Here are the best smartphones launched in the first half of 2014. A lot of smartphones have been released this year from many companies and the high-end specifications are not missing either. The period between February and April was very intense when it comes to new flagship phones being released. But, which devices are better and faster than the rest? Let’s take a look below.
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5. Oppo Find 7a
Oppo Find 7a is Oppo’s mini flagship device for this year. We say mini flagship because its true flagship device is the Find 7 which has yet to be released in stores. The device has a 5.5″ FullHD display, Snapdragon 801 processor, 2 GB RAM, 13MP rear facing camera and 5MP front facing camera and 2800mAH.
The design has been changed a little from the Find 5. It has more curved sides and it feels better in the hand. Unfortunately, it has Android 4.3 Jelly Bean and not KitKat like the other phones below.
4. OnePlus One
OnePlus One is a smart phone which has just been released recently by a company called OnePlus. Even though the company isn’t well-known for making good smartphones, the Plus looks very promising and it is considered by many as the flagship killer for a few good reasons. It has the latest Snapdragon 801 processor and 3GB RAM. This means that everything will be fast, smooth and snappy.
It has Android 4.4.2 KitKat and a ROM called CyanogenMod 11S. The rear camera is 13 MP and the front facing one is 5MP. Video recordings and photos will be very clear and sharp.
Until now you might think: What is to special about this phone? It has the same specs as all 2014 flagship devices. You are right. It has the same specs as other devices but the difference is that this handset will cost only $350 which is even cheaper than the Nexus 5. You can’t find a device with these specs and this price on the market easily.
3. Sony Xperia Z2
On the third place is the new Xperia Z2. It has a lot of new changes over its predecessor while keeping the same body language as well as its waterproof capabilities. Finally, the Xperia Z2 has an excellent FullHD display. It is a huge improvement over the Xperia Z1 as it features better color reproduction and wide viewing angles; two things the Xperia Z1’s screen really lacked.
Performance wise, it has the latest Snapdragon 801 processor clocked at 2.3 gHz, Adreno 330 GPU and 3GB of RAM for fast and excellent performance. Another area where the Xperia Z2 shines is the battery department. It has a huge 3200 mAh which is comparable to the device with the best battery life, the Galaxy Note 3 which also has a 3200 mAh battery. Don’t forget that the Note 3 is a phablet and the Z2 is a smart phone.
It has Android 4.4.2 KitKat OS and latest Sony UI. The launcher is quite simple and has minimalistic design. The rear camera is 20.7 MP which can record 4K videos at 30fps, 1080 videos at 60fps and the front facing one is 2.2MP and is capable of recording 1080p videos at 30fps.
2. HTC One (M8)
On the second place is the HTC One (M8). The One M8 keeps the same body language as the M7. It has full aluminum body and boomsound dual speakers on the front. The display now is .3 inches bigger. The M8 has a 5″ FullHD Super LCD3+ display. The PPI is lower than its predecessor because of the bigger display.
Even though the display is bigger, it isn’t really noticeable because that added screen is taken by three onscreen buttons: Home, back and multitasking keys. One of the biggest selling points of the M8, its front facing boomsound dual speakers has been greatly improved. They are 25% louder than the M7 speakers and offer better surround sound.
On the back of the device are located two 4 megapixel cameras. The second camera is used to create a blur effect on the background to give DSLR like quality photos. The funny thing is that the front facing camera, which is 5 MP, is bigger than the rear camera when it comes to megapixels.
The battery is also improved. It has a 2600 mAh battery. Even though it is bigger than the one the M7 has, it cannot be compared with the batteries found on the Galaxy S5 and especially on the Xperia Z2. When it comes to OS, the device has latest Android 4.4.2 KitKat version and on top of it is HTC’s custom launcher, Sense 6, the successor of Sense 5 found on the M7. It is simple and eye-catching
1. Samsung Galaxy S5
In the first place is the Samsung Galaxy S5, one of the most anticipated smartphones of this year. The Galaxy S5 has a 5.1 FullHD Super Amoled display, 0.1 inches bigger screen than the S4. The display is gorgeous with wide viewing angles and vibrant colors. Also, it has one of the brightest displays on the market right now surpassing even the iPhone 5S’ display.
The device has a 2.5 gHz Snapdragon 801 processor, Adreno 330 GPU clocked at 550 MHz and 2 GB of RAM. Even though it has only 2 GB RAM and not 3 GB, Samsung has compensated it with faster CPU and GPU clock rates.
The camera is 16 megapixels and it’s able to record 4K videos at 30fps and FullHD videos at 60fps. Every photo taken with the S5 is very sharp and detailed. It won’t get distorted if you zoom in the photo thanks to the huge camera sensor . The battery is 2800 mAh big, 200 mAh more than its predecessor. Coupled with the Ultra Power Saving Mode, the battery life is going to last for a long time.