Every year, smartphone specs get upgraded and they only become more and more powerful. With SoC makers ceaselessly making their chips faster and more efficient, modern mobile phones have become even more capable devices than many of the desktop computers used in a number of offices.
If you want to know which Smartphones are considered as the world’s most powerful pieces of tech, then the list below should help you with just that. The list is based on Antutu benchmark scores officially released by Antutu, and only includes Smartphones available in the market as of Q3 20013.
10. HTC One – Buy at Amazon.com
- Chipset: Qualcomm APQ8064T Snapdragon 600
- CPU : Quad-core 1.9 GHz Krait 300
- GPU: Adreno 320
- RAM : 2GB
- OS : Android v4.2.2 Jelly Bean
- Antutu Score: 26458
Praised for its beautiful looks and solid aluminium body, the HTC One was hailed as MWC’s Smartphone of the year for 2013. It introduced the 4M Ultrapixel camera technology that touts better low light capabilities with its larger pixel size. The device also possesses imposing front-facing stereo speakers with built-in amplifiers and the Beats Audio sound enhancement.
9. Samsung Galaxy S4 – Buy at Amazon.com
- Chipset: Qualcomm APQ8064T Snapdragon 600
- CPU : Quad-core 1.9 GHz Krait 300
- GPU : Adreno 320
- RAM : 2GB
- OS : Android v4.2.2 Jelly Bean
- Antutu Score: 27436
The 2013 flagship Smartphone by Samsung was without a doubt the best selling Android device last year, despite sales figures claimed to be disappointing by many analysts. The S4 was the most powerful device in the month of its release and still holds its own against devices with more recent specs. Unfortunately, its design and plastic body are widely criticized.
8. Xiaomi MI 2S – Buy at Amazon.com
- Chipset: Qualcomm APQ8064T Snapdragon 600
- CPU : Quad-core 1.7 GHz Krait 300
- GPU : Adreno 320
- RAM : 2GB
- OS : Android v4.1 Jelly Bean
- Antutu Score: 27983
This is the smallest device on this list, having a display of only 4.3” and a 720p or HD resolution. However, it is bound to appeal to consumers who prefer smaller devices that are not the watered down mini versions of most flagships. This Smartphone could be your Android device of choice for listening to music online.
7. ZTE Geek (U 988S) – Buy at Amazon.com
- Chipset: Tegra 4
- CPU : Quad-core 1.8 GHz
- GPU : NVIDIA
- RAM : 2GB
- OS : Android v4.2.2 Jelly Bean
- Antutu Score: 29237
The ZTE Geek is the first Tegra 4 phone. Unfortunately, it is only heading to China Mobile. It comes with a full HD display but the camera is somewhat out of the competition with its 8MP, when most flagships already come with 13MP.
7. LG G2 – Buy at Amazon.com
- Chipset: Qualcomm MSM8974 Snapdragon 800
- CPU : Quad-core 2.3 GHz Krait 400
- GPU : Adreno 330
- RAM : 2GB
- OS : Android v4.2.2 Jelly Bean, upgradeable to KitKat
- Antutu Score: 32917
LG G2 has perhaps been the best ever Smartphone created by LG with all features of it considered. It comes with a smaller body than the Xperia Z1 and HTC One despite having the larger 5.2” display. It’s almost only as big as the smaller Galaxy S4. It packs a large 3000 mAh battery that has been proven to go a long way. It also reintroduced the very convenient tap to wake feature (already used by Nokia before) to avoid overusing the power button to wake up a device. Moreover, the LG G2 has its power button and volume rocker at the back, just below its 13MP camera.
5. Pantech VEGA im-A880S – Buy at Amazon.com
- Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 800
- CPU : Quad-core 2.3 GHz Krait 400
- GPU : Adreno 330
- RAM : 2GB
- OS : Android v4.2.2 Jelly Bean
- Antutu Score: 33274
This device from South Korea has a 5.6” display that distinguishes itself from the competition with its power button and touchpad on the back. It also supports the faster-than-LTE speeds of LTE-Advanced now being used in South Korea.
4. Xiaomi MI-3 – Buy at Amazon.com
- Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 800
- CPU : Quad-core 2.3 GHz Krait 400
- GPU : Adreno 330
- RAM : 2GB
- OS : Android v4.2 Jelly Bean
- Antutu Score: 33497
Xiaomi may not be that well-known, but it produces excellent high end Smartphones worth considering. The Xiaomi MI-3 is an excellent device with a stunning 5” full HD display. It is powered by a capacious 3050 mAh battery.
3. Xperia Z1 – Buy at Amazon.com
- Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 800
- CPU : Quad-core 2.2 GHz Krait 400
- GPU : Adreno 330
- RAM : 2GB
- OS : Android v4.2 Jelly Bean, KitKat update to be announced soon
- Antutu Score: 33586
With an Antutu score that is only 68 points lower than that of its larger sibling, the Xperia Z1 is another powerful Smartphone from Sony that tickled many tech enthusiasts’ fancy. Other than the less than perfect display, this device is a definite winner in many aspects. It packs a 3000 mAh battery, an IP58 dust-proof and water-resistant body, and a 20.7MP camera with the Sony G Lens.
2. Xperia Z Ultra – Buy at Amazon.com
- Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 800
- CPU : Quad-core 2.2 GHz Krait 400
- GPU : Adreno 330
- RAM : 2GB
- OS : Android v4.2 Jelly Bean, KitKat update already available
- Antutu Score: 33654
This Galaxy Note 3 competitor from Sony may be .1 GHz and 1GB short of the performance driving specs of the Note 3 but it manages to deliver an impressive benchmark score that is only 998 points lower. It does not have a counterpart to the S-pen, but its super-sensitive capacitive touch display can respond to any pen, pencil, or other items used as the stylus.
1. Samsung Galaxy Note 3 – Buy at Amazon.com
- Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 800
- CPU : Quad-core 2.3 GHz Krait 400
- GPU : Adreno 330
- RAM : 3GB
- OS : Android v4.3 Jelly Bean, upgrade to KitKat already available
- Antutu Score: 34652
The most recent iteration of the South Korean mobile juggernaut’s genre-defining Note phablet series sits on top of the leaderboard mostly because of its undeniably powerful specifications. It also packs an enviable set of features centered on its iconic S-pen. The device also comes with a huge 3.2 mAh battery to more than sufficiently power the bright 5.7” Super AMOLED full HD display.
Special Mention:
- iPhone 5S – Buy at Amazon.com
- Chipset: Apple A7
- CPU : Dual-core 1.3 GHz Cyclone
- GPU : Quad-core PowerVR G6430
- RAM : 1GB
Despite its dual core processor (versus the quad and Octo-core processors of competitors), the most recent flagship Smartphone from Apple trounces the competition in various benchmarks, including Sunspider Javascript Benchmark, Google Octane, Mozilla Kraken Benchmark, and Browsermark. This is mostly attributed to the device’s software optimization. Many are in the opinion that iOS is a much lighter and faster operating system compared to Android and Windows Phone. Hence, the iPhone 5S still deserves to be listed amongst the most powerful Smartphones in the world.
Bear in mind that this ranking does not really indicate which is the best Smartphone for you. If you are looking for a powerful Smartphone, almost all of the devices on this list will probably satisfy your power needs. However, you need to carefully evaluate each one of them to assess if their software implementation suits your preferences.
About the Author
Marc S. is a big fan of mobile devices. His first ever Smartphone was the Sony Ericsson P800, which he bought in 2003. He loves writing about Smartphones, tablets, and mobile computing devices in general.