1. Samsung Galaxy S6
A brilliant phone that shows Samsung still has what it takes
OS: Android 5 | Screen size: 5.1-inch | Resolution: 1440 x 2560 | Memory: 3GB |Storage: 32GB/64GB/128GB | Battery: 2550mAh | Rear camera: 16MP | Front
camera: 5MP
While last year's Galaxy S5 was nothing special, this year
Samsung's started from the ground up to make a truly wonderful smartphone.
The camera is superb,
the audio and video quality brilliant and the QHD display crammed into the
5.1-inch screen is the sharpest on the market - although it does suck down the
battery rather a lot.
2.
iPhone 6
Bigger, better, sleeker and faster than the iPhone 5S
OS: iOS 8 | Screen size: 4.7-inch | Resolution: 1334 x 750 | Memory: 1GB |Storage:16GB/64GB/128GB | Battery: 1,810mAh | Rear
camera: 8MP | Front
camera: 1.2MP
The iPhone 6 - a real
step forward for Apple and a phone that's a real joy to use, hold and feel.
It's got all the same ingredients that make iPhones special: while it doesn't
excel in any given part of the smartphone recipe, it just works, promoting
simplicity over fiddly menus..
The camera has a lower
megapixel count than others, but it's fast, bright and easy to use. The screen
is too low-res compared to the phones around it, but pops and fizzes with colour
and brightness. And that design - we have to keep coming back to it as it feels
beautiful in the hand.
The sticking point is
it's still one of the most expensive phones on the market, and spec-fiends will
note it's not quite got the technology inside to truly back up the cost.
But don't let that put
you off: if you're in the market for a handset from Apple, or just been tempted
by one in the past: buy the iPhone 6. It's excellent, a pure joy to use.
3. LG
G4
Luxury leather on a smartphone that tries to please everyone
OS: Android 5.1 | Screen size: 5.5-inch | Resolution: 2560 x 1440 | Memory: 3GB | Storage: 32GB | Battery: removable 3,000mAh | Rear
camera: 16MP | Front
camera: 8MP
LG has tried to focus on
what everyone actually wants out of a smartphone, a great looking design,
colour rich display and the great camera for photos - but it doesn't quite
deliver as impressively as we'd hoped.
Don't let that put you
off though. There's a lot going on with the LG G4, and for the most part it's
rather positive indeed. The leather back is much nicer than the plastic option,
and it will make your phone stand out among the swath of glass and metal offerings.
Its large, expansive
screen is one of the best on the market, the 16MP laser auto-focus camera takes
some cracking shots and the rear buttons are easier to hit on a handset this
size.
As a complete package,
it offers more than the Xperia Z3 and One M9, but it doesn't quite match the
slickness and design of the iPhone 6 and Galaxy S6.
4.
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Curving into the future with impressive specs
OS: Android 5 | Screen size: 5.1-inch | Resolution: 1440 x 2560 | Memory: 3GB |Storage: 32GB/64GB/128GB | Battery: 2560mAh | Rear camera: 16MP | Front
camera: 5MP
The Samsung Galaxy S6
Edge has all the power and features of the table-topping S6, but does it with a
little extra too, thanks to the curved edges on each side.
They're pretty much
aesthetics, as they don't add a huge amount of functionality, but if you're going
on looks alone, the S6 Edge has them in spades.
The price is a lot
higher though, which is why it doesn't join its twin (non-identical) brother at
the top of the chart, but if you're after a phone that's wildly different from
anything else with a great feature set and tip-top camera, this is your choice.
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it offers more than the Xperia Z3 and One M9, but it doesn't quite match the
slickness and design of the iPhone 6 and Galaxy S6.
5. HTC
One M9
Not quite up the 5 star standard, but HTC still has the most beautiful phone around
OS: Android 5 | Screen size: 5-inch | Resolution: 1920x1080 | Memory: 3GB |Storage: 32GB | Battery: 2840mAh | Rear camera: 20.7MP | Front
camera: 4MP
HTC's been used to
living at the top of our charts for the last couple of years, and while it's
not quite managed it in 2015, it's still a phone with the best build quality
out there.
None of the old
favourites are missing, so BoomSound enhancement still really turbocharges the
audio and the Sense overlay remains one of our favourites, thanks to being
sophisticated and really powerful.
The camera has been
boosted to 20.7MP, although doesn't have the impressive snapping power of some
of the other phones on the market, and the design language still means this is
one of our favourite phones to stick in the pocket.
6. Sony
Xperia Z3 Compact
A small Android phone packed with big features
OS: Android 5 | Screen size: 4.6-inch | Resolution: 1280 x 720 | Memory: 2GB |Storage: 16GB | Battery: 2,600mAh | Rear camera: 20.7MP | Front
camera:2.2MP
Less powerful with a
lower-res screen than its bigger brother, the Z3 Compact still uses most of the
high-end specs, fuses them with things like Remote Play and the 20.7MP camera,
and does it all at a really low cost for a phone of this power.
The 4.7-inch display
makes this one of the best phones to hold and use in day to day life, and it's
also got a brilliantly long-lasting battery too, so if you're not a fan of the
gargantuan models on show, there's a lot to love with Sony's mini flagship.
The best of Sony in a smartphone - if that's what you're after,
this is the phone to go for. It's the ergonomics and the price that impress,
and while it's not quitegot the spec sheet of the main Z3, it feels a lot more polished.
7. Samsung
Galaxy Note 4
Samsung's latest phablet is the best bigscreen phone available
OS: Android 5 | Screen
size: 5.7-inch | Resolution: 2560 x 1440 | Memory: 3GB |Storage: 32GB | Battery: removable 3,220mAh | Rear camera: 16MP | Front
camera: 3.7MP
Samsung created the
phablet category and continues to lead it, cramming in so much technology into
the Note 4 while bringing the S Pen stylus that many love to use.
The main thing we love
is the screen though: Super AMOLED technology combined with QHD resolution
means a pin sharp display, and one that we just can't take our eyes off, with
the bigger size actually working to show off the extra pixels.
It's not cheap, and the
interface isn't as clean and clear as on the Samsung Galaxy S6 range, but that
could all change soon - in which case, this is one of the most fully featured
phones that rewards those willing the pay the premium and put the time in to
learn its powers.
8.
iPhone 6 Plus
Apple's first bigscreen phone is a stunner
OS: iOS 8 | Screen size: 5.5-inch | Resolution: 1920 x 1080 | Memory: 1GB |Storage:16GB/64GB/128GB | Battery: 2,915mAh | Rear
camera: 8MP | Front
camera: 1.2MP
Put simply, this is the bigger version of the smaller iPhone 6. But Apple's done
a bit more with its first phablet, with some increased specs to offset that
higher price.
The screen is Full HD
and really packs some stunning colour reproduction. The camera on the back host
optical image stabilisation, so pictures looks sharp and also brighter, thanks
to more light being let in.
The iPhone 6 Plus also
has something that's eluded iPhone fans for years: a really good battery, with
Apple using that extra space to cram in a few more mAh units.
It's one of the most
expensive phones around, and is bettered on spec by a few others - but if
you're an Apple fan looking for a 'bigger' experience, this is the phone for
you.
9. Sony
Xperia Z3
A solid phone with a good screen and excellent battery life
OS: Android 5 | Screen
size:
5.15-inch | Resolution: 1920 x 1080 | Memory: 3GB | Storage: 16GB/32GB | Battery: 3,100mAh | Rear camera: 20.7MP | Front camera: 2.2MP
The Xperia Z3 is a phone
that offers the best of Sony with some really polished tweaks thrown in for
good measure. The screen is one of the brightest around and really benefits
from Bravia technology, and the longer battery life embarrasses a number of
other big smartphones around at the moment.
We do expect more from
the camera, and the black bezels above and below the display ruin the aesthetic
somewhat, but the ability to Remote Play your PS4 more than makes up for it -
it's a really cool feature and means you can keep gaming while someone else is
hogging the TV.
The Z3 is a brilliant
phone with a few rough edges - but Sony's also great at bringing the cost of
its handsets down, so this represents really good value for money for a
flagship.
e windowtext 0in;padding:0in;
text-decoration:none;text-underline:none'>iPhone 6. But Apple's done
a bit more with its first phablet, with some increased specs to offset that
higher price.
The screen is Full HD
and really packs some stunning colour reproduction. The camera on the back host
optical image stabilisation, so pictures looks sharp and also brighter, thanks
to more light being let in.
The iPhone 6 Plus also
has something that's eluded iPhone fans for years: a really good battery, with
Apple using that extra space to cram in a few more mAh units.
It's one of the most
expensive phones around, and is bettered on spec by a few others - but if
you're an Apple fan looking for a 'bigger' experience, this is the phone for
you.
OS: Android 5 | Screen size: 5.96-inch | Resolution: 2560 x 1440 | Memory: 3GB | Storage: 32GB/64GB | Battery: 3,220mAh | Rear camera: 13MP | Front camera: 2MP
Google's latest Nexus
is a phone that moves away from the usual 'super cheap superphone' and into
phablet territory with its latest offering. The good news is the screen is also
supercharged: massive at 6 inches, it's also got a stunning QHD resolution.
You'll always be getting the latest updates to Google's Android
OS with this one, and while it's certainly something you'd have to use two
handed (make sure you're fine with that before buying, as it's put a lot of
people off that we've shown it to) it's tremendous display, premium specs and
great use of Android 5.0 Lollipop make one of the best
phablets to date.