Are you planning to be generous to yourself or to a family member this Christmas by giving him or her an Android smartphone? Here is a guide to help you in buying the best handset in a sea of mobile phones.

The holidays are slowly creeping up as households put up their Christmas decorations. It is the time of the year when we shop for gifts for everyone. If you are contemplating of buying a smartphone for your children or tech junkie friend or family member, then buying an Android smartphone is a safe bet for you.

Having an Android device brings a lot of perks to the users. First, the Android Market is an open source and is accessible to all developers. This means instead of just 1 company working on the code, an unlimited number of people are able to do so. This is evident with a lot of apps available in the Google Play Market.

In line with the aforementioned advantage of an Android device is customization. Android smartphones has the ability to give its users the ability to customize anything they desire.

Picking an Android smartphone can be quite tricky. Below are the top Android smartphones that you may want to consider buying this Christmas for yourself or for a friend or family member this Christmas.

LG Nexus 4 - The latest Nexus smartphone and the first product from the collaboration of Google and LG acquired popularity since its release last month. The device has sold out hours later it became available in the Google Play Store. The Google-LG Nexus 4 boasts a 4.7 inch screen display with 1280x768 resolution, 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor, 8 MP camera and 2100 mAh battery.

The new Google-LG smartphone will run with the new Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, which promises new features upgrade such as better camera options and controls. This has become the selling point of the device.

This week, there are reports that claimed that the popular LG Nexus 4 appeared and disappeared again Google Play Store. However, the scarcity on supply prompted some retailers to spike the price of the handset. Moreover, Reports said that the 16GB LG Nexus 4 will ship the handsets by next year.

The timeframe for getting your hands on the 16GB version of the LG Nexus 4 from ordering it is increasing very fast. The handset was offered for sale again on Tuesday; however the shipping date had changed for 1 to 2 weeks to 3 to 4 weeks in just a matter of hours. Then it quickly changed again to 4 to 5 weeks. Just a few days on from this and now the 16GB LG Nexus 4 shipping time has been changed to 6 to 7. This means that one will most likely see the device in 2013.

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 - Samsung's phablet made quite a buzz as it boasts some amazing features such as incredibly fast processor, massive screen display, S-Pen and 4G/LTE connectivity. The smartphone will offer a split-screen mode on the smartphone-tablet hybrid, which allows users to open two apps at a time.

The phablet comes with Jelly Bean out of the box. However, updates to the 4.1.2 and 4.2 versions of the operating systems are already on the works and will soon be available Over-The-Air.

The unlocked version of the Galaxy Note 2 costs $899. However, Australian carriers offer affordable plans for the device.

Samsung Galaxy S3 - Samsung Galaxy S3 is the tech giant's best-selling phone of 2012. The device boasts a big 4.8 inch super AMOLED screen display, a quad-core processor, expandable storage, 4G/LTE connectivity and NFC support, and a 2100 mAh battery.

The smartphone was released with Android Ice Cream Sandwich in boot. However, the updates for the device are currently rolled out. Impatient users may also check out unofficial updates available in the Internet.

Samsung Galaxy S3 is available at Samsung Stores, retailers and at three major Australian carriers.

HTC One X+ - If you want a cheaper Android smartphone paired with sturdy and reliable hardware, go HTC. HTC boasts the amazing features of the new HTC One X+ including the faster 1.7GHz Tegra 3 CPU, larger 2,100mAh battery, expanded 64GB of storage and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with Sense 4+ onboard. HTC One X+ has a 32GB and a 64GB version.

Motorola Droid Razr Maxx HD - In its attempt to reclaim its glory, Motorola released the Droid Razr Maxx HD. The smartphone is equipped with 4.3 inch screen display. It is powered by Qualcomm 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage.

It has 3 megapixel front camera and on the back a back-facing 8MP camera with flash. Razr M has NFC, and a powerful 2000 mAh battery that Motorola says can last up to 20 hours on one charge and has 4G LTE connectivity.