Smartphones: Hot Launches Of 2012

This year has witnessed numerous launches of powerful smartphone devices, including the Galaxy S III by Samsung Corp. and the 808 PureView from Nokia Corp.. (See Samsung Galaxy S III Hits India, Is Nokia 808 PureView Worth A Pick? and iPhone 4S: The World Phone.)

There have also been launches from local vendors such as Lava International Ltd., which has collaborated with companies like Intel Corp. to launch its devices. (See Intel's Atom-Chip Smartphone Debuts.)

That provides plenty of options for those interested in high-end mobile devices, which are gaining in popularity. According to the research firm Gartner Inc., about 6 percent of handset sales in India in 2011 was for smartphones but that is set to increase to 8 percent in 2012.

And with Gartner expecting 231 million mobile handsets to be sold in India this year, that means more than 18 million smartphones are set to be sold across the country in 2012 compared with about 13 million last year.

So here's a snapshot of the hottest smartphone launches so far this year, based on our informal conversations with industry experts and analysts. Be sure to use our message boards below if your favorite is not included.

Samsung Galaxy S III
This mean machine from the Korean giant is a successor to the popular Galaxy S2 smartphone and incorporates a gigantic 4.8-inch Super Amoled capacitive touch screen with Gorilla glass protection. The phone runs the Android OS 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), sports a 1.4-GHz Cortex-A9 processor and houses an 8-megapixel camera capturing full 1080p hi-def videos. (See Samsung Galaxy S III Hits India, Is Galaxy S III An Answer To iPhone? and .)

Samsung has blessed the device with some novel features such as the Smart Stay, which keeps the screen fully lit while the user is looking at it but dims it to save battery life when it is not being viewed. Priced at INR 38,900 (US$682), this device is definitely a hot item in the Indian smartphone market.

Apple iPhone 4S
The Apple Inc. iPhone 4S is a treat to use with its smooth touch interface. Available with the company's latest iOS 5 operating system and with its A-5 dual-core processor, it is powerful enough to play any multimedia application in no time. The device sports a 3.7-inch Retina display with 960x640 pixel resolution. (See iPhone 4S Debuts With a Lofty Price Tag.)

The phone comes with an 8-megapixel camera that enables the user to click multiple pictures without compromising the quality. It also has Apple's iMovie Application that can be used to edit videos captured on-the-go.

The iPhone 4S comes in three variants - 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB - at a price of INR 44,500, INR 50,900 and INR 55,000 ($781, $893 and $965) respectively.

Motorola RAZR
Motorola Mobility's RAZR comes with eye gleaming looks, a sculpted glass face and an aluminum body. The smartphone offers a 4.3-inch Super Amoled display with Gorilla Glass, while on the inside it has a 1.2-GHz dual-core processor which hooks up with a 1-GB RAM. (See Motorola Launches New Handsets in RAZR Series.)

Running on Android 2.3 OS (GingerBread), it comes pre-loaded with the MotoCast application that enables users to stream or download content from their PCs. RAZR also comes with an 8-megapixel camera with 1080p video support, while the front camera allows video chatting in 720p video format.

The phone can be bought for INR 33,990 ($596), but the price may vary.

HTC One X
The HTC One X smartphone has been built with a greater focus on the camera and music-playing abilities and it's worth the effort.

The phone comes in a lightweight polycarbonate body that gives the device a sleek look. It houses a powerful 1.5 GHz (quad core) Nvidia Tegra 3 mobile processor and has a 4.7-inch screen with a resolution of 720p.

The HTC One X costs INR 33,999 ($596).

The One X series is available through a limited-period offer from Bharti Airtel Ltd. that includes 100 free song downloads, 500 MB of data for three months and 200 minutes of mobile TV.

BlackBerry Bold 9900
Canadian handset-maker Research In Motion Ltd. (RIM) has unveiled this phone with the latest BlackBerry 7 OS, which brings an enhanced software performance. The 2.8-inch Qwerty keyboard device is among the thinnest BlackBerry smartphones and has a 1.2 GHz Qualcomm processor and 768 MB of RAM.

The professional phone also packs a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash capable of recording 720p videos and has an 8 GB inbuilt memory expandable up to 32 GB. This smartphone is available for INR 33,350 ($585).

Rimit Singh, Correspondent, Light Reading India