Best Android Phones of 2014 in December

Best Android Phones of 2014 in December

Here we are at the end of 2014, a year that was full of smartphone launches. There’s a hard-fought battle on the high-end Android smartphone market and it’s getting harder and harder to choose a smartphone that fits your needs.

We had a look at all the smartphones launched in 2014 and we came up with the following list. You should also know that, in the Best Android Phones of 2014 post, the handsets are listed alphabetically by manufacturer and not by their performance. We have also provided links to Amazon in case you want to purchase a smartphone before the end of the year.

HTC One M8

In my opinion, the HTC One M8 is the best-looking smartphone released on the market in 2014. It’s built using premium materials and, in the same time, it’s underpinned by a powerful hardware platform.

One M8 was officially announced by the Taiwan-based phone maker in March and it was released on the market later the same month. It measures 146.4 x 70.6 x 9.4 mm and has a weight of 160 grams, while sporting a 5.0-inch Super LCD3 display with Full HD resolution and Gorilla Glass 3 protection.

HTC One M8 is powered by a Snapdragon 801 chipset based on four Krait 400 cores clocked at 2.3 GHz and an Adreno 330 GPU. It also integrates 2 GB of RAM, 16 or 32 GB of native storage, expandable using microSD cards up to 128 GB. In terms of connectivity it arrives with WiFi ac, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, IR blaster, and microUSB 2.0.

The smartphone is planned to receive the Android 5.0 Lollipop update sometime early 2014 and it’s kept alive by a 2,600 mAh battery. On the back there’s a Dual 4 MP UltraPixel camera setup wit dual-LED flash, autofocus, 1/3” sensor size, 2µm pixel size, automatic simultaneous video and image recording, geo-tagging, face/smile detection, HDR, panorama, and Full HD video recording, while the front panel accommodates a 5 MP camera sensor.

On Amazon, the price of the HTC One M8 varies between $0.1 and $99.99 with a two-year contract. The Verizon One M8 is priced at $0.01 on-contract, Sprint is selling it at $29.99, while the AT&T model is available at $99.99 with a two-year contract. You can use the following links to order one: Verizon, Sprint, AT&T.

LG G3

The LG G3 was released in June 2014 and it’s still one of the most powerful smartphones currently on the market. Just like its predecessor, the G2, LG G3 has the Volume rocker and Power buttons placed on the back, right below the camera module.

LG G3 is running Android 4.4.2 KitKat out of the box, but it has already received Android 5.0 Lollipop in many European countries. The smartphone is 146.3 mm tall, 74.6 mm wide, and 8.9 mm thin despite having to accommodate a 5.5-inch display. Talking about display, LG G3 arrives with a True HD-IPS + LCD unit with Quad HD (1440 x 2560) resolution, 534 ppi pixel density, and a Gorilla Glass 3 protective layer.

LG’s latest and greatest flagship smartphone packs a quad-core 2.5 Snapdragon 801 processor, paired with 3 GB of RAM. It has 32 GB of native storage, support for microSD cards up to 128 GB, and a 3,000 mAh battery. It has all the connectivity features worthy of a modern smartphone including WiFi ac, Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy, NFC, infrared port, and microUSB 2.0.

LG G3 arrives with a 13 MP primary shooter with laser autofocus, optical image stabilization, dual-LED flash, 1/3” sensor size, simultaneous video and image recording, geo-tagging, face detection, HDR, and 4K video recording support. The user-facing camera has 2.1 MP sensor.

LG G3 is a bargain if you decide to buy it on-contract via Amazon. The Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint models are all priced at only $0.01 if you agree to sing a two-year contract with any of them. You can order the LG G3 from Amazon using the following links: Verizon, AT&T, Sprint.

Motorola Droid Turbo

Since it’s a member of the Droid tribe, the Motorola Droid Turbo is sold exclusively through Verizon’s network. It’s without a doubt the most powerful Droid ever made and probably the most powerful Android phone currently on the market.

Droid Turbo sports a 5.2-inch AMOLED display with 1440 x 2560 resolution and an impressive pixel density of 565 ppi. It has Gorilla Glass 3 screen protection and it’s water resistant. The processing tasks are handled by a Snapdragon 805 SoC with quad-core 2.7 GHz Krait 450 CPU and Adreno 420 GPU. It has 3 GB of RAM, 32/64 GB of native storage, and a massive 3,900 mAh battery compatible with Motorola’s Turbo charger.

Motorola’s beast packs a 21 MP primary camera with autofocus, dual-LED flash, Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, panorama, HDR, and 4K video recording support, and a 2 MP selfie shooter. The connectivity features include WiFi ac, NFC, IR blaster, Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy, and microUSB 2.0.

Droid Turbo is 143.5 mm tall, 73.3 mm wide, and 8.3 mm thin. It weighs in at 169 grams.

The Black Ballistic Nylon Droid Turbo with 64 GB storage is available on Amazon at $124.99 with a two-year Verizon contract. You can order it using the following link.

Motorola Nexus 6

After two years in which the Nexus smartphones were manufactured by LG, for their 2014 flagship Google have teamed-up with Motorola. Nexus 6 was announced in October and released on the market in November, being the first smartphone to come pre-loaded with Android 5.0 Lollipop.

Nexus 6 brings a massive 5.96-inch AMOLED display with Quad HD resolution and 493 ppi pixel density. It’s water resistant, it has a 3,220 mAh battery, and it’s compatible with Motorola’s Turbo charger that promises up to 8 hours of usage after only 15 minutes of charging.

The latest Nexus smartphone is powered by a quad-core 2.7 GHz Snapdragon 805 CPU with Adreno 420 GPU and 3 GB of RAM. It has 32/64 GB of storage and all the connectivity options worthy of a modern smartphone: WiFi ac, Bluetooth 4.1 Low Energy, NFC, and microUSB 2.0.

Nexus 6 brings a 13 MP rear-facing camera with autofocus, OIS, dual-LED (ring) flash, Dual recording, geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, photo sphere, panorama, HDR, and 4K video recording capabilities, and a 2 MP user-facing camera. It measures 159.3 x 83 x 10.1 mm and weighs in at 184 grams. Because it’s a member of the Nexus tribe, it will always be among the first devices to receive new Android firmwares.

On Amazon, the Nexus 6 price starts at $199.99 with a two-year contract. The AT&T 32 GB model is priced at $249.99 on-contract, while the Sprint variant is $199.99. You can order yours from Amazon using the following links: AT&T, Sprint.

Motorola Moto G 2014

Motorola Moto G 2014 is an affordable smartphone that brings a powerful hardware platform for its price. In fact, it’s the only lower-end device that made it into our Best Android Phones of 2014 post.

Moto G packs a 5.0-inch IPS LCD display with 720 x 1280 resolution and 294 ppi pixel density, while packing a quad-core 1.2 GHz Snapdragon 400 processor. It comes with 8 GB of internal storage expandable through microSD cards up to 32 GB, 1 GB of RAM, and a 2,070 mAh battery.

The device has an 8 MP rear-mounted camera with autofocus, LED flash, Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, HDR, panorama, and HD video recording support, and a 2 MP user-facing camera. It brings connectivity features such as WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, and microUSB 2.0. It runs KitKat out of the box, but it’s upgradable to Android 5.0 Lollipop.

Moto G measures 141.5 x 70.7 x 11 mm and has a weigh of 149 grams. It also comes with front-facing stereo speakers.

Amazon is selling the 2nd gen Moto G at a price of only $179.99 contract-free. You can use the following links to order one: Global GSM, US GSM.

Motorola Moto X 2014

Moto X 2014 was announced in September and was released on the market later the same month. It uses more premium materials than its successor, sporting a metallic frame around its body and having a higher quality build.

Moto X 2014 is 140.8 mm tall, 72.4 mm wide, and 10 mm thin, while weighing in at 144 grams. It’s water resistant and has a 5.2-inch AMOLED display with 1080 x 1920 resolution and a pixel density of 424 ppi.

The latest Motorola flagship packs a quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor at 2.5 GHz, 2 GB of RAM, and 16/32 GB of internal storage. In terms of connectivity it brings WiFi ac, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, and microUSB 2.0. It’s kept alive by a 2,300 mAh battery.

Moto X brings a 13 MP primary camera with autofocus, dual-LED flash, Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, panorama, HDR, and 4K video recording support, and a 2 MP secondary camera. It runs an almost-stock version of Android KitKat and it’s upgradable to Android 5.0 Lollipop.

On Amazon, the Moto X 2014 sells at $0.01 with a two-year contract. You can use the following links to place an order for a Moto X 2014:AT&T, Verizon.

OnePlus One

OnePlus One is developed by a small Chinese phone maker and it’s one of the most powerful Android devices. It was released in June and it’s running CyanogenMod 11S out of the box.

OnePlus One has a 5.5-inch LTPS LCD display with Full HD resolution and Gorilla Glass 3 protection and, just like most high-end smartphones launched in the first half of the year, is powered by a quad-core 2.5 GHz Snapdragon 801 processor with Adreno 330 GPU. The device comes with 16/64 GB of internal storage, 3 GB of RAM, and a 3,100 mAh battery.

The handset measures 152.9 x 75.9 x 8.9 mm and weighs in at 162 grams. It has a 13 MP primary camera with autofocus, dual-LED flash, Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, panorama, HDR, and 4K video recording support. The secondary camera has a 5 MP sensor for your selfie needs. The connectivity features include WiFi ac, Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, and microUSB 2.0.

On Amazon, OnePlus One has a price tag of $412. You can order yours from here.

Samsung Galaxy Note 4

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is the most powerful smartphone released by the South Korean phone maker this year. The device was officially introduced to the public early September and it was released on the market in October.

Because it belongs to the Note family, Galaxy Note 4 arrives with an S Pen stylus and brings S Pen-specific software features. It’s running Android 4.4.4 KitKat with TouchWiz UI out of the box and it’s expected to receive the Android 5.0 Lollipop update over the next few weeks.

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 boasts about a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display with Quad HD (1440 x 2560) resolution and Gorilla Glass 4 protection, while being underpinned by a Snapdragon 805 SoC with quad-core 2.7 GHz Krait 450 CPU and Adreno 420 GPU. It also integrates 3 GB of RAM, 32 GB of internal storage, and a microSD card slot that can be used to expand the storage with up to 128 GB.

Note 4 measures 153.5 x 78.6 x 8.5 mm and has a weigh of 176 grams. The device is kept alive by a 3,220 mAh battery that should be capable of getting it through around two days of moderate usage on a single charge.

On the back of the terminal there’s a 16 MP camera with optical image stabilization, autofocus, LED flash, Dual Shot, Simultaneous HD video and image recording, geo-tagging, touch focus, face/smile detection, panorama, HDR, and 4K video recording support. The front-facing shooter has a 3.7 MP sensor with Wide Selfie feature.

You will be able to purchase the 32 GB Note 4 from Amazon starting at $149.99 with at two-year contract. The Verizon model is priced at $149.99, the Sprint Note 4 costs $199.99, while the AT&T variant is $269.99. You can order yours from Amazon using the following links:Verizon, Sprint, AT&T.

Samsung Galaxy S5

Samsung Galaxy S5 was announced in February 2015 and it’s still one of the most powerful smartphones on the market. It’s the first Samsung smartphone to integrate a fingerprint sensor and it also arrives with a heart rate monitor mounted below the rear-facing camera.

Galaxy S5 is dust and water resistant with an IP67 rating, while sporting a 5.1-inch Super AMOLED display with Full HD resolution and a pixel density of 432 ppi. The hardware platform is based on a Snapdragon 801 chipset with quad-core 2.5 GHz Krait 400 CPU and an Adreno 330 GPU. It has 2 GB f RAM, 16/32 GB of internal storage, and microSD support (up to 128 GB).

The smartphone is 142 mm tall, 72.5 mm wide, and 8.1 mm thin, while weighing at 145 grams. The S5 integrates a 2,800 mAh battery was released with KitKat out of the box and it already received Android 5.0 in certain regions.

On Amazon, the Galaxy S5 is priced at $49.99 with a two-year contract with Verizon, AT&T, or Sprint. You can order one using the following links: Verizon, AT&T, Sprint.

Sony Xperia Z2

Xperia Z2 was Sony’s flagship smartphone for the first half of the year. It was introduced in February at Mobile World Congress tech fair in Barcelona and was released on the market in April.

Sony Xperia Z2 is IP58 certified, being both dust proof and water resistant over 1 meter and 30 minutes, while being made using a glass construction. It measures 146.8 x 73.3 x 8.2 mm and has a weight of 163 grams.

The device features a 5.2-inch IPS LCD display with 1080 x 1920 resolution with Triluminos and X-Reality Engine technology. It has a quad-core 2.3 GHz Snapdragon 801 processor, 3 GB of RAM, 16 GB of internal storage, and microSD slot (up to 128 GB supported). On the back of the device there’s a 20.7 MP primary camera with autofocus, LED flash, 1/2.3” sensor size, geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, HDR, panorama, and 4K video recording.

Sony Xperia Z2 has a 2.2 MP user-facing camera for your selfie needs and a 3,200 mAh battery. In terms of connectivity it arrives with WiFi ac, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, and microUSB 2.0.

You can buy the Sony Xperia Z2 from Amazon at a price of $403.99. You can use the following link to order yours.

Sony Xperia Z3

Sony Xperia Z3 has a lot in common with its predecessor, the Xperia Z2. Sony believes that in order to succeed on the already-crowded high-end smartphone market, you must release two flagships per year and this is their approach for the moment.

Sony Xperia Z3 is 146 mm tall, 72 mm wide, and only 7.3 mm thin, while weighing in at 152 grams. It’s also dust proof and water resistant with IP68 rating. The device is equipped with a quad-core 2.5 GHz Snapdragon 801 processor, has 3 GB of RAM, and 16/32 GB of internal storage expandable using microSD cards up to 128 GB.

The latest Sony flagship has a 20.7 MP rear-facing camera with autofocus, LED flash, 1/2.3” sensor size, geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, HDR, panorama, and 4K video recording support, a 2.2 MP secondary camera, and a 3,100 mAh battery. Connectivity-wise it arrives with WiFi ac, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, and microUSB 2.0. Sony promised to update both Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z2 to Android 5.0 Lollipop in early 2015.

On Amazon, Sony Xperia Z3 has a price of $578.90. You can order one using the following link.