Best Mobile Phones 2014: 10 Best smartphones you can buy
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
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. SONY XPERIA Z1
The 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor delivers one of the slickest overall performances we've seen and the 3,000mAh battery gives the Z1 real staying power.
A slightly curvier design makes the 5-inch smartphone more comfortable to hold and the added camera button makes it easier to take photos and video underwater. The improved 20.7-megapixel camera didn’t blow us away but is still one of the best smartphone snappers around.
Look out Samsung and HTC, Sony is starting to get a hang of this smartphone-making business...
Review price: £550
7.SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 3
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
6. SAMSUNG GALAXY S4
It has a 13-megapixel camera, giant 1080p 5-inch display and quad-core processor (the 8-core version is not available in the UK.) In Samsung style, it has masses of extra software features including a fitness tracker, translator and eye tracking software that lets you scroll books and articles with just a gesture.
Quite simply the Samsung Galaxy S4 is still one of the best Android phones to buy.
Review price: £579
5. HTC ONE
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
4. GOOGLE NEXUS 5
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
3. SONY XPERIA Z1 COMPACT
Key features:
The single aluminium frame gives it a construction similar to the iPhone 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.
Review price: £430
2. I PHONE 5S
1. MOTO G
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)
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
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 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. SONY XPERIA Z1
Key features:
- 5-inch Full HD 1080p screen
- 20.7-megapixel main camera with 1/2.3-inch sensor
- 16GB of onboard storage
- Impressive battery performance
The 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor delivers one of the slickest overall performances we've seen and the 3,000mAh battery gives the Z1 real staying power.
A slightly curvier design makes the 5-inch smartphone more comfortable to hold and the added camera button makes it easier to take photos and video underwater. The improved 20.7-megapixel camera didn’t blow us away but is still one of the best smartphone snappers around.
Look out Samsung and HTC, Sony is starting to get a hang of this smartphone-making business...
Review price: £550
7.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
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
6. SAMSUNG GALAXY S4
Key features:
- Stunning 5-inch Full HD screen
- 13-megapixel camera takes solid pictures
- Powerful overall performance
- New features like Air View, Smart Pause and Infra Red remote
It has a 13-megapixel camera, giant 1080p 5-inch display and quad-core processor (the 8-core version is not available in the UK.) In Samsung style, it has masses of extra software features including a fitness tracker, translator and eye tracking software that lets you scroll books and articles with just a gesture.
Quite simply the Samsung Galaxy S4 is still one of the best Android phones to buy.
Review price: £579
5. 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
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
4. 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
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
3. SONY XPERIA Z1 COMPACT
Key features:
- Great 4.3-inch 720p HD screen
- Water and dust-proof
- Solid battery life
The single aluminium frame gives it a construction similar to the iPhone 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.
Review price: £430
2. I PHONE 5S
1. 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
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)
