The 7 Best Android Mobile Phones to date in 2012

Apple may have launched the smartphone craze in 2007 with the release of the first iPhone, but the company faces a serious challenge year after year from smartphones powered by the Google Android operating system.Apple iOS and Google Android will continue to go head-to-head in the coming years, but Android powered smartphone makers continue to serve notice to Apple that they too can design and produce smartphones capable of challenging the dominance of the iPhone.

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2012, much like previous years, has seen a number of new Android smartphones hit the market and the fanfare for each continues to rise. Unlike the iPhone, which is released one model at a time, Android phones hit the market in great numbers each year. That being said, it isn’t difficult to figure out which ones have performed the best and proven the most popular among consumers. So which device will claim the crown of best Android smartphone to date in 2012?

HTC EVO 4G LTE

Available from Sprint and boasting access to 4G networks, the HTC EVO 4G is the HTC EVO’s sophisticated younger sibling. The EVO was one of the first Android phones to feature rear and front-facing cameras, and that tradition carries on with the EVO 4G. The device boasts a 4.7 inch screen, 8MP rear camera, 1.3MP rear camera, a swift 1.5GHz Snapdragon processor, and operates on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The 2000 mAh battery offers around 7.5 hours of talk time. (HTC EVO 4G LTE)

Droid RAZR MAXX

Breaking up the HTC and Samsung dominance on this list, the Droid RAZR MAXX from Motorola comes in as one of the best Android phones out there. Available on Verizon 4G LTE, the RAZR MAXX boasts features like a 4.3 inch AMOLED screen, 1080p video recording capability, 1.2 GHz dual core processor, 8 MP rear camera, and operates Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The big win for Motorola over many competitors is the 3,300 mAh battery that provides up to 21 hours of talk time. (Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX)

Samsung Galaxy Note

The tech world has two obsessions in the 21^st century, smartphones and tablets. Consumers can debate endlessly about the benefits and drawbacks of both, but only Samsung acted to merge those two worlds together to calm the debate. Enter the Galaxy Note, dubbed by many as a “phablet.” The Galaxy Note is available on both AT&T 4G LTE and T-Mobile 4G. The device boasts a massive 5.3 inch HD Super AMOLED screen, 1.4 GHz dual core processor, 1080p recording and playback capability, and a 2,500 mAh battery. Although it comes with Android 2.3 Gingerbread installed (upgraded by certain carriers), the phone features an 8 MP rear camera, 2 MP front-facing camera, and an industry exclusive S Pen stylus for total control over the touch screen interaction. (Samsung Galaxy Note)

HTC One S

The first of two twin phones from HTC, the One S is the only device on the list available on T-Mobile’s 4G network. The One S features a 4.3 inch AMOLED screen, 8 MP rear-facing camera, 1.5 GHz Qualcomm dual core processor, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, and Beats Audio software. The 1,650 mAh battery offers 10.5 hours of talk time to consumers. (HTC One S)

HTC One X

The One S and One X are nearly identical sibling smartphones, but the One X gets a leg up on this list because it provides greater coverage on AT&T’s 4G LTE network. There are also feature differences between the One X and One S that put the X ahead of its sibling. The One X features a 4.7 inch AMOLED screen, 8 MP rear-facing camera with 1080p HD, 1.3 MP front-facing camera with 720p HD, and a 1.5 GHz Qualcomm dual core processor. The One X also features a 1,800 mAh battery with 7.5 hours of talk time, Beats Audio, and runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. (HTC One X)

Samsung Galaxy Nexus

The Galaxy Nexus is the “oldest” phone on this list, having been released at the end of 2011 on Verizon, but it ranks extremely high regardless. The Nexus is regarded by many as one of the easiest phones to upgrade and is available on two of the nation’s three largest carriers. The December 2011 release on Verizon was followed by an April 2012 release on Sprint. The Galaxy Nexus features a 4.65 inch Super AMOLED screen, 5 MP rear-facing camera with LED flash, 1.3 MP front-facing camera, and 1.2 GHz processor. Although initially released with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, newer models have 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. (Samsung Galaxy Nexus)

Samsung Galaxy S III

Samsung completes its dominance on the list of best Android phones in 2012 with the wildly popular Galaxy S III. The S III was released on T-Mobile and Sprint in June, followed by July releases on AT&T, Verizon, and US Cellular. The S III features a 4.8 inch HD Super AMOLED screen, 1.5 GHz Qualcomm processor, 8 MP rear-facing camera, 1.9 MP front-facing camera, and Android’s 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The 2,100 mAh battery offers upwards of 9 hours of talk time. (Samsung Galaxy S III)

Apple has been put on notice and is expected to respond in kind with the rumored release of an iPhone 5 later this year. For the time being, these top Android phones not only dominate the market among Android phones, but are giving even the latest iPhone a run for its money.

Author Bio:  David Kendall contributed this guest post on behalf of WhoIsHostingThis.com. David is a self confessed geek. He is a freelance technology writer whose articles appear on various tech blogs.