Best Android Phones 2014

Which is the best Android phone to buy? With the arrival of the HTC One M8 and the Samsung Galaxy S5 and Sony Xperia Z2 on the way, we pick out the top Android-running smartphones of 2014 to help you out.
There are high-end smartphones like the HTC One M8, the Samsung Galaxy S5 the Sony Xperia Z2 and the LG G3. Then there’s a whole host of cheap Android phones from manufacturers like Huawei and ZTE. It seems like everyone is making a Google-running phone these days, which makes the selection process even more of a headache.

If you are happy to spend big on a monthly contract or buy a high-end Android smartphone outright, you‘ll get the hardware that pushes the operating system to its limits. Think power-mongering quad-core processors, huge HD touch screens and the kind of camera that means you can finally ditch the compact.  

At the other end of the spectrum, you can save yourself a few hundred pounds and still get a great Android phone - one that is a more pocket-friendly size and runs on a slightly older version of Android. Crucially though, it will still let you play games, watch YouTube videos, check Facebook and browse the web.

The Android operating system has been praised for letting you truly customize your phone. It has for some time though lacked the polished, good looks of Apple’s iOS. Google has now upped its game and in Android 4.3 Jelly Bean and more recently Android 4.4 KitKat we have the cleanest and most user-friendly version of the operating system since it was released back in 2008. 

If you really don’t fancy owning an iPhone 5S or a Windows Phone 8 phone, then maybe it’s time to go Google. Hunting out the top rated high end and mid-range handsets, we've selected the 10 best Android phones to buy right now.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3

Best Big Android Phone

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 big phone that keeps on getting better, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is once again equipped with the excellent S-Pen stylus and is laden with features to make it a tech head's dream.

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 purely cosmetic. There’s a 13-megapixel main camera to shoot photos on par with the Samsung Galaxy S4.

The S Pen is once again the star of the show and has more apps to utilize its stylus powers. If you are after a big screen Android phone to get creative with, the Galaxy Note 3 is the best to go for.

Review price: £619.99

Google Nexus 5

Best Value Android Phone

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

The Google Nexus 5 is the new Google-branded phone that replaces the Nexus 4. At £299.99, it’s cheaper SIM-free than Android big hitters like the HTC One and the Samsung Galaxy S4. It’s an excellent performer overall, has a smart design and is undoubtedly one of the best phones of the year.

Designed by LG, the Nexus 5 unlike other similarly priced Android phones is just 8.6mm thick and has a super-slim bezel making it far from a chunky affair. The screen is exceptionally sharp and viewing angles are perfect making it primed for movie-watching. It runs on the latest Android 4.4 KitKat operating system, will give you around a day’s battery life and while the camera is not the best out there, has everything to make is a high-end Android phone bargain beauty.

Price: £299.99

Sony Xperia Z1 Compact

Best Small Android Smartphone

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 iPhone 4S and despite the drop down in screen resolution is still a shartp and colourful place to watch HD video.

It uses the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 CPU as the Xperia Z1 so expect a similarly slick performance and manages an all-day battery life.

The 20.7-megapixel camera produces good but not Nokia Lumia 1020-rivalling photos but if you are looking for classy mini, this is the best out there.

Price: £370 (£440 at time of review)

Moto G

Best cheap Android smartphone overall

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

The only phone on this list to get a full 10 out of 10 score, the Motorola Moto G is the cheap smartphone everyone needs to beat.

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)

Sony Xperia Z2

Best Android Phone for Battery Life

Key features:

• Good 20-megapixel camera
• 5.2-inch Full HD screen with improved contrast ratio
• Low key custom interface

Completing the top end Android phone trilogy, the Sony Xperia Z2 is not a huge upgrade from the Xperia Z1 launched just six months ago but it still delivers manage great stamina levels.

With the same glass and aluminium design to give it that strong, assured look it now offers the best water resistance of all the top new Android phones. The larger 5.2-inch display produces excellent contrast and viewing angles and most importantly is a big bright screen ideal for watching films on.

A new Snapdragon 801 processor powers performance and the Z2 runs on Android 4.4 KitKat with a new version of Sony’s custom interface. There’s the same feature-packed 20.7-megapixel camera that’s still a solid shooter even in low-lit conditions with the new addition of 4K video recording.

Add in the impressive all-day battery life and in spite of some initial overheating concerns, the Z2 Is another great Android phone from Sony.

Review price: £569.99

LG G3

Best Android Phone for Watching Video

Key features:

• 5.5-inch pin-sharp QHD screen
• Good low-light 13-megapixel camera
• Ergonomic design

While the smartphone with the buttons on the back might not be as sleek-looking as the HTC One M8, there's still plenty to love about the LG G3.

Making a host of improvements on the equally impressive G2, LG most notably adds a new 5.5-inch QHD screen that’s ludicrously sharp, offering decent viewing angles and natural colours. Despite the increase in size, the slim design means it doesn't feel so grand in the hand either.

Running on Android 4.4.2 KitKat with a totally reworked Optimus user interface there's some nifty new features like split screen view and the Snapdragon 801 processor ensures a slick overall performance.

The new 13-megapixel camera with laser autofocus helps make it one of the best shooters particularly for low-lit photography and while the battery is not class leading, the Korean company has come up trumps with its latest flagship phone.

Price: £500

OnePlus One

Best Cheap Android Phone

Key features:

• 5.5-inch 1080p IPS LCD screen
• Android 4.4.2 with CynaogenMod
• 13-megapixel main camera

One of the most talked about handsets of 2014, the OnePlus One lives up to the hype and is the cheapest true high-end phone you can buy.

Priced at around the same as the Nexus 5, the One is significantly larger than the competition with a deliberately simple design too. The Full HD display is impressively sharp and it has all the key connectivity bases covered like NFC and Bluetooth 4.0. It also packs the same processor found inside the Samsung Galaxy S5 to deliver a polished performance and the battery will comfortably make it through a day.

What truly sets it apart from other Android phones is that it runs on a CynogenMod version of Google’s mobile operating system adding a comprehensive level of customisation with numerous themes to play around with.

The 13-megapixel main camera is good but not class leading and if you can stomach the patchy 4G UK support, this is a phone that can really compete with ones twice the price.

Price: £229

 

Samsung Galaxy S5

Best Android Phone for Video & Games

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, but is just pipped by the HTC One M8 to grab the top spot.

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

HTC One M8

Best Android Phone Overall

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 larger 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

Share on Google Plus

About Unknown

This is a short description in the author block about the author. You edit it by entering text in the "Biographical Info" field in the user admin panel.