What's Next: A Quick Look at the Coolest Upcoming Smartphones

Who doesn’t like toys? We all like toys. If we didn’t like to have the coolest most fun toys then the phone in your pocket would still be a boring old phone able to do nothing but make boring old phone calls. But the fact of the matter is that practically since the leap of the cell phone into the consumer marketplace with the debut of Snake and Tetris in the old school phones, people have made on thing clear – We like toys and the devices with the most cool and most high tech toys are the ones that people will want the most.

So take heart grown up kids with money for toys, 2013 is a banner year for cool smartphones that will keep you entertained and as delighted as a kid at Christmas surrounded by new stuff. Updates to existing smartphone lines as well the introduction of a couple of new players in the field will keep you entertained. Here’s a quick look at the coolest new upcoming smartphone soon to be flowing digital goodness in a hand near you.

Samsung Galaxy S4

The latest and greatest in the Galaxy flagship series boasts a 5 inch Super Amoled 1080p screen with an eye busting 441 pixels per inch. It’s running Google’s latest 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system with a ultra zippy quad core processor and 2GB of ram. The 13-megapixel rear and 2.1-megapixel front cameras are sure to please even the most dedicated shutterbugs. On board storage has three large options clocking in at 16GB, 32GB or 64 GB. Naturally, if you want more storage you can add a microSD card. The Galaxy S4 will land in the US by Mid Summer.

Motorola X

X marks the spot where the highly anticipated first phone from the new Google owned Motorola lands. The X phone (It just sounds so cool, doesn’t it?) is slated to debut sometime this year. Recently, someone was good enough to leak the specs online so here’s what we know. The X will sport a 16 megapixel camera, a 4.7inch, 1080p screen a front camera with a whopping 5 MP and a 2.3 GHz quad core processor. It’s also rumored to be the first phone to run the Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie operating system.

Microsoft surface phone

With the release of Windows 8 and the ultra cool Microsoft built Surface Tablet it was just a matter of time before Microsoft jumped into the smartphone making game. It’s on its way. Not too much is known about the phone which Microsoft is testing with a number of Asian manufacturers but the scuttlebutt says the screen will probably be 5 inches of high def wonderment and at least a quad core beast under the hood if not an 8 core. Look for it in late 2013 / Early 2014.

Apple iPhone 5S/iPhone 6

No one is expecting much change for the Apple iPhone 5S/ iPhone 6, so does it really qualify as one of the newest hottest smartphones of 2013? The answer is a simple yes and no. If you’re a hard core iPhone/ Apple user it is the only available new phone for you which makes it’s the latest and the greatest. But simply put, if your not a hard core Apple fan this phone isn’t going to wow you in any way. All indications are the new iPhone will still sport the same old 4 inch screen of its predecessors along with an upgraded camera and software package. It’s not the market defining, ground breaking smartphone of the mid 2000s, but if you’re dedicated to the Apple brand it’s the next best thing.

Sony Nexus

Sony has finally released the specs of their long awaited next gen Nexus and by all indications this is a smartphone worth waiting for. 5 inch screen, a 13 MP rear camera with the ability to take HD snapshots and video the Nexus will also run the Android 5 key lime pie. What’s most intriguing about this phone are the battery life rumors which are saying the Nexus will have a battery backup of 500 hours on standby and last up to 2 days without a charge. Is this possible? Stay tuned. If it is true, our days of feverishly looking for a charger station for our smartphones may be numbered.

Scott Johnson is a tech blogger who writes on behalf of companies such as Protectyourbubble.com smartphone insurer, a popular company that insures gadgets people can’t live without.