PICS: The best smartphones unveiled at CES Las Vegas 2013

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2013 began on Tuesday, January 8 and ended on Friday, January 11. This is an electronic show where all the participating companies showcase their latest technology and products to attract more and more consumers in the coming months.

This year, Android powered smartphones with big screens dominated among the other smartphones unveiled at CES 2013.

Compared to previous years, CES 2013 was relatively richer in unveiling of smartphones. Among all the smartphones released at CES 2013, we have shortlisted a few good ones:

1. Sony Xperia Z and Xperia ZL

Sony introduced two new smartphones, named Xperia Z and Xperia ZL. These two are flagship products and comes with top technical specifications and features. Sony Xperia Z have a slim, powerful and eye catchy design. It is powered by a 1.5 GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor with 2GB RAM which is really FAST.

Besides smart and fast processor, the phone have got a 5-inch (1080 pixel) full HD display with 443 PPl pixel density and a LTE antenna. The 13 MP camera have Exmor RS camera sensor, which can help consumers shoot Full HD videos.

Not to forget, Sony Xperia Z is dust-proof and waterproof. It can withstand immersion in water to a depth of 1 meter for 30 minutes.

Another bet from Sony is Xperia ZL which can also be said as Sony Xperia Z 'Lite'. It is similar to its mate, Xperia Z. It has exactly the same screen, the hardware specifications, camera and software. It is a bit thicker and lacks a glossy back. It also doesn't have the water and dust resilient properties.

Xperia Z and ZL have a battery capacities of 2330 mAh and 2370 mAh respectively. Both phones have a physical button for the camera and IR port, which allows you to use your smartphone as a universal remote control.

These smartphones come with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and are expected to hit the shelves in the first quarter of 2013. Prices have not yet been confirmed.

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2. Lenovo K900

Lenovo K900 is the first smartphone to be powered by the new dual-core Atom chip by Intel. The new Atom Z2580 chip, known as Clover Trail+, used in the Lenovo K900, doubles the processor performance than its predecessor.

This gorgeous smartphone comes with powerful hardware stuffing. It has a 5.5-inch IPS panel with 1080p display.

The phone is 6.9 mm thick and weighs 161 grams. The device will come with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, has 2GB of RAM, 16GB ROM, 13-megapixel rear camera with dual flash and front camera of 3 megapixels with a viewing angle of 88 degrees.

It has a multi-touch capacitive touch screen with scratch-resistant glass. Other features include light sensor and a proximity sensor.

The new Lenovo K900 is expected to reach half of the world markets by April 2013. The price remains undisclosed.

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3. Huawei Ascend Mate

The Huawei Ascend Mate is a phablet powered by 1.5 GHz quad-core Hi-Silicon K3V2 + Intel XMM6260 processor. Ascend Mate is bar styled. It has 6.1-inch HD IPS, 1280 x 720 LCD touchscreen display with Gorilla Glass.

The phone has highest screen-to-body-ratio which is 0.73. It means 73 per cent of the body is usable surface.

It has two cameras, just as the other latest smartphones in the market. The rear camera is 8 megapixel and the front camera is only 1 megapixel.

The device is notable for its 4050 mAh battery which ensures a standby time of almost 9 days if used in WCDMA.

Other important features of Ascend Mate includes 2GB RAM, Gyro Sensor, Bluetooth 4.0 and 3.5 headset connector.

The phone runs on Android 4.1 and is expected to launch for the public in February 2013. Price still remains unpredictable.

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4. Alcatel One Touch Idol Ultra

It is an an Android device which is only 6.45 millimeters thick, which makes it the 'World's Thinnest Smartphone'. To give us a better idea, the new Alcatel One Touch Idol Ultra is 15 per cent thinner than the iPhone 5 from Apple.

The Idol Ultra features a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM and an HD 4.7-inch AMOLED display with 720 1280 resolution. It has a 8 megapixel rear camera but the picture quality failed to impress us.

It came to me as a surprise that the phone didn't have any support for headphone jack. There's a single LED flash. One can record 720p video and again, the recording quality is not at all good.

Sadly, the phone doesn't support any external card. So you have to stick with the 16GB internal storage of the Idol Ultra. The only thing that impresses me about the phone is its sleek and handy design and hence, it made its way to my list.

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5. ZTE Grand S

The ZTE Grand S, the flagship product of ZTE throughout 2013, arrived at CES 2013 with the intention of becoming the world's thinnest smartphone. This milestone only lasted a couple of hours until the unveil of Alcatech One Touch Idol Ultra.

The device has a 5-inch full HD 1080p screen. Grand S is just 6.9 millimeters thick.

The phone is said to be powered by a Snapdragon S4 Pro Quad-core 1.7 GHz prcessor. The phone has 13 megapixel rear camera with auto-focus and LED flash.

Grand S has a 16GB internal storage and can be extended by anther 32GB with a microSD card. Other important features remains a powerful 1780 mAh battery, Bluetooth 4.0 and Android OS, v4.1 (Jelly Bean).

Expected release is Q2, 2013.

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6. Huawei Ascend W1

Ascend W1 is Huawei's first device powered by Windows Phone 8. It has a Qualcomm MSM8230 Snapdragon chipset, a dual-core 1.2 GHz Krait CPU and Adreno 305 GPU.

It can become a good choice for people who are looking forward to use a Windows Phone 8 powered smartphone in a very low budget. Ascend's price may even be lower than Nokia Lumia 710 or HTC 8S, says sources.

Ascend W1 have a 4.0-inch display with 233 ppi pixel density. It has IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen with multi-touch support up to 4 fingers. It has a primary camera of 5 MP with auto-focus, LED flash, geo-tagging, touch focus and face detection.

It have 4 GB internal storage and can extended to anther 32 GB with micro SD card.

The talk time of the phone is up to 10 hours 30 min. Thanks to the 1950 mAh Li-Po battery. The phone is expected to hit the market in Q1, this year.

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7. Huawei Ascend D2

D2 is my personal favourite among the list. Its a beast when it comes to specifications and features. Huawei Ascend D2 has a 5-inch display with 441 PPI density. It also features multi-touch and the protection of Corning Gorilla Glass.

The phone weighs mere 170 gm and is dust proof and water proof. The phone offers 32 GB internal storage. It runs on Huawei K3V2 Chipset with Quad-core 1.5 GHz processor and 2 GB RAM.

The phone supports 3.5 mm audio jack and enhances music experience with Dolby mobile sound enhancement. It also have a 13 MP primary camera and 1.3 MP secondary camera. Ascend D2 lacks microSD support but 32 GB internal storage won't let you think about the external storage very soon.

Not to forget, the phone have a Li-Ion 3000 mAh battery which ensures a standby time upto 144 hours. Hope you get it now why I was calling Ascend D2 a BEAST.

These have been the best smartphones of CES 2013, but not the best of the year. Huawei Ascend D2 is my favourite among all and Android 4.1 came out as a clear winner and most preferred choice of smartphone manufacturers.

Samsung and Nokia were found missing in the Mobile Unveils at CES 2013. I guess, they will launch their latest phones at Mobile World Congress 2013, Barcelona. It is a trade show focused entirely on the mobile market, which is expected to retail for devices with Android and the arrival of products with Windows Phone 8.

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