Consumer Reports places iPhone 5 among the worst of top smartphones

iPhone 5 Apple Store

Consumer reports is an American Magazine (and web resource) that has been bringing its readers reviews and comparisons of consumer products and services for nearly 80 years now. So needless to say, their opinions are highly regarded but many.

But I know a few iPhone 5 owners that aren’t going to agree with its latest report regarding flagship smartphones. In its February 2013 issue, the magazine ranks Apple’s handset as one of the worst high-end devices available on the larger US carriers…

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As you can see in the above image, first posted by BusinessInsider, Consumer Reports places the $199 16GB iPhone 5 as the third highest rated smartphone on AT&T, behind the LG Optimus G and the Samsung Galaxy S III — both Android handsets.

It’s the exact same story on Sprint, again both the Optimus G and the S III place above the iPhone 5. And the 5’s not even on the list for T-Mobile. Obviously, that’s because the carrier doesn’t offer it yet. But Verizon does, and it’s not on that list either.

It’s not clear what metrics Consumer Reports used for this report. It has all kinds of data on these devices — from nationwide consumer survey results, to in-house lab tests and reviews — so there’s really no telling. Honestly, it could be all of the above.

But regardless of the methods, the findings are still interesting. And even though Apple is believed to have sold in upwards of 50 million iPhones last quarter, it’d be remiss to overlook data like this.

What do you think of Consumer Report’s rankings?