Best Tech of 2012: Smartphones, tablets, eReaders

2012 is almost over and it's been a bumper year for consumer technology, with all the big players releasing new mobile devices in the hope of tempting us to part with our cash.

We've taken a look at all the major technology review sites and drawn together a Top 3 of the best rated products across smartphones, tablets and eReaders. Here is what we found:



Smartphones

It's been a dizzying year in the smartphone industry, with technology giants jostling for control of a multi-billion dollar market.

The world's two biggest mobile operating systems - Google Android and Apple iOS - released updated versions this year. Android remains the dominant phone software player, although it runs on an army of different products from different companies, whereas Apple's OS is just on the iPhone.

On the hardware side, Apple and Samsung continue to fight it out in the shops and courtrooms to top the smartphone market. But whilst Samsung's Galaxy S3 wowed the critics this year, Apple's iPhone remains king of the mobile hill.

1. iPhone 5 - Ran very close by the S3, but the sleek design, increase in screen real estate to 4 inches and fantastic app ecosystem just ensured the iPhone 5 stole the hearts of reviewers. Shame about the battery life and Apple Maps though... Priced from £529 SIM-free.
2. Galaxy S3 - Samsung's best attempt yet to tackle the iPhone; the whopping 4.8-inch HD screen, great on-board features and striking design were widely praised by the critics - just not quite enough. Priced from £499.95 SIM-free.
3. Nexus 4 - We feel the LG-made phone just edged out the quad-core HTC One X and Samsung Galaxy Note 2, although some may disagree with that. Google's new Android flagship handset offers excellent technical specs for mid-range price tag. Priced from £239.

Also notable: Above-mentioned Android HTC One X packs a monster quad-core processor and supports 4G connectivity; Samsung's Android-powered Galaxy Note 2 was praised pretty much across the board and comes with a nifty pen to write on the screen; Nokia's Lumia 920 is a chunky but highly usable handset, although concerns remain over the depth of apps in Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 operating system.

Tablets

The tablet market has seriously hotted up this year and whilst Apple's iPad still has an around two-thirds stranglehold on sales, new and well funded challengers are really starting to make headway.

Samsung continues to battle it out with Apple with its line of Android slates in various shapes, sizes and incarnations. Amazon's Kindle Fire HD does not feature in our top rated slates, but has certainly made a commercial impact, particularly following international expansion this autumn.

But it is Google that has arguably done most to really shake up the market with its Nexus-branded devices. Despite this, in many people's minds the iPad remains the tablet benchmark.



1. iPad 4 - This should really be the iPad 3, as the fourth generation only really brought a new dock and 4G in more markets. But the latest Apple iPad excels because of that 'resolutionary' screen (2,048x1,536 pixel resolution). Sure, the Nexus 10 has now beaten it, but the iPad still rules the market with an unparalleled 270,000 apps built specifically for the tablet. Priced from £399.
2. iPad Mini - Apple surprised no-one with its small-screen tablet market debut this year, but the iPad Mini is better made, more beautiful and has more dedicated apps than the competition. Unfortunately, though, the 7.9-inch screen slate is also much more expensive. Priced from £269.
3. Nexus 7 - Speaking of 'the competition', Google's Nexus 7 is arguably the first tablet to really make Apple sit up and take notice. With a seven-inch screen, fast processor and now 3G connectivity, this budget slate is a serious tablet contender. Priced from £159.

Also notable: Above-mentioned Nexus 10 is a 10-inch Samsung-made Google slate with specs to challenge the big iPad; Asus Transformer Pad Infinity 700 was praised for its Full HD screen, powerful processor and keyboard dock; the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 Android slate offers a 10-inch screen compatible with Samsung's pen stylus, just like the Galaxy Note smartphone.

eReaders

Amazon pretty much had the eReader market all to itself up to this year, but now the online retailer has various other players vying for a slice of this lucrative part of the consumer tech industry.

Colour-screen tablets are often included in roundups of e-Readers, but we have just focused on devices that feature e-ink displays and are solely devoted to eBooks and digital content.

Despite Barnes & Noble, Sony and Kobo all launching major products this year backed by huge marketing and retail campaigns, Amazon's Kindle remains the eReader king.



1. Kindle Paperwhite - Amazon's latest e-Reader continues the Kindle magic with a touchscreen and a light for reading at night. The lack of support for .epub files and extra weight were not welcomed by reviewers, but the Kindle Paperwhite is still the top rated eReader at the moment. Priced from £109.
2. NOOK Simple Touch with Glowlight - US bookseller Barnes & Noble gave Amazon a run for its money with the NOOK. But despite the touchscreen device being arguably nicer to hold and use, it just couldn't compete with Amazon's vast content library. Priced from £99.
3. Reader PRS-T2 - Sony's latest stab at the e-Reader market was well received this year, as a fast and responsive device that supports multiple file types. Where it fell down, though, was in the more limited bookstore and the higher price compared to rival devices. Priced from £119.

This is just a broad list of the mobile tech that has fared well with the reviewers, but please let us know in the comments below the products that have rocked your world in 2012.