The climb of the Galaxy S2 -- unveiled back in February 2011 -- proves that there is still space for golden oldies, even in the fast-moving smartphone space. Meanwhile, the popularity of the Galaxy range and new Google phone, the LG Nexus 4, relegated Apple's iPhone 4S and 5 to 5th and 6th place respectively in December. The older 4S dropped three places since November, having impressed in recent months with its affordable price point -- pay monthly deals start from £26.
There was plenty of movement further down the chart, with price crashes seeing the Nokia Lumia 800 rising four places and the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini up seven. The Mini has enabled Samsung to target the naysayers who reckon the S3 is too big, sweet-talking them with deals that start from just £15.50 per month with a free handset -- more than £10 per month cheaper than the S3.
Looking at bestsellers of the year, the Galaxy S3 has now been Britain's favourite smartphone for eight consecutive months after hitting the shelves in May and going straight to number one. Its standout features made it the smartphone to beat in 2012, and not even Apple managed to dislodge it. But Apple's handsets have been consistent top performers this year, with the iPhone 4S appearing in the chart every month in 2012, and hitting number one in April. Meanwhile, the iPhone 5 still hasn't made number one, but has remained at the top end of the chart every month since launch.
Both the original Samsung Galaxy Note and its slimmer sequel bridged the gap between smartphone and tablet with massive screens and remained regulars in the chart this year, appearing in the top ten seven times in total.
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