 5s. If you want the biggest, brightest screen, latest smart features such as Air View, Motion control, eye-tracking and the most connectivity options, the Galaxy 4 is for you. And if you are going to buy a Samsung SmartTV in your future, the Galaxy 4 will be the device most integrated with that line. It integrates with TVs, a Fitbit-like scale and its own HomeSync personal cloud, but it is not clear that its software and services are as top-of-the-line as its hardware.

Nokia Lumia 920

Tired of Android or iOS? Love the look of Metro's live tiles? Then the Nokia Lumia 920 is your wise choice. Running on the latest Windows Phone 8 operating system, Lumia 920 features a 4.5 inch PureMotion HD+ display, LTE, 8.7MP PureView camera, 1.2MP front camera, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, wireless charging, 2000 mAh battery,1GB of RAM, and 32GB of internal memory , Nokia Maps, Nokia Drive, Nokia City Lens. There is no doubt that Lumia 920 is the best windows 8 phone until now.

iPhone 5 and 5S

Unlike Microsoft's Windows Phone and Google's Android, Apple does not license iOS for installation on non-Apple hardware. Apple makes both the hardware and the operating system for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch, everything is designed to work together. So apps take full advantage of hardware features such as the Retina display, the Multi-Touch interface, the accelerometer, the three-axis gyro, accelerated graphics, and more. FaceTime is a perfect example. It uses both front and back cameras, the display, the microphone, and your Wi Fi connection.

It’s getting harder, perhaps, to justify the leadership position of the iPhone in the face of these high-end Android devices. But beyond the inertia of Apple’s first mover advantage, iOS still has a considerable edge as an app platform. The iPhone is still the starting point for most high-quality app developers because its users have repeatably been shown as more engaged than their Android counterparts. So if you want to access to the latest and greatest apps, the more advanced mobile operating system, iPhone is obviously your choice.

The circuit of software created by Google Now, Google Maps, Google Search, Gmail and the Chrome browser may well be the best overall platform, but it can’t be completely executed on Apple devices because of the companies’ Punch and Judy show.

• See also: Samsung Galaxy S4 vs. HTC One vs. iPhone 5, Will Samsung Continue to Rule the Universe?