Gadgets: The Best Smartphones

The Best  Smartphones On The Market Right Now

The battle for your pocket begins here – and gone are the days when a slight camera upgrade was enough to woo the fan boys. Today’s consumer is mobile, no-nonsense, dynamic and always connected – and you expect the same from their devices.

Technology manufacturers have ditched the ‘one size fits all’ formula and are now personalising handsets to individuals’ needs. Take Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4 phone and tablet hybrid, designed for the on-the-go businessman who demands greater processing power, battery life and office mobility. Even Apple has followed their big competitor’s lead with the new iPhone 6 and 6 plus. Then there’s the LG G3, which prides itself on being robust, sturdy and stylish – ideal for the image-conscious consumer.

This year, we witnessed the launch of several new handsets – some ground breaking, others not so much. We round up the best.

iPhone 6
iPhone is still a great handset. With two new entrants – the 4.7in iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus, which comes equipped with a gigantic 5.5in screen. Each boasts Apple’s iSight camera technology, which allows users to take videos in slow-mo. It’s powerful, quick and  boasts an impressive chassis. The App Store remains one of the best-stocked around and makes both devices true mobile entertainment hubs.

Samsung Galaxy Note 4
The latest model in the Note series packs one of the best screens (2,560 x 1,440 resolution) and cameras (16MP on the rear, 3.7MP on the front) we’ve ever seen on a smartphone. And the included stylus is a joy to use and functions like a mouse, allowing users to switch between webpages, write documents, highlight content and crop images with ease.

Sony Xperia Z3
The Z3 is a very impressive device. It comes in a variety of attractive colours (white, black, copper gold and ‘silver green’) and has a shrunken frame (albeit, only by a millimeter), improved camera and that all important Sony PS4 Remote Play compatibility that allows Xbox gamers to connect the handset to a PS4 controller and stream and play games via the handset. And that’s not all. It’s also dust-proof, shock-proof and water-proof – proof that clumsy people everywhere need to own one.

LG G3
The G3 – arguably LG’s best ever smartphone – is a melting pot of uber-chic design, class and functionality. It looks and feels the business – the screen is vibrant and sharp, and the back is fitted with a ‘metallic skin’ that feels premium but offers the lower weight of polycarbonate.

HTC Desire Eye
The Desire Eye is being touted as a ‘selfie-friendly’ phone. The 13MP front-facing camera takes razor-sharp shots and will make your Instagram feed look incredible. To you at least.

Google Nexus 6
Battery life is a major concern for today’s power-hungry smartphone user. Fortunately, Google and Motorola’s latest lovechild has  a solution. The Nexus 6 comes equipped with a ‘Turbo Charge’ feature that gives it up to six hours of battery life after a single 15-minute charge – helpful, if you’re low on time. Also in the mix is a stunning 6in Quad HD display, 13MP snapper, dual front-facing stereo speakers for epic sound and a solid aluminum frame