This week the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 finds itself in the top spot for my top five. Although I am not always a fan of specialty niche devices, palming this hunk of a phone never seizes to amaze anybody. A phone that not only performs on a high level, above average actually, as well as offer more features than the average phone all while dropping your jaw deserves the top spot. Huge battery, huge screen, and huge power and speed. It’s a phone that has innovated beautifully over its two generations.

The number two spot belongs to the iPhone 5. Even beyond the fact that Apple has created what could be considered the best designed phone, iOS is a responsive and reliable OS that has a natural feeling to it. Working your way around the operating system is slick and easy, an experience matched by few devices.

Coming in at number three the Nokia Lumia 920 has had the market buzzing. Like the iPhone the 902 is a great option for anyone new to smart phones. Nokia has launched a phone that brings speed, design, and customization in all new ways utilizing a great looking Windows Phone 8 OS. This device is great for users looking to get all they can out of their Windows 8 experience syncing with PC's with ease.

For what it has brought and is still bringing to the market, the Samsung Galaxy S 3 sits as my number four pick. Samsung's flagship phone of 2012 is still a hit in the stores giving users a beautiful and fluid experience on android. A great battery, a Snapdragon 4 dual core processor, and a not too big not too small display make this a great phone.

And finishing up at number five is the Google Nexus 4. This phone runs the latest version of Jelly Bean and an intense Quad core Snapdragon 4 processor all for an amazing $299 price point on Google play. However it is the only phone on my list missing LTE capabilities so we will see how long it stays in my top five. 

The Samsung Galaxy Note II is the ultimate smartphone on the market at this time, garnering the first place position on my list. Despite being on the large side, the Note II packs some killer features including a quad-core processor, Android 4.1, and an S Pen. In second place, the Samsung Galaxy S III, as it offers similar features and is also available on the nationwide carriers. In third place, the HTC DROID DNA due to an incredible 5' 1080p HD display, and in fourth place, the HTC One X+ due to 64 GB of internal storage for a great price. Rounding out the list, the Nokia Lumia 920, as it's the best Windows Phone 8 package on the market at the moment. No matter how you look at it, there are a number of great smartphones to choose from this holiday season.

My ratings haven't changed from last week - I still feel the same way about these phones as I did before. I almost considered placing the Nokia Lumia 920 above the Galaxy Note II just for a change-up, but if I was being honest with myself I know that, if given a choice between the two, I would rather have the Galaxy Note II rather than the Lumia 920. This whole list is really just a jumble of all the phones I wish I could have, though. Numbers 1 and 2 are practically tied for each other; the Galaxy S III is second, and the HTC DROID DNA and iPhone 5 are tied for third. I just want them all.