Best
smartphones, mobile phones, phones. Whatever you call them they all share the
same thing. They’re the hottest kind of tech. They sell millions, and make
billions and there's plenty more to come in 2014, but which should you choose
if you're buying right now?
The first
thing is to decide the platform you want to side with. There’s the iPhone and
its easy to use iOS mobile operating system, an army of Android phones powered
by Google, Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 and – new kid on the block – BlackBerry
10.
iOS offers the best apps and games, Android the most fiddling potential. Windows Phone 8 is the slickest and BlackBerry 10 is on hand for those who want something a bit different.
2013 was another big year for smartphones with the iPhone 5C and the iPhone 5S joining the Nokia Lumia 1020 and Android phone greats like the Sony Xperia Z1 and Nexus 5 as standout newcomers. We should of course not forget about the TrustedReviews Product of the Year the Motorola Moto G that proved you can deliver a smartphone with high-end specs at an affordable price.
In 2014, we've already seen the HTC One M8, the Samsung Galaxy S5 with the Sony Xperia Z2 and the iPhone 6 on the way. We also expect to see more from mobile operating systems like Firefox OS, Samsung's Tizen and Sailfish by Finnish company Jolla packed into handsets.
Which would you pick from the current bunch? Rifling through the phone reviews that get the TrustedReviews seal of approval, check out our best mobile phones of 2014 so far.
iOS offers the best apps and games, Android the most fiddling potential. Windows Phone 8 is the slickest and BlackBerry 10 is on hand for those who want something a bit different.
2013 was another big year for smartphones with the iPhone 5C and the iPhone 5S joining the Nokia Lumia 1020 and Android phone greats like the Sony Xperia Z1 and Nexus 5 as standout newcomers. We should of course not forget about the TrustedReviews Product of the Year the Motorola Moto G that proved you can deliver a smartphone with high-end specs at an affordable price.
In 2014, we've already seen the HTC One M8, the Samsung Galaxy S5 with the Sony Xperia Z2 and the iPhone 6 on the way. We also expect to see more from mobile operating systems like Firefox OS, Samsung's Tizen and Sailfish by Finnish company Jolla packed into handsets.
Which would you pick from the current bunch? Rifling through the phone reviews that get the TrustedReviews seal of approval, check out our best mobile phones of 2014 so far.
10. Nokia Lumia 1020
Key features:
- 5.7-inch 1080p Full HD screen
- 13-megapixel main camera with LED flash
- Best stylus experience on a phone
- 32GB of storage with microSD card support
It might
not be the best all round smartphone, but if you are looking for a great
cameraphone the Nokia Lumia 1020 definitely fits the bill.
The 4.5-inch, Windows 8-running 1020 piles in some impressive photo-grabbing specs including a 41-megapixel PureView camera and a Xenon flash with LED focus light. Image results can compete with compact system cameras in the right conditions and can be viewed back on a punchy, colourful 1,280x768 resolution screen.
It's only dual-core and does still suffer from a poor selection of Windows apps. But if you really want camera quality photos, then the Lumia 1020 is the handset to snap up.
Review price: £599
The 4.5-inch, Windows 8-running 1020 piles in some impressive photo-grabbing specs including a 41-megapixel PureView camera and a Xenon flash with LED focus light. Image results can compete with compact system cameras in the right conditions and can be viewed back on a punchy, colourful 1,280x768 resolution screen.
It's only dual-core and does still suffer from a poor selection of Windows apps. But if you really want camera quality photos, then the Lumia 1020 is the handset to snap up.
Review price: £599
9. LG G2
Key features:
- 5.2-inch Full HD 1080p display
- 13-megapixel main camera
- Strong battery life
- Rear physical buttons on the back
The
smartphone with the buttons on the back, the LG G2 sees the South Korean
company make an impressive return to smartphone prominence.
The 5.2-inch G2 features a full HD IPS edge-to-edge display, a 13-megapixel OIS (optical image stabilization) camera and a speedy Snapdragon 800 quad-core CPU.
Moving the buttons to the rear and reducing the screen bezel frees up the extra screen estate to make the most of HD movie and video watching. The camera is good, but doesn't deliver Z1 or Lumia 1020-like images.
The G2 delivers a strong overall package making it a great alternative to the HTC One and the Samsung Galaxy S4.
Price: £400
The 5.2-inch G2 features a full HD IPS edge-to-edge display, a 13-megapixel OIS (optical image stabilization) camera and a speedy Snapdragon 800 quad-core CPU.
Moving the buttons to the rear and reducing the screen bezel frees up the extra screen estate to make the most of HD movie and video watching. The camera is good, but doesn't deliver Z1 or Lumia 1020-like images.
The G2 delivers a strong overall package making it a great alternative to the HTC One and the Samsung Galaxy S4.
Price: £400
8. Samsung Galaxy Note 3
Key features:
- 5.7-inch 1080p Full HD screen
- 13-megapixel main camera with LED flash
- Best stylus experience on a phone
- 32GB of storage with microSD card support
King of the big phones, the Samsung
Galaxy Note 3 is once again equipped with the excellent S-Pen stylus.
Featuring a 5.7-inch 1080p Super AMOLED screen, the Note 3 is powered by a Snapdragon 800 2.3GHz CPU and has 32GB and 3GB of RAM to take care of multitasking.
The key design change from the Note 2 is the leather-effect battery cover which is more cosmetic than adding anything in terms of comfort. There’s a 13-megapixel main camera to shoot photos on par with the S4, but the S Pen stylus is once again the star of the show and has more apps to utilize its stylus powers.
If you are after a big screen phone to get creative with, this is the best to go for.
Review price: £619.99
Featuring a 5.7-inch 1080p Super AMOLED screen, the Note 3 is powered by a Snapdragon 800 2.3GHz CPU and has 32GB and 3GB of RAM to take care of multitasking.
The key design change from the Note 2 is the leather-effect battery cover which is more cosmetic than adding anything in terms of comfort. There’s a 13-megapixel main camera to shoot photos on par with the S4, but the S Pen stylus is once again the star of the show and has more apps to utilize its stylus powers.
If you are after a big screen phone to get creative with, this is the best to go for.
Review price: £619.99
7. HTC One
Key features:
- Superb 4.7-inch full HD display
- Excellent aluminium chassis
- Great overall performance
- Runs on Android 4.3 with HTC Sense 5.5
One of the most desirable phone of
the year so far is the HTC One. And, yes, that includes the Samsung Galaxy S4.
It has a sleek aluminium body that makes the top-end competition feel a little bit cheap. The HTC One also has a few other new HTC features. Top of the list are the UltraPixel camera and Blinkfeed, the star of the show of the new Sense UI. It’s sleeker and more stylish than the HTC Sense of old and – in our experience – it works better too.What’s not to like?
The 4-megapixel camera doesn’t reap as detail-packed shots as its top rivals in bright sunlight, but it’ll win out in dim situations. Until the HTC One Two turns up, this is still wins our vote as the top high end Android smartphone.
Review price: £549
It has a sleek aluminium body that makes the top-end competition feel a little bit cheap. The HTC One also has a few other new HTC features. Top of the list are the UltraPixel camera and Blinkfeed, the star of the show of the new Sense UI. It’s sleeker and more stylish than the HTC Sense of old and – in our experience – it works better too.What’s not to like?
The 4-megapixel camera doesn’t reap as detail-packed shots as its top rivals in bright sunlight, but it’ll win out in dim situations. Until the HTC One Two turns up, this is still wins our vote as the top high end Android smartphone.
Review price: £549
6. Sony Xperia Z1 Compact
Key features:
- Great 4.3-inch 720p HD screen
- Water and dust-proof
- Solid battery life
The new
king of the mini smartphones, the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact doesn’t make the same
performance compromises as the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini and the HTC One Mini and
as a result is a fantastic 4.3-inch Android smartphone.
The single aluminium frame gives it a construction similar to the iPrhone 4S and despite the drop down in screen resolution, is still a sharp and colourful place to watch high resolution video. In the power department, it uses the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 CPU as the Xperia Z1 so expect a similarly slick performance and it also manages an all-day battery life.
Packing the same 20.7-megapixel camera as the Z1 the Compact produces good but not Nokia Lumia 1020-rivalling photos. If you are looking for a classy mini that comfortably sits in the pocket this is the best out there.
The single aluminium frame gives it a construction similar to the iPrhone 4S and despite the drop down in screen resolution, is still a sharp and colourful place to watch high resolution video. In the power department, it uses the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 CPU as the Xperia Z1 so expect a similarly slick performance and it also manages an all-day battery life.
Packing the same 20.7-megapixel camera as the Z1 the Compact produces good but not Nokia Lumia 1020-rivalling photos. If you are looking for a classy mini that comfortably sits in the pocket this is the best out there.
5. Google Nexus 5
Key features:
- 5-inch full HD 1080p screen
- 8-megapixel camera with decent low-light camera performance
- Runs on Android 4.4 KitKat
- Powerful enough to run apps smoothly
If this
was a round-up of the best value smartphones, the Nexus 5 would win hands down.
At £300 for the 16GB version, the Nexus 5 is far better value than the iPhone
5S and Galaxy S4, or any other rival we can think of.
Its Snapdragon 800 processor means it's a match for the iPhone's A7 processor, and it's actually faster than the S4 and HTC One by dint of having the latest version of Qualcomm's top-end processor.
Elsewhere, we love the understated and practical design, the screen and the pure Android 4.4 experience with its improved interface.
Where it falls down is in the battery life and camera departments. Neither are bad, but they don't quite match up to the iPhone 5S, which is why it's only a narrow (but still excellent) second overall.
Review price: £300
Its Snapdragon 800 processor means it's a match for the iPhone's A7 processor, and it's actually faster than the S4 and HTC One by dint of having the latest version of Qualcomm's top-end processor.
Elsewhere, we love the understated and practical design, the screen and the pure Android 4.4 experience with its improved interface.
Where it falls down is in the battery life and camera departments. Neither are bad, but they don't quite match up to the iPhone 5S, which is why it's only a narrow (but still excellent) second overall.
Review price: £300
4. Moto G
Key features:
- Great 4.5-inch 720p IPS screen
- Runs on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean
- Available with 8/16Gb of internal storage
- Amazing value for money
Currently
the only phone on this list to get a full 10 out of 10 score, the Motorola Moto
G sets the benchmark for what a smartphone is capable of without costing
hundreds of pounds to own it.
At 143g and 11.6mm thick it’s not the slimmest or lightest phone but it’s but it's still a nice-looking handset for the price. It’s the first time we’ve seen a 720p screen on a phone this cheap and it serves up good, sharp image quality with a Gorilla Glass screen adding a layer of durability.
The Moto G runs on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean and the Snapdragon 400 CPU with 1GB of RAM ensures it handles most everday tasks like browsing, and playing games well. The 5-megapixel camera delivers decent image quality, while the 720P HD video shooting is on par with other similar phones.
Whether you go for the 8GB version at £135 or the 16GB version at £160, the Moto G offers far better specs than any other big-name phone you can buy for £150 and is the cheap smartphone to beat as it stands.
Price: £135 (8GB), £160 (16GB)
At 143g and 11.6mm thick it’s not the slimmest or lightest phone but it’s but it's still a nice-looking handset for the price. It’s the first time we’ve seen a 720p screen on a phone this cheap and it serves up good, sharp image quality with a Gorilla Glass screen adding a layer of durability.
The Moto G runs on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean and the Snapdragon 400 CPU with 1GB of RAM ensures it handles most everday tasks like browsing, and playing games well. The 5-megapixel camera delivers decent image quality, while the 720P HD video shooting is on par with other similar phones.
Whether you go for the 8GB version at £135 or the 16GB version at £160, the Moto G offers far better specs than any other big-name phone you can buy for £150 and is the cheap smartphone to beat as it stands.
Price: £135 (8GB), £160 (16GB)
3. Samsung Galaxy S5
Key features:
- Fantastic 5.1-inch 1080p Super AMOLED screen
- Versatile, high-quality 16-megapixel camera
- Excellent battery life
- Water-resistant design
Fitting happily into the role as Samsung
Galaxy S4 successor, the Samsung Galaxy S5 has the qualities to make it a
worthwhile upgrade for loyal S Series fans.
While it looks and feel similar to its predecessor, the new slightly soft-touch textured back is a vast improvement on the glossy plastic of old.
Some of the new features like the fingerprint and heart rate sensors are hit and miss, but the standout feature is undeniably the display. Up to 5.1-inches it delivers deep blacks, rich colours and the kind of vibrancy to make it one of the best smartphone displays for watching video.
With its Snapdragon 801 processing power and day and half battery life, the S5 is set once again to be one of the top Android phones to own.
Review price: £499.99
While it looks and feel similar to its predecessor, the new slightly soft-touch textured back is a vast improvement on the glossy plastic of old.
Some of the new features like the fingerprint and heart rate sensors are hit and miss, but the standout feature is undeniably the display. Up to 5.1-inches it delivers deep blacks, rich colours and the kind of vibrancy to make it one of the best smartphone displays for watching video.
With its Snapdragon 801 processing power and day and half battery life, the S5 is set once again to be one of the top Android phones to own.
Review price: £499.99
2. iPhone 5S
Key features:
- 4-inch retina display
- New Touch ID fingerprint unlocking
- Powerful, 64-bit A7 dual-core processor
- 8-megapixel camera with True-Tone LED flash
The iPhone 5S continues Apple's
benchmark setting trend, though the gap between it and its rivals is as narrow
as narrow can be.
Keeping the same 4-inch Retina display found on the iPhone 5 and its replacement the iPhone 5C, the high grade aluminium phone is now available in gold and 'space grey' colours.
The most radical design change is the Touch ID fingerprint sensor situated in the home button to add an extra layer of security and convenience.
The super-fast A7 processor is great, too, but it's the camera that clinches things for the 5S. The new True-Tone LED flash leads to better shots with the flash enabled, while the infinite burst mode, slow-mo video, speedy app and outstanding HDR mode make using the iPhone 5S camera a joy.
Review price: £549
Keeping the same 4-inch Retina display found on the iPhone 5 and its replacement the iPhone 5C, the high grade aluminium phone is now available in gold and 'space grey' colours.
The most radical design change is the Touch ID fingerprint sensor situated in the home button to add an extra layer of security and convenience.
The super-fast A7 processor is great, too, but it's the camera that clinches things for the 5S. The new True-Tone LED flash leads to better shots with the flash enabled, while the infinite burst mode, slow-mo video, speedy app and outstanding HDR mode make using the iPhone 5S camera a joy.
Review price: £549
1. HTC One M8
Key features:
- Large, sharp 5-inch Full HD screen
- Interesting, feature packed camera
- Class-leading metal design
- HTc Sense 6 UI
Landing
before the Samsung Galaxy S5 and the Sony Xperia Z2, the HTC One M8 is the
first new big Android phone of 2014 and it looks set to be one of the best.
Tweaking the already sleek metal design, the M8 has a bigger 5.1-inch screen a more powerful Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor and now includes a microSD card tray with support up to 128GB.
The biggest talking point is the camera as HTC still opts for larger pixels rather than more megapixels and includes a dual LED flash to bring more natural-looking results. Despite some of our grievances with the camera, in every other department, the M8 is the high end Android phone to beat.
Review Price: £459.99
Tweaking the already sleek metal design, the M8 has a bigger 5.1-inch screen a more powerful Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor and now includes a microSD card tray with support up to 128GB.
The biggest talking point is the camera as HTC still opts for larger pixels rather than more megapixels and includes a dual LED flash to bring more natural-looking results. Despite some of our grievances with the camera, in every other department, the M8 is the high end Android phone to beat.
Review Price: £459.99
Best
smartphones, mobile phones, phones. Whatever you call them they all
share the same thing. They’re the hottest kind of tech. They sell
millions, and make billions and there's plenty more to come in 2014, but
which should you choose if you're buying right now?
Read more at http://www.trustedreviews.com/best-smartphone_round-up#aFijGmR1ZcOrwMcz.99
Read more at http://www.trustedreviews.com/best-smartphone_round-up#aFijGmR1ZcOrwMcz.99
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