[clankfu]

The State of Smartphones in 2013: Part I of the new Ars Ultimate Guide | Ars Technica

[UJ95x]

The State of Smartphones in 2013: Part I of the new Ars Ultimate Guide | Ars Technica

http://d.pr/i/cFkI+

It's probably the most balanced phone, but I wouldn't say it's the best.

[Ry]

The State of Smartphones in 2013: Part I of the new Ars Ultimate Guide | Ars Technica

http://d.pr/i/cFkI+

Not surprised.

[JungleLarry]

It's probably the most balanced phone, but I wouldn't say it's the best.

Isn't that what "Best Overall" means?

[Algus]

Dunno how you can declare a best phone when all the choices come from people who are looking for different features in their phone. To me, the Note 3 is the best but I can totally get why some people prefer a smaller phone or don't care to pay for the spen. After getting to play with my sister's S4, I was really impressed and I could see myself going to a regular Galaxy.

One thing I really liked about this article was the side by side discussion of iOS, Windows Mobile 8, and Android. I kind of wish they had included Blackberry in the mix as well but oh well. I continue to be envious of the look and design of the Lumia phones, even though I'm not interested in Windows 8 at all.

[clankfu]

It's probably the most balanced phone, but I wouldn't say it's the best.

There's something to be said for the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.

[JungleLarry]

I kind of wish they had included Blackberry in the mix as well but oh well.

I believe the omission was more merciful than short-sighted.

[clankfu]

Dunno how you can declare a best phone when all the choices come from people who are looking for different features in their phone. To me, the Note 3 is the best but I can totally get why some people prefer a smaller phone or don't care to pay for the spen. After getting to play with my sister's S4, I was really impressed and I could see myself going to a regular Galaxy.

A designation like this is obviously subjective. It's just good to know that our puny little community here isn't alone in our love for this phone.

[UJ95x]

Isn't that what "Best Overall" means?

No. Most balanced means it does everything at least decently. I think of best overall as the phone that scores high in every single categoery.
For example. The most balanced basketball in the NBA would probably be the Bulls or Pacers, but the best overall would be the Heat

[UJ95x]

There's something to be said for the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.

The Moto X isn't the best in any category except maybe form-factor. It is decent for gaming and the camera is decent but there are phones that do both of these very well and still have the great battery life and software

[garublador]

Dunno how you can declare a best phone when all the choices come from people who are looking for different features in their phone.

While it's true that there are a number of specific use cases that will totally eliminate the "best" phone from consideration (i.e. you want more than 32GB of storage or want a bigger/smaller form factor for some reason), there are a large number of people who don't have any specific needs like that. For those people it makes sense to choose between what many different sites call the "best" phone.

I'm inclined to agree with their analysis. If there isn't anything specific pushing you to another phone then the Moto X is probably the best choice. It does all the normal smartphone stuff as well as any other phone, but also has some actually useful extra features, a great battery life and apparently can be found cheaper than many other top-end phones.

[clankfu]

The Moto X isn't the best in any category except maybe form-factor. It is decent for gaming and the camera is decent but there are phones that do both of these very well and still have the great battery life and software

Like I said, it's very subjective. Some people just aren't fans of TouchWiz or the G2 software (don't know what it's called) for example.

[Algus]

Hmm, I'm down with that. $99 on contract is still a pretty rock solid price.

[UJ95x]

Like I said, it's very subjective. Some people just aren't fans of TouchWiz or the G2 software (don't know what it's called) for example.

True, but if we're talking about the best phone. It's not specific for people like us who nitpick the software and any "issues" it has. Most people don't know what TouchWiz is or what stock Android means.
Anyway, I'm probably going to be getting the X2 or whatever they release next year because I'd like to have stock Android out of the box and I'm guessing the next Nexus will be even bigger. My S4 is as big as I'll go

[JungleLarry]

No. Most balanced means it does everything at least decently. I think of best overall as the phone that scores high in every single categoery.
For example. The most balanced basketball in the NBA would probably be the Bulls or Pacers, but the best overall would be the Heat

I'm guessing you're a Heat homer, which is the only way this analogy makes sense.

[UJ95x]

I'm guessing you're a Heat homer, which is the only way this analogy makes sense.

No. I hate them actually.

[GNexROC]

I'd have to agree. I've tried them all and at least for me the Moto X is the best!

Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk

[t0ked]

With the recent free on contract price on VZW and the announcement that the soak test on the Verizon Moto X is actually 4.4 (so kitkat in a couple weeks?), I think the award is justified.

[UJ95x]

With the recent free on contract price on VZW and the announcement that the soak test on the Verizon Moto X is actually 4.4 (so kitkat in a couple weeks?), I think the award is justified.

I doubt they'll get Kit Kat in anything less than 3 weeks, even less than a month is unlikely

[clankfu]

I doubt they'll get Kit Kat in anything less than 3 weeks, even less than a month is unlikely

Are you talking about Verizon or the Moto X on any carrier?

[UJ95x]

Are you talking about Verizon or the Moto X on any carrier?

Any carrier. The Nexus 4 is just getting the OTA. I believe the GPE S4 and One haven't received it yet.

[clankfu]

Any carrier. The Nexus 4 is just getting the OTA. I believe the GPE S4 and One haven't received it yet.

I think we'll get it sometime in December. If the soak tests start going out, that's a solid sign that we're not that far off.

[t0ked]

Verizon Moto X soak started as of today. So probably a week or two until its pushed out (that's the general pattern with big red, soak test, official release a week or two later). That means Droid flavors likely very soon afterwards. All in all, kitkat coming very soon at least on vzw, which is very surprising, but welcomed.

Motorola maybe pushing past Google to bolster sales. They did promise kitkat before the end of the year. The surprise is that vzw may the first of the MotoXs to get it.

[Ry]

Weird. It seems there's a segment that wants these sites to declare a "best" phone but if it's not their phone, they get kind of offended.

Posted via Android Central App

[Tech First]

Weird. It seems there's a segment that wants these sites to declare a "best" phone but if it's not their phone, they get kind of offended.

Posted via Android Central App

Probably its more for the people who just google "best android phone" and then buy whatever is recommended for whoever Christmas present they are shopping for.