smartphones

If you're in the market for a new smartphone this year, chances are good you're seriously considering the two best Android handsets: the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the HTC One.

Both offer tempting helpings of powerful components, advanced features, and cutting-edge software.

So which device should you go with? It's a tough choice. But fear not: CNET is here to help. Sit back as we stack up all the abilities these excellent phones have in common and the key differences that separate the two. … Read more

Apple's next-generation iPhone has already prompted supplier Foxconn to bump up its ranks.

Also known as Hon Hai Precision, the Taiwan-based supplier confirmed today that it has hired around 10,000 employees for the assembly line at its factory in Zhengzhou since the end of March, the Wall Street Journal has reported. The Zhengzhou plant is a major producer of the iPhone.

A spokesman for Foxconn told the Journal only that the company increased its workforce to meet seasonal demand from customers. But "executives familiar with the situation" said the extra employees were hired specifically to get … Read more

The HTC One has a gorgeous chassis and a ton of camera tricks, the Samsung's Galaxy S4 pauses and unpauses video when you avert your gaze, and in the Lumia 920, Nokia was one of the first to introduce wireless charging and an ultrasensitive screen you can control while wearing gloves.

Yet compared with the real meat of what you do with a phone -- things like communicating with people, browsing the Internet, snapping photos, and playing games -- today's top phones are mostly all on par. Software and hardware extras that extend beyond the basics, while impressive, … Read more

Don't want to wait for the Samsung Galaxy S4 to hit stores? Then perhaps you'll be tempted by a new purple-hued version of Samsung's hit handset from last year, the Galaxy S3. Sprint announced it will sell a special Amethyst Purple GS3, as well as the older Pebble Blue and Marble White models, for $99.99.

Of course that discount applies only to customers who bring their service and phone number from other carriers, or existing subscribers who add another line. That lops $99.99 off the Galaxy S3's unsubsidized $549.99 price. You also have … Read more

Recently, the folks at Handset Detection pulled together some data to figure out the top 10 Android devices in use in the United States as of February 2013, and the results revealed a surprising diversity of smartphones (and a few tablets) that include both the hottest phones of the past six months as well as some classics that it seems we just can't bear (or afford) to put down.

I decided to dig through the top 10 American Android devices to try and figure out what makes us pick and stick with the droids we love.… Read more

A flexible-display iPhone or iWatch may be on Apple's to-do list after all.

The company has already shown interest in flexible devices by filing a few patent applications aimed in that direction. A recent job ad and still more patent filings provide further hints that the technology is on Apple's agenda.

A job ad posted by Apple on April 1 specifically said the company was looking for a display specialist to work with LCD, AMOLED, and flexible displays. The ad has since been taken down, but 9to5Mac captured a screenshot just in time, revealing the full description:

Samsung has unveiled two new smartphones that push the envelope of screen size in the smartphone space.

Dubbed Mega, the two devices Samsung showed off today come with the customer's choice of a 5.8-inch screen or a 6.3-inch option. Both devices come with Android 4.2 (Jelly Ben) and a dual-core processor. The higher-end 6.3-inch option comes with a 1.7GHz processor, while the 5.8-inch version has a 1.4GHz chip. Both handsets have 8-megapixel rear-facing cameras and 1.9-megapixel front-facing cameras.

Samsung's Mega 6.3 handset will deliver 8GB or 16GB of internal … Read more

As part of a massive consumer push to bring awareness to its brand (involving the Jonas Brothers, no less), Huawei announced this week that it will release a marquee smartphone in the U.S. this summer.

The company isn't sharing its exact time frame or the nature of the hardware in question, but I'd put my money on one of its most aggressive Android designs, either the gigantic 6.1-inch Huawei Ascend Mate, or the Ascend D2, with an enormous 4,050mAh battery -- both of which debuted in January at CES.

Also a contender for the flagship … Read more

At the Intel Developers Forum in Beijing, China, today, ZTE debuted the ZTE Geek, a 5-inch handset featuring a 2GHz Intel 32nm Atom Z2580 processor.

The device also features an 8-megapixel camera with LED flash, and a front-facing, 1-megapixel camera. Inside, you'll find a 2,300mAh battery.

As for capacity, the Geek has 8GB of storage and 1GB of RAM. It runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and its HD touch screen has a 1,280x720-pixel resolution.

Despite its rather insipid name, I like what I'm seeing with the Geek -- on paper, at least. Just as … Read more