Which smartphone brand scored the highest level of satisfaction with consumers?

The results of a U.S. survey found that Apple is the brand with highest user satisfaction, while Canada's BlackBerry squanders at the bottom of the list.

Samsung unveiled its new smartphone, the Galaxy S4, at a major event in New York City complete with dancers, actors and an orchestra. But behind the glitz and glamour, is the phone any good?

On paper, the new Android phone has features that help it stand out from the competition. But some might be questioning the theatrics.

Let’s try forgetting about the cheesy acting for a minute and dive into the confirmed features.

The phone will sport a massive 5-inch Super AMOLED screen with an intense pixel density of 441 – compared to the iPhone 5’s 326 ppi.

With such a big screen, it’s a few millimetres heavier than Apple’s latest phone, and a few grams heavier.

What sets the GS4 apart from other Android devices? There are a lot out there...

For starters, Samsung has fitted a barrage of sensors, including a barometer to help monitor your health.

Something that I’m particularly excited about is infrared sensor-powered Air View, which can be used to sense when your finger gets close to the screen but doesn’t actually touch it.

Keep it locked here for a live stream of UNPACKED -- the launch of Samsung's new Galaxy S4 device.

 

Samsung is days away from unveiling the Galaxy S 4, and reports suggest the new phone could let users scroll down a screen by just looking at it.

According to the New York Times, the next iteration of Samsung's Galaxy S smartphone will have a feature that tracks a user's eye movements, scrolling the screen down or up as the user moves their eyes.

Samsung launched its latest weapon in the battle with Apple this week, announcing its own application to manage tickets and coupons on Android phones. 

Apple has been in the news lately, and not necessarily because it’s selling new and vastly innovative products. And now the results of a new survey suggest Apple’s cool factor is fading.

Actually, it seems as though the company is making headlines for all the wrong reasons.

While Apple’s iPhone 5 has been out on the market for only a few weeks, its users are hitting up more websites than those with the competing handset from Samsung.

Market data research firm Chitika analyzed website usage statistics and then narrowed in on differences between the two slickest phones on the market – Apple’s new iPhone and the Samsung Galaxy S III.

Chitika specifically looked at ad impressions for mobile sites during a seven-day window from Oct. 3 to Oct. 9.

They found that there were more ad impressions coming from the iPhone 5 than those coming from the Galaxy SIII, but just by a bit.

How big is too big? Apple may be foregoing a big screen with its next phone, but others continue to push the envelope - and it's creating a new product category altogether. Ladies and gentlemen, say hello to the phablet. 

Lenovo just announced the K860 (nicknamed 'LePhone'), with a 5-inch screen. But Samsung continues to get bigger, if rumours are true. A leaked image reportedly shows the Galaxy Note II. This is the latest iteration of its monster Galaxy note, which featured a 5.3 inch screen. The Galaxy Note II is said to have a 5.5 in whopper. 

What is it with big-screen phones? It's confusing. On the one hand, they're lovely to browse with. On the other hand, they're difficult to manipulate in the same way as a normal phone. You can't thumb your way around as easily with one hand because they're just so darned enormous. 

The idea, presumably, is to find a happy midpoint between phone and tablet, so that you can have a phone and forego a tablet altogether. But would you really want to read a magazine on the thing? I can't imagine browsing through the latest edition of the Economist on a 5.5 inch screen, but it's heaven doing it on the iPad. 

* Video: World's first wooden smartphone

With Apple said to be launching an iPad mini in the next couple of months, it's no wonder that the iPhone 5 is said to have a screen only slightly bigger than the iPhone 4's modest display. As tablet sizes come down and phone sizes go up, they're close to meeting in the middle, and cannibalising each other's markets. 

I can't decide whether my next phone will be a whopping large 5.5 incher, or whether it's best to maintain a separate tablet and phone.

What would you rather have? An over-sized phone that does everything, but maybe not as well, or two devices with different formats?

Danny Bradbury, MSN Tech & Gadgets

Weeks after playing around with the king of Android smartphones, Sony has rolled out the new Xperio Ion.

But how does the Xperia stack up compared to the Samsung Galaxy S III?

Unlike Apple’s iPhone, Android devices come in many shapes and sizes, allowing each manufacturer the chance to customize phones for each segment of the market.

From entry level handsets to premium phones, there’s an Android to fit everyone’s budget and needs.

Slotting in at the top is the latest phone from Samsung, the Galaxy S III, which is now the model at the top of that food chain.