It’s been an exciting couple of months in the mobile phone market, but things have started to calm down a bit so I can (finally) catch my breath. Before we dive into the phones, here’s a quick recap of recent events.

• The iPhone: Obviously, the biggest announcement has been the iPhone 5, and it has met most everyone’s expectations from a hardware perspective – thinner, lighter, and more beautiful than the iPhone 4S. On the other hand, there have been some software glitches, most notably Maps, so not everything has been roses. However, the software glitches are not enough to keep it from grabbing this month’s top spot as I suspect Apple is working feverishly to address these problems. If you’re contemplating an upgrade, see my earlier post as to whether you should or shouldn’t.
• Android: The Samsung Galaxy S3 continues to rule the roost in Android land. There are some worthy competitors on the horizon but they are mostly extensions of existing designs – HTC with their One X+ and Motorola with the RAZR HD MAXX. I suspect the Galaxy S3 will hold on to the top spot for the remainder of the year, although there is talk that Google is going to launch a new line of Nexus devices this month, which I can’t wait to see.
• Windows Phone: My previous statements still apply: Microsoft is putting a ton of effort into their mobile platform, but I wouldn’t even consider switching until Windows 8 is out and proven across more than just Nokia’s Lumia line of handsets. I’ll be revisiting Windows Phone during the first quarter of 2013.
• BlackBerry: Mom always says not to say anything if you don’t have something nice to say, so I’ll just leave it at that.

And now, onto this month’s recommendations.

Best overall phone
iPhone 5
Bigger screen, LTE support, thinner, lighter – what more could you want? Apple has produced another gem of a mobile phone. I wouldn’t say that it completely blows away Samsung’s Galaxy S3, but I have to give the iPhone 5 the edge – purely on aesthetics. If you’re torn between the two devices, take a look at my iPhone vs Android post. It’s from last September, but the recommendations remain valid.


Verizon
Best phone: iPhone 5
The biggest advantage to the iPhone 5 on Verizon is that the GSM sim card slot is unlocked. For those who don’t know what that means, it means you can insert a SIM card from any GSM carrier (like AT&T or T-mobile) and use their service, a particularly useful feature for international travelers. You still need to sign a 2-year contract with Verizon, but the added flexibility is certainly a plus.

Runner-up: Samsung Galaxy S3
Expect this to be a common theme throughout the rest of the article, unless you are on T-mobile.


AT&T
Best phone: iPhone 5
I could add more, but it’s already been said.

Runner-up: Samsung Galaxy S3
Yes, it truly has become a two horse race in the mobile market at this time.


Sprint
Best phone: iPhone 5
Nothing to add that hasn’t been said above.

Runner-up: Samsung Galaxy S3
Surprised?


T-mobile
Best phone: Samsung Galaxy S3
The only one of the major carriers not to have the iPhone, so the Galaxy S3 pulls the top spot on T-mobile. However, T-mobile is starting to sell nano-SIM cards, so if you use T-mobile and are dead set on the iPhone, there may be hope.

Runner-up: Samsung Galaxy Nexus
OK, this is a bit of personal bias since I’ve been using the device for the last 6 months, but the Galaxy Nexus is a great device, and for $350 unlocked from the Google Play store, you’d be hard pressed to find a better deal, period. The biggest advantage to the Nexus is its stock Android build, meaning it is always first in line for the latest Android software (my Nexus is already running Jellybean, Android 4.1). But the part I like best is that it’s unlocked, which means you have the flexibility to go off contract or prepaid if you want. There’s significant savings that can be had by going prepaid over the life of a two year contract, in some cases as much as $1,000 or more. It’s worth looking into, and I’d suggest taking a peak at this article over at GigaOM if you’re seriously considering it.


As always, if you have questions about any devices, feel as though I left one out, or have personal experience with any of devices that you’d like to share, sound off in the comments.

OK – it’s been a busy summer, so I apologize for missing the August update to our Buyer’s Guide. Fortunately, there weren’t any major phone releases between July and August, but boy have things heated up lately. In fact, I’ve been totally geeking out on the announcements of the past week, and can’t wait to see what’s coming the rest of the month. In short, if you’re looking at a phone upgrade, you’d better wait. Here’s why:

• The next-gen iPhone is coming
  Apple has an announcement coming September 12 for the next generation iPhone. It’s unclear if the official name will be the iPhone5 or just the new iPhone, but what is clear is that it’s happening. All rumors are pointing to a device that is about the same width, but a bit longer to support 16:9 viewing. It is also expected to be just over 10% thinner than the 4s. Finally, it’s going to a smaller connector which could obsolete all of your current accessories (why they don’t go to microUSB like everyone else is beyond me, but that’s a post for another day). Leaked photos are also suggesting a two-tone aluminum backing to provide some design character. I figure it will support 4G LTE and would be pretty disappointed if it doesn’t. Otherwise, you should expect upgrades to Siri, some new software features, and the always unexpected “one last thing” that Apple is famous for. Bottom line, you should NOT be buying an iPhone right now. Instead, mark your calendars for September 12th to see what Apple has in store for us. By the way, it’s expected that pre-orders will start 9/21 with delivery by end of the month.
• Nokia and Microsoft have launched new Lumias
  Nokia and Microsoft launched the Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 this week. Generally speaking, I was a little disappointed with the announcement. There didn’t seem to be anything that was jaw-dropping from the event. I’ll stick by my prediction that Microsoft will still become a third option in mobile, but I wouldn’t suggest jumping into Windows Phone until Windows 8 is out and available on the Lumia (and other) handsets. In other words, I’m looking at first half of 2013 as the time to seriously start looking at Windows Phone if you’ve grown tired of your iPhone or Android device.
• Motorola goes all in with RAZR
  Google subsidiary Motorola launched three new RAZR devices this past week, all of which look great and are upgrades to the existing RAZR product line. Building on the RAZR series, it consists of three models, the RAZR HD, RAZR HD MAXX, and RAZR M. The HD and HD MAXX are extensions of the existing model, with the HD MAXX sporting crazy battery life (by smartphone standards) of 21 hours of talk time and 13 hours of video playback over Verizon’s LTE network. I especially like the idea of the RAZR M, which has a smaller screen (4.3″ vs 4.7″) and a price point of $99 on contract that bucks the trend of ever bigger screen smartphones. The RAZR M is available for pre-order from Verizon, with the HD versions due out later this year. I really hope Motorola comes out with GSM versions of these devices for AT&T and T-mobile.
• More is on the way
  Lost among all of the iPhone hype is an HTC event scheduled for the following week. HTC has no chance of upstaging the iPhone announcement, but it will be interesting to see what their next move will be. All bets are on either a Windows Phone announcement or an upgrade to their successful HTC One X. Either way, HTC continues to struggle in the shadow of Samsung, Apple and up and coming Chinese phone manufacturers ZTE and Huawei.
• Sammy is tearing it up!
  On the heels of its high profile loss to Apple in court, Samsung announced that it has already sold 20,000,000 Galaxy S3 handsets. You read that right, 20 million. It is by far the most successful Android handset launch to date. As part of its courtroom victory, Apple is trying to get an injunction slapped on Samsung to stop it from selling the Galaxy S3 in the US, so if you’re thinking about getting one, you may want to do so before the court rules on Apple’s motion, which is expected to happen in early December.
• Where’s BlackBerry?
  The sad, sad story that is BlackBerry continues. All hopes are riding on the BlackBerry 10 OS which isn’t due out until the first quarter of 2013. That’s right, it’s 6 months from today, which is equivalent to a lifetime in the phone industry. Delays in BB10 are not helping RIM as BlackBerry market share continues to evaporate, rapidly. If you’re still using BlackBerry, I urge you to switch, and you should be telling your friends to switch, too.

As for this month’s recommendations, nothing has changed since July. So instead of re-hashing that report, Just click here and you can see my latest device recommendations.