PC Pro's Greatest Hits of MWC 2013

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By Jonathan Bray in Barcelona

Posted on 28 Feb 2013 at 09:40

Over the past four days we’ve marched miles in pursuit of the very best mobile tech at MWC 2013: we've trawled the halls, sat through the press conferences and tried out so many smartphones and tablets that we've lost count.

We’re now delighted to announce the winners in our MWC 2013 Greatest Hits Awards.

MWC 2013: Best Android Smartphone

It was the first smartphone we saw this week, but the Huawei Ascend P2 remains our favourite. Slim, smart and with a 13-megapixel, 1080p camera, the P2 is also one of the lightest 4.7in phones we've come across (122g).

However it's Huawei's laudable focus on battery life and power efficiency we most appreciate. Packed with a big, 2,420mAh battery and including fast-charging technology, the P2 should outlast its rivals.

MWC 2013: Best Windows Phone

The Nokia Lumia 520 is part of the Finnish company's big move to take Windows Phone 8 to the masses this year. It will cost around £120, and yet this dirt-cheap mobile doesn't feel low budget at all.

Its 4in IPS touchscreen can be operated with gloves on, and looks superb. It feels much more expensive than the price would suggest, and it packs a powerful dual-core, 1GHz processor and 8GB of internal storage. It's another sign that Nokia is back on form.

MWC 2013: Best Android Tablet

The Sony Xperia Tablet Z was the Japanese technology giant's one major product announcement at MWC this year, but what a product it is.

Super-slim at 6.9mm, water- and dust-resistant, extremely light and boasting an absolutely gorgeous design, the Xperia Tablet Z looks set to be Sony's best tablet yet.

MWC 2013: Greatest Hits

Our final clutch of awards went to the following products:

The Asus PadFone Infinity won our admiration for the sheer Chutzpah of its smartphone-cum-tablet design and the beauty of its 5in smartphone; while the slightly more sensible Fonepad - a 7in tablet with phone capabilities - also tickled our fancy.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 almost stole the best Android tablet award, with an active stylus and the ability to make phone calls. This 8in tablet should provide stiff competition in the year ahead for the iPad mini.

Mozilla's open source, HTML 5-based mobile operating system, FireFox OS, finally got official backing from handset manufacturers, a year after we first saw it.

And we couldn't finish without acknowledging Nokia's sterling work on behalf of cash-strapped smartphone fans once more. The Nokia Lumia 720 might not be as cheap as the 520, but this Windows Phone 8 handset has a larger, 4.3in display and is just as nicely designed.

Congratulations to all our winners, and thanks to everyone who voted and suggested products we should consider.