THE SMARTPHONE SHOPPER’S GUIDE
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Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini
Sony Xperia V
The baby brother to the top of the range Galaxy S4 boasts a 4.3" (540
x 960; 256 ppi pixel density) Super AMOLED display whilst navigation
of the Android 4.2.2 is kept smooth thanks to its dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor running at 1.7 GHz per core. This
CPU is coupled with a curious, but excellent 1.5 GB of RAM. For an RRP
of R5 700, buyers also get an 8 megapixel rear-facing camera and 8 GB
internal storage, but not all the functionality featured on the S4.
Besides being one of the best looking midrange smartphones on the market, Sony’s Xperia V is also dust- and waterproof. Sony opted for a middle
of the road 4.3" (720 x 1280; 342 ppi) display size, for users who find the 4"
screen on offer on the iPhone 5 too little, but 5" smartphones just too large.
Also onboard is a snappy dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus CPU
running at 1.5 GHz per core, 1 GB of RAM, and 8 GB of onboard storage. It
is also the only unit here that is LTE-enabled for speedy internet.
R5 700 | Android
R5 500 | Android
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Nokia Lumia 720
LG Optimus L7 II
Users looking for a different user experience to Android can check out
the Windows Phone-based Lumia 720, which boasts a 4.3" (480
x 800 resolution; 217 ppi pixel density) display in a classy polycarbonate
frame. The biggest notch on the Lumia 720’s feature belt is its 6.7 MP
autofocus camera that sports Carl Zeiss optics, BSI (backside illumination),
and larger (f1.9) aperture to keep photo quality impressive during
low-light conditions.
LG’s second generation Optimus L7 offers plenty of feature bang
for its affordable R2 600 pricetag. For starters, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon MSM8225 chipset, incorporating of a dual-core Cortex-A5
CPU clocked at 1 GHz, powers this smartphone. Unfortunately
this CPU is coupled with a mere 768 MB of RAM, which hinders
the multitasking performance a bit in the memory-hogging Android
4.1.2 (Jelly Bean).
R5 400 | Windows
R2 600 | Android
October 2013 | TechSmart
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