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| NewsNewsBlog.blogspot.com has rounded up the top FIVE flagship smartphone of the year – but which is BEST? |
IT HAS been another stellar year for flagship smartphones but with so much choice – which is the best phone for you?
A lot has changed in the last year.
If you're due an upgrade and are unsure which of the latest flagship smartphones is best suited to your specific needs, this should help.
NewsNewsBlog.blogspot.com has spent the last year reviewing the latest top-tier smartphones from the likes of HTC, Google, Apple, OnePlus, Sony and more.
In terms of sales, no-one can touch the all-mighty Apple iPhone – which sold a record number of units within its opening weekend again this year.
But when it comes to critical acclaim, the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge has been scooping up gongs left, right and centre.
NewsNewsBlog.blogspot.com has picked the Top 5 Smartphones of 2015 –
Best Camera in a 2015 Smartphone – LG G4
The latest flagship smartphone from LG might have a bland, industrial and functional hardware design but do not be fooled – its rear camera is second to none.
LG has bundled a 16 megapixel unit with a f/1.8 aperture lens.
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| The LG signature rear mounted volume and power controls make a welcome return |
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| Photos from the LG G4 camera are sharp and beautifully rich in colour |
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| LG’s custom Camera app lets users export RAW images – sure to appeal to budding photographers |
Coupled with a new image sensor, which LG claims is 40 per cent larger than last year and has improved low light performance two-fold since the G3, and this snapper really steals the show.
Photographs with the LG G4 are pin-sharp and rich in detail. Results tend to be a little cooler than rival smartphones, but its not an unpleasant effect.
For our tastes, LG’s tweaked Android skin is a bit on an eye-sore but the South Korean firm has added a manual mode to the default camera app, which lets you fine tune the ISO, white balance, focus and shutter speed.
The tweaked camera app also lets users save images in RAW format, which lets smartphone owners edit uncompressed images on their computer and is sure to appeal to photography fans.
- Available £419.99 SIM-free
Best Value in a 2015 Smartphone – OnePlus 2
The second smartphone ever built by Chinese startup OnePlus is a phenomenal phone.
The OnePlus 2, which the firm has dubbed the 2016 Flagship Killer, doesn’t quiet live up to its lofty moniker, but brings top-level specs and an almost-pure Android experience for a jaw-droppingly low £239.
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| Do not be fooled by the budget price tag, the OnePlus 2 is a phenomenal phone |
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| OnePlus offers a slew of different interchangeable backs |
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| The fingerprint sensor on the OnePlus 2 is lightning fast, but unreliable at times |
OnePlus' 13MP rear camera takes some decent snaps and can record future-proof 4K videos, too. A snappy Qualcomm 810 processor and 3GB of RAM keep the smartphone running smoothly – even during some more arduous, productivity tasks.
It's worth noting the OnePlus 2 does not support expandable storage over microSD, so the slightly pricer 64GB version – £289 – is your only choice if you plan to shoot plenty of Ultra HD 4K video and don’t want to shell out for a cloud storage solution.
There are some small quibbles with the OnePlus, its battery life is far from market-leading, the lightning fast fingerprint sensor can be a little temperamental and the 5.5inch display is a little washed-out when viewed next to some of the other flagships on this list.
But then again, the OnePlus 2 is almost half the price of every other smartphone on this list. So these small quibbles are quickly forgiven.
- Available £239 SIM-free
Best Design in a 2015 Smartphone – Samsung Galaxy S6 edge
Wow, Samsung really pulled it out the bag this year.
After the disappointing Galaxy S5, with the case's trademark dirty plaster look, the South Korean firm went back to the drawing board for the S6 edge. And it pays off.
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| The Galaxy S6 edge has picked up awards left, right and centre – and its easy to see why |
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| The stylish glass back is a fingerprint magnet. A very beautiful fingerprint magnet, mind |
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| The fingerprint sensor on the OnePlus 2 is lightning fast, but can be unreliable at times |
Admittedly, the 5.1inch curved Super AMOLED display doesn’t bring any ground-breaking new functionality to the table, but its staggeringly beautiful with deep, saturated colours and eye-straining levels of detail.
You’re not likely to bore of that screen, even at the end of your 24 month contract.
Aside from the stellar display, the Galaxy S6 edge comes with a great 16MP rear camera, which now has panorama, professional modes and 4K video.
Unfortunately Samsung decided to drop the waterproof design and expandable memory via microSD for the S6 edge – which may irk some users.
- Available £549 SIM-free
Best 2015 Smartphone for Android users – Google Nexus 6P
The Nexus 6P – the first collaboration between Google and Huawei – is a stylish and premium smartphone with flagship specs and a distinct personality.
The Google branded smartphone is guaranteed to get the latest security and OS updates from Google HQ – a rarity in the Android ecosystem.
If you’re all-in on Google, the Nexus 6P offers the best Android experience available on a 2015 smartphone.
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| Huawei has built a stylish and sturdy smartphone for Google |
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| The 5.7inch is pin-sharp and vibrant, but makes the smartphone a little tall and unwieldy |
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| Huawei has built the first aluminium unibody smartphone for the Google Nexus range |
And if you haven’t had the chance to try out Android 6.0 Marshmallow yet – it is well worth the upgrade. The minor update brings some time-saving new Google Now functionality, granular security and privacy features as well as battery-saving.
The Nexus 6P has a large 3,450mAh battery which should keep your smartphone powered throughout the day and well into the evening, too. And it even fast-charges over USB Type-C.
Phablet-phobic shoppers could be put off by the 5.7inch display, which is a little cumbersome to use one-handed.
And there are occasions when you’ll wish the lightning-fast, rear-mounted fingerprint sensor was on the front of the smartphone, like rivals Samsung and Apple.
But these small quibbles are easily forgiven.
Especially when you compare the svelte, metallic Nexus 6P to the bulbous plastic body of its predecessor, the £499 Motorola-built Nexus 6.
Best Overall 2015 Flagship Smartphone – Apple iPhone 6S Plus
Apple’s latest smartphone is not just the best iPhone its ever built, but its also the best smartphone you can buy right now.
Granted, the fruit-branded flagship can’t match the specs sheet of many of its main rivals – but the security blanket of the Genius Bar and second-to-none App Store still push the iPhone ahead of the competition when it comes to overall experience.
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| Apple is now using the custom aluminium alloy it developed for the Apple Watch Sport |
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| Apple has increased the rear camera from 8MP to 12MP and added 4K capture |
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| 3D Touch makes using the new iPhone faster and more efficient |
Apple hasn’t rested on its laurels with the latest iPhone, which now ships with a stronger aerospace grade 7000 series aluminium, the ability to shoot 4K video, a much faster and more reliable Touch ID fingerprint sensor.
But the star of the show is the pressure-sensitive 3D Touch display, which reacts differently depending on how hard you press on the 5.5inch HD display.
Menu shortcuts pop-up around iOS app icons and users can quickly preview webpages, calendar invites and maps by pressing into links in emails, text messages and more.
It’s still in its infancy and not every app even supports it yet, but its already clear that this new dynamic is the future of interaction with multitouch displays.
- Available £549 SIM-free
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