Top 3 Best Smartphones for Business

Smartphones have become part of the natural and necessary evolution in a rapidly-changing business environment in particular, and in life in general.

In fact, of the 5 billion people, about 80% of the world’s population, who own mobile phones, at least 1.08 billion of these are smartphones. The United States alone, for instance, has over 98 million smartphone users, representing 42% of mobile users in the entire country.

Just last year, over 1.7 billion mobile phone units were sold by the end of the year; a 1.2% growth for the worldwide mobile phone market. However, it is the smartphone sector that has experienced the greatest leap in sales. It sold over 712.6 million units worldwide, a 36.4% year-over-year growth.

And as businesses tussle to stay ahead of the competition, which has gone more aggressive in the recent years, and to win the race for market advantage, smartphones took an indispensable place in business.

About 49% of 10,000 business owners polled by the Forrester reported that they own smartphones. While 79% or 4 out of 5 respondents from a total of 400 business owners express that they use smartphones as their primary business phone, says VoIP provider RingCentral.

Smartphones have played a crucial role in supporting a more mobile and flexible work style and a more distributed workforce, the “new common” in business.

One of the leading VoIP providers in the country said that an annual survey of 300 small and mid-sized business owners revealed that today’s businesses are trending towards remote operations. And to be able to do so, their heavy reliance on cloud services (document creation, sharing, payroll, and online meeting) interestingly coincided with a “dramatic spike” in mobile device adoption, including smartphones.

The Business Insider, business news and technology source, has ranked 11 smartphones “worth buying right now”, alongside a bonus info on the latest HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4. And if you’re looking into buying your own or upgrading your current handset, check out the top 3 models that made it to BI’s cut!

1.       iPhone 5

The latest version of Apple’s standalone smartphone can be “the best smartphone you can buy”. And most business professionals in the world seem to agree; iPhone is now the world’s top business phone, says iPass. iPhone users can be assured of an interface that is better than Android phones, easy to use and more accessible. Also, the iTunes App Store has the best mobile apps and content available. iPhone starts at $199 for a two-year contract on Sprint, Verizon and AT&T.

2.       Google Nexus 4

Search engine giant, Google has asked LG to engineer a custom-built smartphone for its mobile operating system, Android. The Nexus 4 is Google Android’s newest flagship phone. However, Nexus 4 doesn’t allow users to connect to the web via 4G data, so you’ll just have to do with slower 3G and HSPA+ connections. Nexus 4 is at $299 per unit.

3.       HTC Droid DNA

HTC Droid DNA is a smartphone collaboration between telecom company Verizon and HTC. This “gorgeous phone” boasts of a 5-inch full HD display. However, HTC One, also about to be distributed by Verizon soon, is rumored to be capable of making us think twice on buying HTC Droid DNA instead. This smartphone that managed to grab the third spot in the Business Insider’s list costs $199.99 for a two-year contract with Verizon.