As round 1 of Smartphone Madness comes to a close we are psyched to see how the match up between the flashy new Samsung Galaxy S4 and the endurance champ Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx HD. The winner of this match-up, which only your votes can decide, will face the Windows Phone 8-powered Nokia Lumia 920. But before tip-off, we have to take a moment to congratulate LG Optimus G Pro for winning Game 7.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 is definitely among the most anticipated smartphones around. During our brief hands-on time with this 5-inch device with a 1080p Super AMOLED screen definitely impressed, but it’s the software features that will really impress. You can capture videos and photos using the front and back cameras at the same time, as well as use hand gestures to do everything from answer calls to skip songs. Plus, the Android-loving S4 can translate foreign languages, control your TV and keep track of your health. We expect to see the S4 on AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, Cricket and U.S. Cellular in the second quarter of this year, and its late arrival might be its Achilles heel in this competition. We were also upset that we wouldn't be seeing the new 1.6-GHz octa-core Exynos CPU under the hood of the U.S. model, but we'll have to see if that affects your votes.
[polldaddy poll=6980005]
On the other end of the court, we meet up with the veteran Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx HD. This Editors' Choice-winning Android phone is most well-known for its epic battery life of 8 hours and 13 minutes on the LAPTOP Battery Test. But that's not all. We loved its attractive and durable Kevlar design, the gorgeous 1280 x 720 Gorilla Glass display, snappy performance and fast 4G LTE speeds. However, $299 is a lot to pay for a subsidized smartphone on Verizon Wireless. Can its endurance overcome its price? That's up to you to decide.
Now is the time to vote. Polls will be open until 9 a.m. EST on Friday, 3/22/13.
