Top high-end smartphones

After our top smartphones for under 20K, under 15K and under 10K lists, we’re completing the series with the best that money can buy. Before you start thinking about the Vertu phones, we’ll slightly modify that to, the best ‘smartphones’ that money can buy. For those of you who have quite some money to spend, here are the devices you can splurge on.

The iPhone may not have the same spec sheet as its Android counterparts, but with what it does have, it’s quite impressive a device. Super slick user interface, a brilliant camera, Retina display and a nice build quality all packed into one device. The iPhone 4S perfectly encapsulates the simplicity that Apple has been perfecting over the years. It’s powered by a dual core processor, solid inbuilt storage (16/32/64 depending on version) and has a superb eight megapixel camera.

Here’s looking at the best iPhone ever!

Here are the rest of the specifications for the iPhone 4S:

• 3.5-inch scratch resistant IPS touchscreen with a 640 x 960 pixel resolution
• 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi
• GPS with A-GPS support and GLONASS
• Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP
• 8 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash, 1080p video recording
• Secondary VGA camera
• 3.5 mm handsfree socket

Samsung’s competitor to Apple’s flagship phone, the iPhone 4S, the Galaxy S II was truly a ‘Galactic’ phone. One of the most popular Android phones in recent times, the Samsung Galaxy S II has a dual core 1.2GHz Cortex A9 processor, 1GB of RAM and 16 gigs of internal memory. With those specs, the S II is not only packed with features, but is also future-proof. The super AMOLED plus screen, USB on-the-go and NFC support only sweeten the deal. 

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Be careful with the image, that’s a super expensive phone!

Here’s the rest of the spec sheet for the Galaxy S II:

• 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen with Gorilla Glass and 480 x 800 pixel resolution
• 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi, DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct
• GPS with A-GPS support
• Bluetooth 3.0+HS with A2DP, USB 2.0, USB OTG
• 8 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash, 1080p video recording
• Secondary 2 megapixel camera
• Stereo FM radio with RDS
• Memory expandable up to 32GB via microSD card
• 3.5 mm handsfree socket

Kevlar body, super slim profile and a brilliant super AMOLED screen, the Motorola RAZR is one hell of a looker. It’s powered by a dual core 1.2GHz Cortex A9 processor, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage, the RAZR is quite similar to the S II. With a large Super AMOLED display and those specs, the RAZR is one of the thinnest yet one of the most powerful phones in the market. The recent price drop for the RAZR also means that it’s a bit cheaper and affordable now. 

Gaze into the eye of the droid

Here’s the spec sheet for the Motorola RAZR:

• 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen with Gorilla Glass and 540 x 960 pixel resolution
• 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi, DLNA
• GPS with A-GPS support
• Bluetooth 4.0, USB 2.0
• 8 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash, 1080p video recording
• Secondary 1.3 megapixel camera
• Memory expandable up to 32GB via microSD card
• 3.5 mm handsfree socket

The super shiny Lumia series by Nokia was their answer to their competitors, that they’re back on the scene. Powered by the Windows Phone 7 operating system, the Lumia 800 wows with its polycarbonate design, AMOLED screen, colourful tiled display and superfast user interface. Plus, it’s impressive on the spec front also. The Lumia 800 has a powerful 1.4 GHz processor, 512 MB of RAM and 16 gigs of storage. 

Contoured edges with simple elegant styling

Here’s what the spec sheet for the Lumia 800 looks like:

• 3.7-inch capacitive touchscreen with Gorilla Glass and 480 x 800 pixel resolution
• 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi
• GPS with A-GPS support
• Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, USB 2.0
• 8 megapixel autofocus camera with dual LED flash, 720p video recording
• Stereo FM radio with RDS
• 3.5 mm handsfree socket

The upgraded version of the original Sensation, the added letters make the XE a brilliant smartphone. It’s got more bang for the bucks and comes with Beats Audio, which is quite expensive. The XE is powered by a dual core 1.5 GHz processor with 768 MB of RAM and 4GB internal memory out of which 1GB is available to users.

a huge 4.3-inch qHD S-LCD display

Here are the specs for the Sensation XE:

• 4.3-inch S-LCD capacitive touchscreen with a 540 x 960 pixel resolution
• 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi, DLNA
• GPS with A-GPS support
• Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP, USB 2.0
• 8 megapixel autofocus camera with dual-LED flash, 1080p video recording
• Secondary VGA camera
• Stereo FM radio with RDS
• Memory expandable up to 32GB via microSD card
• 3.5 mm handsfree socket

Samsung Galaxy Note 

The miniTab or the phablet, the Note, doesn’t want you to invest separately for a phone and a tablet, because it’s powerful enough to be your new ‘All-in-one’. The Galaxy Note is powered by a dual core 1.4 GHz Cortex A9 processor, with 1GB of RAM and 16 gigs of internal memory. What sets this phone apart is the ultra large 5.3-inch super AMOLED screen that’ll dwarf other phones in comparison. 

Comes with the S-Pen

Here’s the remaining spec sheet for the Galaxy Note:

• 5.3-inch capacitive touchscreen with Gorilla Glass and 800 x 1280 pixel resolution
• 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi, DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct
• GPS with A-GPS support and GLONASS
• Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP, USB 2.0
• 8 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash, 1080p video recording
• Secondary 2 megapixel camera
• Stereo FM radio with RDS
• Memory expandable up to 32GB via microSD card
• 3.5 mm handsfree socket

HTC Radar 

The second Windows phone in this list only means a good thing and that WP7 is evolving fast. HTC’s Radar is powered by a 1GHz Scorpion processor and comes with 512 MB of RAM and 8 gigs of internal memory. It’s got a large 3.8-inch S-LCD screen and with the Windows Phone operating system, the phone is super quick, yet super functional. 

Looking familiar?

Here’s the remaining spec sheet for the Radar:

• 3.8-inch S-LCD capacitive touchscreen with a 480 x 800 pixel resolution
• 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi, DLNA
• GPS with A-GPS support
• Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, USB 2.0
• 5 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash, 720p video recording
• Secondary VGA camera
• Stereo FM radio with RDS
• 3.5 mm handsfree socket

The reviews for each of these smartphones can be viewed by clicking their respective names. Also, you can check out the shootout between the top end camera smartphones out here.With MWC just around the corner, it won’t be long before some of these are replaced by newer phones. As of now though, these are the top high end smartphones your money can buy. 

Cover image source: Getty images