New Android phones to get excited about in 2015

We've already seen some great smartphone releases in 2015, with the Samsung Galaxy S6, LG G4, HTC One M9 and Huawei P8 already gracing many people's palms. But the year is far from over and there's plenty more to come from the big manufacturers, as well as some possible surprises from up-and-comers. Read on for a list of the phones that AndroidPIT's most excited about seeing in 2015.




The next Nexus - Nexus 5 2015 ?

Google’s silly naming convention means we have no idea what the next Nexus will be called – the successor to the Nexus 6 can’t be the Nexus 7 – because Google used that two years ago for its 7-inch tablet, and some pundits believe Google will dump the brand completely in 2015. Who knows though, it could very well be the Nexus 6 2015.

Recent speculation suggests that Huawei will be at the helm of Google's next 2015 flagship, which would make sense for Google’s reach in China, and the company is already well-versed in producing quality hardware at attractive prices. Intriguingly, a Google video touting Project Fi revealed a mystery phone that many thought could be the next Nexus. The phone looks virtually bezel-less, and seems to have a similar design to the Nexus 5. Could this be the Nexus 5 2015? We hope so.

Xiaomi Mi5

Though it’s not sure that western markets are going to be able to get their hands on this one, we do know that Xiaomi is keen to enter the US market in the near future. This would suit us fine, because the Xiaomi Mi5 could be one of the best devices to ever be released on Android.

Rumors suggest the Mi5 will feature a bezel-less design, a 5.2-inch QHD display, and an octa-core Snapdragon 810 chipset with either 3GB or 4GB RAM. These fine specs could be rounded off by a 16MP camera and 3000mAh battery. It's early days yet, but we're excited already.

Project Ara

Project Ara won't produce a flagship. More intriguingly, it'll let you create your own phone, with your design, your preferred hardware and software features, and built to your own specifications. It will be unique to you, and this is why your phone might be the Android phone to get excited about in 2015.

We already got a glimpse at some of the capabilities of Project Ara - with unique components like a night-vision camera module - and the range of design opportunities that Project Ara presents are extremely exciting. Consider this: typical smartphone manufacturers can't include components to appeal to "niche" user interests because they are built to attract as wide a demographic as possible. It's not built for you, it's built for everyone. Project Ara is going to change this. What are you into? What do you want to see from a smartphone? Project Ara will let you create your own answers to these questions.
Project Ara: everything you need to know

Oppo Find 9

Chinese manufacturer Oppo brought a fantastic phablet to the Android table last year with the Find 7. It's no easy task to compete with the other names that dominate Android, but Oppo is doing just that, and we fully expect a Find 9 to appear later this year to take Oppo's intrepid journey into smartphone manufacturing to the next level.

Details on the Find 9 are a little thin at the moment, but early signs indicate Oppo could be pursuing a bezel-less design like the Sharp Aquos Crystal for the Find 9, on a square device bearing little semblance to the Find 7. Rumors suggest it could also feature a 5.5-inch QHD display, Snapdragon 810 octa-core chipset, and 4GB RAM, so it should be powerful as well as pretty.

Sony Xperia Z4 / Z4 Ultra

The Xperia Z4 had a surprisingly muted release in Japan in mid-April. It looked like a decent handset, following a similar design philosophy to its predecessor while kitting out the internals with a Snapdragon 810 octa-core chipset and shaving a few decimals of a millimetre off in thickness. It's still waterproof too, though this time there is no unwieldy flap covering the microUSB port.

In truth, the model that's being released in Japan didn't excite us too much either, but we're intrigued by rumors of an Xperia Z4 Ultra being in the works, which could pack a 5.5-inch QHD display, along with a metallic slate design.

There is a lot of speculation right now about what form the Xperia Z4 will take when it appears in the west - (Ultra version, compact, improved specs?) - so we're excited what it offers when it hopefully makes an appearance at IFA 2015 in September
Sony Xperia Z4 release date, news, specs and rumors

Samsung Galaxy Note 5

Thanks to the iPhone 6 Plus, Samsung no longer has the premium phablet market to itself - even though it created that market when everybody else was still mocking the idea of big-screened phones. That means the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 needs to be something special - a true Android phone to get excited about.

Rumors suggest an Ultra HD 4K display and a camera with up to 55 megapixels, although that resolution is possible rather than definite so far - if Sony’s sticking to 21 MP the presence of a higher resolution sensor in the Note 5 might be a gimmick rather than a great leap forward. In light of the success of Samsung's in-house Exynos chipset in the Galaxy S6, there are big question marks over whether Samsung would go back to a Qulacomm Snapdragon for the Note 5.If Samsung chooses to go with an Exynos - which we think is more likely - then that could spell the end of Samsung's relationship with Qualcomm for flagship phones.

We’d like to see wireless charging and two-day battery life too. The latest word on the grapevine suggests that the Note 5 could come with a dual-edge design, which we wouldn't mind one bit - if it's not too expensive.
Galaxy Note 5 news and rumors

OnePlus Two

Some firms could teach Google a thing or two about sensible names - the next OnePlus handset is almost certainly going to be called the OnePlus Two. After a split with Cyanogen Inc, OnePlus is going it alone and has already developed a new OS, Oxygen OS, for its second device. Here are the differences you should know about between Cyanogen OS and Oyxgen OS.

The now-familiar blend of great hardware and provocative marketing is likely to continue, and the device, currently codenamed Lettuce, should pack a 64-bit Snapdragon and Lollipop for a very good price. Count on OnePlus's invite-only purchase system to return also.
OnePlus Two release date, specs, news and rumors

Motorola Moto X 2015

The Moto X (2014) is a great phone at a great price, and we’re hoping the 2015 version addresses some of its weaknesses: the rubbish battery, the mediocre camera, the just-OK screen and the lack of stereo speakers and microSD slot. But will that be enough to keep Moto at the top of the table?

Which Android phone are you most looking forward to in 2015?

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Posted at 12:40 AM |  by Unknown

Samsung Galaxy S6 vs Apple iPhone 6: Smartphone Face-off

The iPhone 6 and the Galaxy S6 basically have two things in common: They're the smartphone measuring sticks for the rest of the industry, and they represent a fairly big departure from their predecessors. The iPhone 6 finally gives Apple fans a bigger 4.7-inch display, as well as new capabilities, such as Apple Pay. For Samsung, the Galaxy S6 represents a fresh start for the brand, with an all-new, glass-and-metal design (no more plastic!).


But Apple's and Samsung's flagships are totally different in most other ways, from processing power and screen quality to cameras, interface and battery life. I put the iPhone 6 and Galaxy S6 through nine rounds of handset-to-handset combat to name a winner.
Design


Credit: Jeremy Lips / Tom's GuideDesign has always been a hallmark of the iPhone, and the iPhone 6 maintains that tradition. Made of anodized aluminum, stainless steel and glass, the latest iPhone has rounded edges and a smooth but sturdy body. It's almost too smooth, though, making it feel somewhat slippery. But I do like the way the glass display curves to meet the rest of the chassis, which gives the design a unified aesthetic.





The Galaxy S6 is iPhone-like in some ways, especially the aluminum bottom edge, but I prefer the overall look and feel of Samsung's phone. On the black model, for instance, the Gorilla Glass 4 back appears to change from black to blue depending on how you hold it. There's also a white-and-gold model of the S6, whereas the iPhone 6 comes in either gold, silver or space gray.



Measuring 0.27 inches thick and weighing 4.9 ounces, the Galaxy S6 is about the same thickness but slightly heavier than the 4.6-ounce iPhone 6, but the S6 is remarkably light and thin, given that it has a bigger 5.1-inch screen. However, the S6 has a bigger bump for its camera on the back.
Winner: Galaxy S6.


Sure, Samsung takes some visual cues from Apple, but the combination of glass and metal on the S6 is simply more exciting than the iPhone's design.


Display

This round is not close. Yes, the iPhone 6 has a bright display that's bigger than before (4.7 inches versus 4 inches), but the Galaxy S6's larger, 5.1-inch Super AMOLED panel runs circles around Apple's screen. For starters, you get much higher resolution from Samsung, at 2560 x 1440 pixels, compared to the iPhone 6's 1334 x 750 pixels.


Just as important, photos and videos just look better on the S6, as evidenced by our side-by-side comparison of The Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer. The S6 shows more contrast and detail, especially in Robert Downey Jr.'s face. The iPhone 6 delivers more natural-looking color, but I prefer the more saturated hues from the S6, as well as the superior black levels.
Winner: Galaxy S6.

Audio

For the Galaxy S6, Samsung moved the speaker to the bottom of the device (the S5's speaker was on the back of the device), and the result is louder, but not necessarily cleaner, audio. The S6 sounded more boisterous when I blasted Caesars' "Jerk It Out." However, the iPhone sounded balanced, with more of a bottom end; the same track on the S6 was harsh.
Winner: iPhone 6


The iPhone 6's audio just sounds better.


Interface

Apple's iOS 8 is supereasy to use and even more flexible. For instance, you can finally swap out the default keyboard for a downloaded one, and there are photo extension apps to help you get more out of the camera. Double tapping the home button provides instant access to your favorite contacts, and swiping down on the display while on the home screen launches the excellent Spotlight search feature for finding apps. But now, Spotlight is smart enough to also include relevant results from Wikipedia, Maps and various news sites.


However, the iPhone's Today screen, which includes Notifications in a separate tab, wastes a lot of space compared to the Galaxy S6's notification drawer. In fact, you can access quick settings and notifications all in one place. On the iPhone, you need to swipe up from the bottom of the display to access settings shortcuts, and there are fewer shortcuts.

in other ways, Samsung has streamlined its TouchWiz interface (which runs on top of Android 5.0) and made it more user-friendly. From the home screen to the settings menu, there's less clutter than before. Samsung also provides a better built-in keyboard, complete with a number row, and you can run two apps side by side. Plus, you can download custom themes that let you customize the look and feel of the phone.
Winner: Tie.


The iPhone's ease of use is matched by the Galaxy S6's easier-to-access settings and flexibility.

Features


Samsung promises to launch its own mobile payment solution this summer, but in the meantime, Apple is off to a huge head start with Apple Pay. With NFC technology and the Touch ID sensor, you can use the iPhone 6 as a wallet in more than 700,000 locations. Samsung Pay has the potential to work in more places because it supports both NFC and magnetic secure transmissions, but we'll have to wait and see how well it works.


Another unique benefit of the iPhone 6 is Family Sharing, which allows you to share purchases from iTunes, iBooks and the App Store with up to six accounts. Have a Mac or iPad? Thanks to Continuity, you can accept iPhone calls from those devices, as well as send and receive texts. Then there's Siri, which continues to be the smartest voice-enabled assistant (although Google Now is faster).


The Galaxy S6 has several special features of its own, starting with wireless charging. The S6 supports both the Qi and PMA standards, so you can juice it using a wireless charging pad or at businesses that support the tech. (Note that the above image shows the Galaxy S6 Edge but the S6 works with the same accessory). Want to go the wired route? Fast charging allows you to get to 50 percent battery capacity in just 30 minutes.


In addition, Samsung has improved the accuracy of its fingerprint scanner; you place your finger on the home button instead of swiping it, just like on the iPhone. Other notable Galaxy S6 features include a built-in remote control (powered by Peel) and a heart-rate monitor on the back that doubles as a shutter button for the selfie camera.
Winner: Galaxy S6.


Apple Pay and Family Sharing are compelling, but Samsung offers more features for your money.


Performance


Powered by an octa-core Exynos processor and 3GB of RAM, the Galaxy S6 is the first Samsung phone I've tested that exhibited little to no lag. In fact, the S6 closed apps a hair faster, and opened its camera quicker, than the A8-powered iPhone 6. It took both phones about the same amount of time to open the Stormblades game (8.91 seconds for the S6 versus 9.1 seconds for the iPhone 6).

On the benchmark front, the S6 smoked the iPhone 6. When running Geekbench 3, which tests multicore performance, the S6 scored 5,120, while the iPhone 6 notched just 2,931.

It was a similar story on 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited, which measures graphics performance; the S6 hit 21,193, compared to the iPhone's 16,558.


I ran another demanding graphics benchmark, GFXBench GL (version 3.1), and the S6 once again came out on top. On the T-Rex 1080p off-screen test, the Samsung delivered 57 frames per second, compared to 42.4 fps for the iPhone 6.
Winner: Galaxy S6.

Samsung's phone is simply more powerful.



Camera


Both Apple and Samsung upped their camera game for the iPhone 6 and Galaxy S6. The iPhone 6 has an 8-megapixel sensor with an f/2.2 aperture, while the S6 has a 16-MP sensor with an f/1.9 aperture, which should give the Samsung an advantage in low light. It does.

Take a look at this indoor shot I took of a colorful painting. The S6's image looks brighter and crisper, while the iPhone 6 image has a yellow cast.

Outdoors, the iPhone 6 delivered more faded, but more natural, hues in a shot of a porcelain clown. (It's OK to be afraid.) However, the S6 picked up details completely missing from the iPhone 6 shot, such as the specks on his head, and it offered better contrast.

The iPhone 6 fared better in a photo of my two dogs sitting on the stairs with a decent amount of ambient light. It offered better white balance and slightly better contrast.

The iPhone 6 also delivered more accurate color in a shot of a bouquet of decorative flowers. It turned out pink, which is what it's supposed to be, versus more violet/purple for the Galaxy S6. But with the S6, you can zoom in more and make out more detail in the vase and (fake) petals.

My final test for the back cameras was a tree in front of a building. The S6 offered way more detail, especially in the trunk and surrounding stone wall. See the stone wall: The Samsung shot has a "whiter" (bluer) white and more vibrant-looking grass.

If you're a selfie fan, you'll probably like the S6 more than the iPhone 6. It has a sharper 5-MP front shooter that sports a wide-angle lens. This allowed me to easily capture a photo of my two co-workers and me, with plenty of room to see the environment. The iPhone 6's 2-MP front cam captured warmer tones, but its shot looked a little fuzzy compared to the S6's image.
Winner: Galaxy S6.

Although Samsung's camera sometimes oversaturates colors, its photos are sharper and offer more contrast.

Apps





Even though Android now has more than 80 percent of the worldwide smartphone market share, the platform still plays second fiddle to the iPhone when it comes to getting the hottest apps first. Meerkat, Periscope, Clear, Dark Sky, Instagram's Layout and Hyperlapse apps — the list goes on and on. Android offers a lot of great apps, but iOS and the iPhone rule.


As for preloaded apps, both the iPhone 6 and Galaxy S6 offer health apps, but Samsung's S Health measures your heart rate, and can track your runs and your diet. Apple's Health app is more like a dashboard for other apps. Samsung's Milk Music app deserves a mention (powered by Slacker) because it's slicker than iTunes Radio.


What I don't like about the Galaxy S6 is that you have to deal with carrier-installed software, which isn't an issue for the (mostly) bloatware-free iPhone.
Winner: iPhone 6. 

Developers continue to favor Apple, which means iPhone owners get the best new apps first.

Battery Life

A part of me doesn't want to declare a winner in this category, because neither the Galaxy S6 nor iPhone 6 offer great endurance. On our battery test, which involves continuous Web surfing over 4G LTE at 150 nits of screen brightness, the Galaxy S6 (on T-Mobile) lasted 8 hours and 32 minutes.

That's more than a full hour longer than the iPhone 6 (7:27 on Verizon), but it's only a couple of minutes longer than the category average of 8:22. The older Galaxy S5 lasted more than 10 hours on T-Mobile's network, which makes me wonder how much power the quad-HD display drains.
Winner: Galaxy S6.


I'll take an extra hour of juice.

Overall Winner


If you're in the market for a smartphone, the choice is clear. The Galaxy S6 wins this contest by a fairly wide margin, at 7 rounds to 3. With the Samsung phone, you get a bigger and better display, faster performance and a sharper camera that performs better in low light, all wrapped up in a design that's even sexier than the iPhone 6.


The iPhone 6 is easier to use and offers better audio quality, but the biggest advantage Apple has over Samsung is the app gap that persists between Android and iOS (not in terms of number, but quality). Overall, though, the Galaxy S6 is the superior smartphone.

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Posted at 12:07 AM |  by Unknown

Apple Acquisition May Give Next iPhone DSLR-Like Camera

The next iPhone's camera could rival your DSLR, thanks to a new acquisition made by Apple. The Cupertino, Calif., hardware giant has acquired LinX, a company that specializes in making powerful, small camera modules, for an estimated $20 million.

LinX creates smartphone and tablet cameras that are designed to offer rich color fidelity, strong low light performance and low shutter lag. The company's camera can also track depth, allowing for features such as post-shot refocusing and 3D modeling.

It's not surprising that Apple is looking to stay on top of the smartphone camera game. According to data from Flickr, the iPhone is the most used-camera on the image-sharing site, beating out dedicated cameras from companies such as Canon and Nikon. The new Samsung Galaxy S6'sexcellent 16-megapixel camera is one of the best we've seen on any smartphone, giving Apple all the more reason to beef up its camera offerings for future devices.

An improved camera is one of several new features expected to come to the next iPhone, which could arrive in iPhone 6s, 6s Plus and 6 mini variations. Apple's next generation of handsets is rumored to tout the haptic Force Touch technology found in the new MacBook, as well as more RAM for faster performance. The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus are expected to run on new Apple A9 processors, while the more affordable 6 mini may feature the current A8 chip.

While we likely won't be seeing new iPhones until September, it shouldn't be long before we see what software the new phones are going to run. Apple is expected to showcase iOS 9 at its upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference in June, so stay tuned for the news out of Cupertino, Calif., as it unfolds.

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Posted at 12:02 AM |  by Unknown

Weird iPhone 7 Concept Inspired by Apple Watch

Another year, another iPhone. But before all the rumors and leaks start surfacing, artists have been hard at work coming up with ideas about what the next iPhone could look like. But this concept takes the cake. In a video uploaded to its YouTube channel, ConceptsiPhone showed off an iPhone 7 with a bizarre feature borrowed from the Apple Watch - the Digital Crown.

Added to the right side of the phone above a volume button is the knob from the Apple watch. Presumably, you'd rotate it to navigate the proposed iPhone 7, and the dial would also house the Touch ID fingerprint sensor and act as a home button. In place of the traditional home button below the screen is a proposed Sense Button, which ConceptsiPhone describes as a set of sensors that catch your gesture and movements.


The rest of the video describes other aspects of the proposed iPhone 7, such as a so-called Retina HD+ (2560 x 1440) display, thinner-than-ever 6.9 mm profile and purported A9 CPU and M9 motion co-processors. Other than the addition of the Digital Crown, the concept iPhone 7, designed by Antonio de Rosa, looks largely similar to the iPhone 6.


ConceptsiPhone more recently put out a video of what it thinks iOS 9's lock screen could look like. The conceptualized OS features a lock screen that groups your notifications and lets you carry out actions such as reply to a text, add and edit your reminders or return a missed call.

The Apple Watch has proven immensely popular despite its high starting price, and the company has already received close to a million pre-orders for the device. But while people may like the Apple Watch and its features, we're not sure they'll enjoy having a large, protruding knob on the side of their sleek smartphones. Thankfully, this is all just a concept and seems very unlikely to come to pass.

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Posted at 11:55 PM |  by Unknown

Samsung Galaxy S6 Camera Defeats iPhone 6

Round 1: Daylight Still Life

We start with the easiest test — shooting objects that don't move under sunlight, albeit diffused sunlight owing to gray New York City skies. Photos from both cameras look great. The iPhone 6 Plus photo (at right) shows a hint of extra green, yielding slightly fluorescent-looking greens in the apples. The Galaxy S6 photo puts a bit too much blue in the image, giving the apples a slight purplish tint. But this is nitpicking. Both show crisp detail, though the Galaxy S6 photo is a tad sharper, owing to its 16-megapixel sensor, compared to the 8-MP chip in the iPhone 6 Plus camera.

Round 2: High-Color Still Life

We saw a clearer difference in these shots of brightly colored flowers, mostly under cloudy sunlight, with a bit of fluorescent lighting from the vendor's stall. The Galaxy S6 photo, at left, has a pleasing higher color saturation. It also shows more detail — due not only to higher resolution but also to better contrast, which brings out fine shading in the petals. The iPhone 6 Plus photo has a hazy appearance. We sometimes see this due to the camera's tone mapping, which tries to pull back areas that are overexposed. It goes too far here, producing a flat image.

Round 3: Daylight Portrait

Both cameras capture the skin tone of our colleague Dave pretty well. The iPhone 6 Plus image makes his face look brighter and clearer, though; whereas it looks a bit flat in the Galaxy S6 photo. The iPhone 6 Plus pic also shows a stronger black in his coat. It's a close call, but the iPhone 6 Plus does better overall.



Round 4: Indoor Still Life

Low-light performance is a strong point for the iPhone 6 and a priority for the Galaxy S6. This photo shows that Samsung has not only closed the gap but actually pulled ahead. Not surprising is that its higher-resolution camera captures more detail, as in the label on the Captain Morgan's bottle. But further, the Galaxy's default real-time high dynamic range (HDR) produced a better exposure, not only bringing up the shadows but also capturing more detail in highlights.

That, as much as resolution, makes the text on the frosted Absolute Mandarin bottle sharper. The Galaxy S6 captures more and brighter highlights, too, as on the brown rum bottle at the left. The clear bottles show complex reflections and diffractions in the S6 photo that appear at best as blobs in the iPhone image.

Round 5: Indoor Portrait

Both phone cameras captured nice photos of our co-worker Valentina in a dim hallway with mixed fluorescent and LED lighting. However, the iPhone 6 Plus photo appears a bit flat compared to the higher-contrast Samsung image, and it doesn't capture the reddish highlights in her hair.

The Galaxy S6 photo better reflects the color of the lighting. Perhaps this is due to the infrared sensor, but we can't say for sure. The higher-resolution Galaxy S6 photo also shows much finer detail, evident in her scarf.

Round 6: Low-Light Portrait

This is an extreme-low-light test — images taken with only dim overhead light. There are several variations between the two photos: for example, the Galaxy S6 image appears too warm while the iPhone 6 Plus image looks greenish. But the glaring difference is that the iPhone 6 Plus photo shows yellow splotches on her face, such as her forehead and under her eyes. We've occasionally seen the iPhone 6 tone mapping turn overexposed areas yellow, but this is worse than usual.

The Galaxy S6 photo also appears a bit brighter, possibly due to its f/1.9 aperture, which lets in about 30 percent more light than the f/2.2 aperture of the iPhone 6 Plus camera.

Round 7: Flash Photo Portrait

Sometimes, a camera simply needs to use a flash, and here, the Galaxy S6 beats the iPhone in a few ways. It shows far more detail, again evident in her scarf. Colors also appear more accurate in the Galaxy S6 image. The Samsung's flash is perhaps more powerful than some people might want, but the photo is not overexposed.

The most noticeable aspect of the iPhone 6 Plus photo is that there are yellow splotches, especially on her cheek and neck, due to failed tone mapping. The iPhone 6 Plus image also has a worse red-eye effect, but this could just be a matter of chance.

Round 8: Sunny Cityscape

Both the iPhone 6 Plus and Galaxy S6 cameras performed well — as they should — in this cakewalk photo test. People we asked around the office preferred the warmer colors of the iPhone 6 Plus photo, and so it takes the round, but only by a hair. The Galaxy S6 photo is also of high quality.

Round 9: Backlit Street Scene

There was no contest in this comparison. When the subjects were backlit, the whole image appeared faded in the iPhone photo, while the Galaxy S6 photo retained good contrast. We saw similar results in other backlit shots taken with both cameras.

Round 10: Front-Lit Street Scene

The differences between the two phones go away when strong sunlight hits the front of the subject. Here both cameras captured detail well, and the fast phase detection autofocus in both cameras helped each capture a sharp image of the moving subjects. People viewing both photos tended to prefer the iPhone 6 Plus image for its warmer tone, but again, the differences are subtle.

Round 11: Sunlight Group Portrait

The iPhone 6 Plus won our competition in the portraits of Dave under diffused sunlight, and it triumphs again in this very bright photo of Dave, Valentina and our colleague Sherri — with richer, truer colors and far stronger contrast. This is a pattern we have consistently seen between the two cameras in photos under intense sunlight. If you're going to the beach, the iPhone will certainly serve you better.

The iPhone 6 Plus image is far from perfect, though. Tone mapping has flattened out details and produced those characteristic yellow spots on Valentina's and Dave's faces. Because the S6 image retains more tonal detail, it might ultimately produce a better photo after editing. But straight from the camera, the iPhone 6 Plus image looks much richer.

Scorecard

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Posted at 11:45 PM |  by Unknown

G Flex 2, ZenFone 2, Nexus 6 and iPhone 6 Plus: Top 10 smartphones 2015

Already we've seen big name companies including Samsung, LG and Asus unveil new flagship smartphones designed to entice buyers away from the stream of, still impressive, handsets that arrived in 2014.

In fact, the influx of new hardware, combined with the sea of rumours surrounding many, as yet unconfirmed handsets, such as the next iPhone, have justifiably left many people baffled what is available, what's on the horizon and what's currently fiction.

Here to help we've created a definitive top 10 list of the biggest smartphones currently available of confirmed for release this year.

10) LG G Flex 2
Display technology is an increasingly competitive area in the world of smartphones. Traditionally companies have worked to dominate the space by improving their displays' resolution, colour balance and brightness levels.

LG however has chosen to take a different tactic over the last year and has instead been working to push its curved display technology to the masses.

This started in 2012 when LG unveiled the G Flex and continued at CES 2015 when the Korean firm unveiled its follow up curved smartphone, the G Flex 2.

The G Flex 2's standout feature is its" flexible" 5.5in, 1080p, OLED display, which according to LG is 30 percent more durable and crack proof than its predecessor and can absorbs impacts when it hits a hard surface.

Add to this the G Flex 2's octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor and Android 5.0 Lollipop mobile operating system and LG's latest handset is on paperone of the most advanced smartphones ever seen.

9) Asus ZenFone 2
Asus unveiled its first Android 5.0 Lollipop smartphone, the ZenFone 2, at CES 2015. While the use of Lollipop, which more upgrades to Android than can easily be counted, is pretty awesome, Asus has done a stellar job loading the ZenFone 2 with a wealth of top end hardware.

Chief of these are the ZenFone 2's 13MP rear camera with an f/2.0 wide-aperture lens, Optical Image Stabilsation (OIS) and a 5MP PixelMaster front camera.

PixelMaster is a custom technology designed to improve the ZenFone's imaging performance by adjusting the pixel size and image-processing algorithms to "improve low light performance by 400 percent" and "enhance noise reduction and colour contrast by up to 200 percent".

The ZenFone 2 will also feature an upgraded camera application that allows the manual adjustment of settings like ISO and shutter speed.

The combination of imaging tech and software mean the ZenFone 2 may be one of the best options for avid photographers come its release later this year.




8. Nexus 6

With the Nexus 6 finally unveiled we have to say this is one of the few instances where the run up rumours didn't do the device justice.

Built by Motorola, the Nexus 6 is on paper one of the finest Google flagships ever made and features an impressive array of hardware and software features.

One of the biggest of these is its completely reworked aluminium design. This is a big deal as, while we were fans of the Nexus 5's unassuming design, we found its polycarbonate frame slightly flimsy and the device could break or pick up marks when subjected to even the smallest of bumps.

Even better, within its metallic frame the Nexus 6 houses some pretty top-end components. Chief of these are a sizeable 6in quad HD display, powerful quad-core Snapdragon 805 processor and 13MP rear camera with Optical Image Stabilisation.

This combined with the added allure of Google's latest Android 5.0 Lollipop OS, with Samsung Knox integration and a reworked 'Material design, makes the Nexus 6 one of the best smartphones currently available.


7. HTC One M8
Taiwanese firm HTC is probably the only company in the world that is as focused on design as Apple. As a result it's no surprise its 2014 flagship smartphone, the One M8, is one of the best looking and designed smartphones currently available.

Even better, underneath the One M8's robust, but elegant metal chassis lies a wealth of top end components. HTC's loaded the M8 with a high power Snapdragon 801 processor, high resolution 5in, 1080x1920, 441ppi, Super LCD3 capacitive touchscreen and Duo camera technology.

Duo Camera is a new technology that lets One M8's 4.1MP Ultrapixel rear camera capture spatial information using a second supporting camera sensor. This lets users manually adjust the point of focus and create a depth-of-field effect on a captured image.

The technology also lets the One M8 know the distance of objects in the shot and use the information to selectively ignore items in the foreground when applying filters and make it a great choice for any blogger looking to get creative when shooting photos with their smartphone.




6. Blackphone
Since news of the PRISM spying campaign broke, privacy has been at the forefront of many people's minds. The scandal has made people more concerned than ever about what happens to their data.

So secure communications specialist Silent Circle teamed up with hardware engineers at Geeksphone to create a new snoop-busting Blackphone. The Blackphone will run using a heavily customised, security-focused version of Android, codenamed PrivatOS.

Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) encryption protocol creator and Silent Circle president Phil Zimmermann has lent his support to the phone and promised it will let users securely send and receive data. This all adds up to mean the Blackphone is one of the best choices available for any privacy conscious smartphone buyer.

5. Sony Xperia Z3
Sony continued its rapid-release strategy at the IFA trade show in Berlin at the start of September 2014 when it unveiled its latest Xperia Z3 flagship smartphone.

The firm announced the Z3 a mere six months after its predecessor, the Xperia Z2, and while it doesn't offer huge improvements Sony has made a few important changes.

For starters the Xperia Z3 is thinner than the Xperia Z2 and will run using a more current version of Google’s Android 4.4 KitKat operating system.

Add to this its stellar 5.2in Full HD screen, quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor and 20.7MP rear-facing camera and we can't help but be impressed by the Sony Xperia Z3




4. Nokia Lumia 930
Microsoft made a big deal about Windows Phone 8.1, listing it as the first "enterprise-ready" version of its mobile OS, when it first arrived in the UK.

Having thoroughly tested Windows Phone 8.1 during our full review, we can understand why. Featuring advanced security and productivity features, such as a new Word Flow Keyboard, and mobile device-management support plus all the inherently great mobile applications seen on previous Windows Phone versions, Windows Phone 8.1 is truly fit for business.

As a result it's no surprise the Lumia 930 – which, as well as running on Windows Phone 8.1 also features top-end hardware, including the Finnish firm's hallowed PureView imaging technology – is one of the best phones currently available.

3. The iPhone 6 Plus
Apple claimed for years that users didn’t want big-screen smartphones and there was no need for a handset to have a display any bigger than 4inches. However, given the popularity of big screens in other ecosystems, such as Android and Windows Phone, it’s become increasingly clear this is a false hypothesis.

Finally aware of this, Apple this year unveiled its first-ever phablet, theiPhone 6 Plus. Featuring a sizeable 1920x1080, 401ppi Retina HD display the iPhone 6 Plus is the first ever handset to bring all the inherent benefits of iOS 8 to the big screen.

As an added incentive Apple’s actually optimised its latest iOS 8 mobile operating system to work better on the iPhone 6 Plus’s display. For example, the iPhone 6 Plus's Messaging and Mail apps have a special two-tier horizontal user interface and separate keyboard


2. Samsung Galaxy S5

Samsung handsets' releases always come with a lot of fanfare. Luckily this year the fuss was justified and Samsung unveiled what in our mind is its most innovative smartphone to date, the Galaxy S5.

Featuring a rugged, water and dust proof IP-certified design and wealth of top end components, including a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor and upgraded 16MP rear camera, there is a lot to like about the Galaxy S5 from a hardware perspective.

However, the Galaxy S5's charms don't stop there. Samsung's also added custom fingerprint scanner and Knox security services to the phone.

The fingerprint scanner lets users set the Galaxy S5 to only unlock when the user has proven their identity using it. Knox is a sandboxing feature based on NSA technology that lets users set up work and personal areas on the phone. The work side is password protected and encrypts any data stored on it, ensuring it should remain safe should the Galaxy S5 be lost or stolen.

The combination of top end tech and robust security make the Galaxy S5 one of the best Android smartphones currently available to businesses.

1. iPhone 6

Apple launched its iPhone 5S last September, and according to its own sales stats the handset was another winner. Apple managed to shift nine million iPhone 5S and 5C devices in the first three days of availability.

One year on the firm looks set to continue its success with its latestiPhone 6 smartphone. Unveiled in September the iPhone 6 is in many people’s eyes, including us here at V3, Apple’s most interesting smartphone to date.

Featuring a completely new curvaceous metal design, super-fast A8 processor Apple claims is 25 percent faster than the previous-generation A7 and sizeable 4.7in, 1334x750, 326ppi Retina HD display, coupled with Californian firm’s latest iOS 8 mobile operating system the iPhone 6 is the best smartphone currently available.

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Posted at 7:03 PM |  by Unknown