2014 is almost over, and we’re already seeing a big increase in the number of yearly retrospectives as we look back at the year that was in many an area.
This would also include the smartphone space, where many a high-end flagship made its debut, including the iPhone 6, the Samsung Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Note 4, Google Nexus 6, and many others. Here we shall be looking at the top five smartphone releases of 2014, singling out the five phones that impressed us the most in the current year.
- Samsung Galaxy Note 4 – This was a close one, but Samsung’s flagship phablet takes top honors for 2014, even if we’ve yet to see whether it will undo the “damage” done by the Galaxy S5. The device combines standout fundamentals (5.7-inch QHD display, quad-core Snapdragon 805, 16 MP rear camera, etc.) with an abundance of practical features, including fast charging and improvements to the S Pen stylus.
- iPhone 6/iPhone 6 Plus (Tie) – Yes, we’re cheating it a bit here, but the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are nonetheless tied at second place in this list of top smartphones for 2014. On the specs front, the most important, and most welcome change was the introduction of larger displays – 4.7 inches for the iPhone 6 and 5.5 inches for the 6 Plus. However, both devices came with one worthy new selling feature in Apple Pay (facilitated through the debut of NFC support), and both also proved with their underrated 8-MP rear cameras that megapixels, like age, are nothing but a number.
- HTC One M8 – This phone deserved better in the marketplace, considering it felt fresher than the Galaxy S5, which was released just a couple weeks later. As usual, HTC delivered with a stunning, rakish aluminum design, while impressing reviewers with the One M8’s BoomSound stereo speakers. And of course, you can’t overlook the phone’s well above-average basics – 5-inch Full HD display, Snapdragon 801/2 GB RAM powertrain, 4 Ultrapixel rear camera tech, and more.
- Verizon/Motorola Droid Turbo – If a device can make the top five on the merits of its spec set alone, it would be the Droid Turbo. Consider that the device has a 5.2-inch QHD display, a Snapdragon 805 chip mated to 3 GB RAM, a 21-megapixel rear camera, and a massive 3,900 mAh battery. Its selling features aren’t half-bad either, as the Droid Turbo supports Motorola’s Turbo Charger accessory, for lightning-fast emergency charging.
- Motorola Moto X (2014) – If consumers had a bit of a quibble last year about the original Moto X’s midrange spec set, that sure changed with the 2014 version. While its deep Google Now integration and near-vanilla Android user experience are both good reasons to by the phone, the main reason to spring for the Moto X remains its extremely competitive price point for a flagship phone – $99 on contract, $499 off-contract.
