InfoWorld mobile deathmatch: Smartphone smackdown
Find out what business smartphone is right for you by comparing your scores and customizing your requirements in our calculator
The iPhone started it, but the battle over what will be the mobile standard remains fiercely contested. As good as they are, today's smartphones remain imperfect, and most are skewed towards a subset of uses. That makes it hard to choose the right one. To help you choose, we've created this calculator, where you can either select a profile that represents you or enter in the specific weightings for each category to get an individual set of ratings for the 10 mobile devices that may be tempting you today: the Apple iPhone 4, 4S, and 5 for iOS; the Samsung Galaxy S 4, Galaxy S III, Galaxy Nexus, and Galaxy Note II and Motorola Mobility Photon 4G, Atrix 4G, Droid Razr Maxx, and Droid 4 for Android OS; the BlackBerry Z10 for BlackBerry OS; and the HTC Windows Phone 8X and Nokia Lumia 800 series for Windows Phone 8. You can get more details from the reviews listed in the far-right column.
• Also try our tablet deathmatch calculator.
Smartphone Capabilities Compared
All the smartphones covered here support the following capabilities (note that extra-cost apps might fill some of the gaps noted in the devices' default capabilities):
- Web: JavaScript, cookies
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi, LTE or 3G, USB tether
- E-mail: SSL connection encryption; POP, IMAP, and Gmail
- Apps: apps store, over-the-air app updating, map-based navigation
Key: 
=Yes, 
=Partial, 
=No
| Feature | iPhone | Android |
BlackBerry | Windows Phone |
| Web and Internet support | ||||
| HTML5 | |
|
|
|
| Adobe Flash | |
|
|
|
| Business connectivity | ||||
| Microsoft Exchange | |
|
|
|
| Mail folders | |
|
|
|
| Direct Microsoft Outlook sync | |
|
|
|
| Direct Mac OS Mail, Calendar, Contacts sync | |
|
|
|
| Accept calendar invitations | |
|
|
|
| Application support | ||||
| Desktop-based purchase | |
|
|
|
| Voice-based navigation | 1 |
|
|
|
| Security and management | ||||
| ActiveSync policies | |
|
|
|
| On-device encryption | |
2 |
|
|
| Complex passwords | |
|
|
|
| Device wiping after failed access | |
|
|
|
| Remote management | |
|
|
|
| VPN connectivity | |
|
|
|
| Usability | ||||
| Multitouch (gesture) support | |
|
|
|
| Copy and paste | |
|
|
|
| Simultaneous app execution | |
|
|
|
| Physical keyboard | |
|
|
|
| Accelerometer | |
|
|
|
| Compass | |
|
|
|
| Removable battery and memory cards | |
|
|
|
1 iPhone 4S and later
2 Must be turned on by user