Smartphone Face-Off: IOS 5 Vs. Android 4 Vs. Windows Phone 7.5 Vs. BlackBerry OS 7

Now that every major mobile platform has gained a substantial update, which smartphone is the best for business?

By Galen Gruman
Wed, January 04, 2012

InfoWorld — iOS 5, Android 4 "Ice Cream Sandwich," Windows Phone 7.5 "Mango," and BlackBerry OS 7 were all released in the past few months, each promising to advance the iPhone, Android smartphones, Windows Phones, and BlackBerrys respectively to the head of the mobile pack. But only one can be the best.

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InfoWorld has tested each of the major mobile OSes on the flagship devices for each OS to see what the best smartphone is for business and professional users. The answer is without a doubt the iPhone 4S, thanks to iOS 5, the Apple ecosystem, the smartphone's solid hardware, and the new Siri voice-controlled "intelligent" assistant. But as good as the iPhone 4S is, it does not beat the competition in every respect, showing it has room for improvement and that Apple doesn't excel at every aspect of modern mobile computing.

[ Learn about consumerization of IT in person March 4-6, 2012, at IDG's CITE conference in San Francisco. | Get expert advice about planning and implementing your BYOD strategy with InfoWorld's 29-page "Mobile and BYOD Deep Dive" PDF special report. | Keep up on key mobile developments and insights with the Mobilize newsletter. ]

For the deep details of each of the major devices, read our full reviews, as this comparison focuses on the highlights and lowlights of each platform's flagship smartphone:

Apple iPhone 4S (iOS 5)
Samsung Focus S (Windows Phone 7.5)
Samsung Galaxy Nexus (Android 4)
Motorola Photon 4G (Android 2.3)
RIM BlackBerry Bold 9900 (BlackBerry OS 7)

You can also calculate personalized scores for all of these devices by entering your own weightings for each review category in InfoWorld's smartphone calculator.

Deathmatch: Hardware

The Galaxy Nexus's 4.65-inch Super AMOLED screen gets the oohs and ahhs -- the same phenomenon you see at a Best Buy as people drool over the 70-inch HDTVs. But the Samsung Focus S's 4.3-inch screen boasts the best size of the bunch -- it makes the iPhone 4S's 3.5-inch screen feel cramped. The Galaxy Nexus's support for 4G cellular networks places it as the winner in connectivity, though 4G penetration is quite low; this capability matters little now, but it will become more relevant as the year progresses.

But the iPhone 4S wins on every other hardware count. It has a very fast processor, wired and wireless video-out capabilities, low-power Bluetooth, a high-density Retina display, the highest-quality rear camera, strong battery life, a worldphone-capable 3G radio, and a high-quality aluminum and glass bezel. (The BlackBerry 9900's bezel is of equally high quality.)

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Originally published on www.infoworld.com. Click here to read the original story.

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