MWC 2014: HTC One Wins ‘Best Smartphone’ At Global Mobile Awards

HTC has received a welcome piece of good news as its One smartphone was voted ‘Best Smartphone’ at last night’s Global Mobile Awards.

Curated by the GSMA and hosted by ‘comedian’ James Corden, the glitziest night of the year for mobile industry also saw victories for Apple’s iPad Air, which won ‘Best Mobile Tablet’, and Nokia, whose devices won two awards.

The HTC One has beaten tough competition from Apple and Samsung to pick up the top prize, described by the judges as ‘one of the most advanced smartphones throughout 2013’.

The judges also praised the One’s ‘great design and excellent user interface’, which made it stand out from the crowd by creating a superior user experience.

High praise

The Nokia Lumia 520, (pictured left) described by judges as a ‘trailblazer’, won ‘Best Low-Cost (sub-$150) Smartphone’, with the Nokia 105 picking up the award for ‘Best Entry-level or Featurephone’, winning praise for its durability and battery life.

South Korean manufacturer LG won ‘Most Innovative Device Manufacturer of the Year’, with the judges praising its ‘ground-breaking innovation’ with new products such as the Flex smartphone catching the eye.

There is still one more award to come, with the shortlist for the ‘Best New Mobile Handset, Device or Tablet at Mobile World Congress 2014′ set to be announced today, and the winner honoured in a live presentation on 27 February. Competition should be fierce, with Samsung’s Galaxy S5 leading the way ahead of offerings from HTC and Sony, as well as Nokia’s Android-powered X range.

Elsewhere, outgoing Qualcomm CEO and Chairman Paul Jacobs was awarded the GSMA Chairman’s Award, and former GSMA CEO Rob Conway was posthumously awarded the GSMA Lifetime Achievement Award.

“Now in the 19th year, the Global Mobile Awards once again showcase the outstanding level of innovation and creative products and services being developed across a diverse and growing industry,” said John Hoffman, CEO of the GSMA. “With more than 680 high calibre entries this year, the competition was stronger than ever and it is a significant achievement to have been honoured today. The GSMA would like to warmly congratulate all Global Mobile Awards winners and recognise all those who took part for continuing to drive mobile communications into the future.”

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