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Buyer’s Guide

1

Moto X (2014)

While the previous Moto X had been something of a fl agship underdog, the second-gen model has

emerged as this year’s must-have. A slightly larger screen size at 5.2 inches, metal chassis and the

option to completely personalise your handset before you buy with the Moto Maker program, while

remaining cheaper than its rivals and with a near stock experience enables Motorola to steal our top

slot. The only downside is that the new Moto X still lacks a microSD slot to expand the memory.

£408

See issue 45

2

Sony Xperia Z3

Despite being made of reinforced glass and aluminium and completely waterproof, the Xperia Z3 is a

very stylish all-terrain device and weighs little in the hand. The 20.7MP camera (also waterproof) is one

of the best we’ve seen on a phone and the PlayStation Remote Play feature will appeal to gamers.

£515

See issue 44

3

LG G3

Pipping Samsung, HTC and Sony to the post to launch the fi rst next-gen device, the LG G3 has won us

over with its pin-sharp QHD screen, laser-focused 13MP camera and lightning-fast processor.

However, its faux metal plastic casing is disappointing, as is its mono speaker.

£492

See issue 41

4

HTC ONE (M8)

Acomboofacompletelychromeunibodyandabig,brightscreenmakesHTC’sflagshipphoneoneof

the best-looking on the market. A pair of BoomSound speakers, FM radio, infrared TV remote and

quick media-casting options result in a powerful and portable entertainment system.

£549.99

See issue 37

5

Samsung Galaxy Alpha

Mimicking the iPhone’s chamfered metal case, there is no denying the slim and sleek Alpha is

Samsung’s best-looking phone ever. Overall performance is strong and the advanced HDR Live

camerafeatureisaplus;butevenwithanewsetofpower-savingtools,thebatteryisabitsmall.

£579.95

See issue 43

6

Samsung Galaxy Note 4

Tolookat,theNote4isamodestupdateontheNote3,withasame-sizedisplayandcontinued

emphasis on using the S Pen stylus. However, it has been revamped in almost every area. The

TouchWiz interface handles better than ever, it has a 16MP camera, and has an extra-long battery life.

£649.95

See issue 45

7

Samsung Galaxy S5

ArelativelymodestupdateontheGalaxyS4,theS5isnonethelessanimpressivehandset.Itsrange

of fitness features and thumbprint scanner give it a unique selling point, while its specs, though high,

are slipping behind the latest-gen flagships. A rubber back and metal edging add a premium finish.

£466.80

See issue 38

8

Google Nexus 5

AsaGoogleproduct,theNexus5isalong-terminvestmentasitisguaranteedtohavefirstpickof

future updates to the Android OS. However, though it still performs well, in terms of specs – in

particular the processor, camera and battery life – it’s a lot less competitive than it used to be.

From £299

See issue 32

9

Xiaomi Mi4

While OnePlus is the bigger name in Chinese exports, Xiaomi is selling millions of units in its home

country.TheMi4managestoundercuttheOnePlusOneonprice,whilemaintainingimpressivebuild

quality.LikeOnePlus,Xiaomiusesanon-standardOS,butit’sequaltoKitKat4.4.

From £200

See issue 44

10

OnePlus One

ThisChinesedeviceoffersflagshipspecsforabudgetprice.Thisincludesa2.5GHzquad-core

processorand3GBofRAMsothatitcanrunmultipleappswithoutlag,a13MPcameraandalarge

screen. The lack of an expandable memory and the CyanogenMod 11S OS will put some off, though.

From £269.99

See issue 41

In case you missed it...Photo-editing apps Read more in issue 45

Afterlight

»Price

£0.59/$0.99

Afterlight offers an

extensiverangeoftweaksand

effects that can be strength-

adjusted using easy-to-use sliders.

The filters are nice, though it sadly

lacks the iOS version’s Fusion

facility to combine them to create

your own.

Snapseed

»PriceFree

Made by Google,

Snapseed has a

unique selective

adjustment facility that lets you

apply edits to just a small area of

the image. A host of tools and

effects include tilt-shift, retro

scratches and an amazing HDR

Scape filter.

Facetune

THE BEST FLAGSHIP AND MID-RANGE

TOP 10 SUPER SMARTPHONES ANDROID PHONES ON THE MARKET

Repix WINNER
» Price^
Free + IAPs
Repix’s unique
editing approach
sees you using brushes to paint
effects onto your photos in
real-time. An in-app purchase is
required to unlock a full set of
editing tools, but even the lite
version is well worth a try.

» Price^

£1.99/$2.99

Nothing beats

Facetune for

touching up portrait shots. Its

advanced tools make it easy to

remove blemishes, brighten

smiles and even reshape facial

features with a simple swipe.