This year has seen an
extravaganza of smartphones, not just from the established players
such as Samsung, Apple, LG and Sony and Indian smartphone makers, but
also the growing bunch of Chinese handset makers.
So let us take a look at
the best phones that came out this year. We haven’t kept any budget
constraints, as we have seen prices drop significantly since the
phone launches.
Samsung Galaxy Note 4
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Samsung may not have had a
stellar 2014, what with its books showing the worst financial
performance in three years. But its flagship phone – the Samsung
Galaxy Note 4 – impressed on all fronts.
Android Lollipop was
another update one would have expected from the Note 4, but that
should come out anytime next year. Samsung Galaxy Note 4 has no equal
when it comes to phones with stylus functionality.
Apple iPhone 6
The iPhone 6 sales
outstripped those of the iPhone 6 Plus. The iPhone 6 started at Rs
53,500, which was around the same price at which the iPhone 5s was
launched last year. Considering the limited storage and the fact that
you couldn’t expand the memory, the price seemed like it could be a
deal breaker for many.
On the downside, the
iPhone 6 lacks features compared to rivals. For example, it’s not
waterproof, you can’t expand the storage and you can’t use NFC to
transfer data. Read out full review of the Apple iPhone 6.
Sony Xperia Z3
Sony’s flagship phone
the Xperia Z3 impressed on most fronts and is the only phone in the
winners list which comes with an IP68 certification. The overall
performance, display quality, camera performance and battery life
were great.
One thing we disliked was
the pricing for the device, considering other flagship phones were
priced much lower, most of which were offering a somewhat similar
performance. For camera enthusiasts, this phone is particularly
great. Read our full review of the Sony Xperia Z3.
BlackBerry Passport
BlackBerry was swimming
against the flow with this one and it was also clear that they
understood that a purpose-built smartphone for a niche audience
wouldn’t exactly appeal to every consumer, nor make any major dent
in overall smartphone sales figures.
OnePlus One
While this phone was
launched in China in April this year, it only launched officially in
India this month. Its invite-only system can be annoying, but after
having reviewed the device, the price point of Rs 21,999 makes it a
phone we must recommend.
Motorola Moto X (2014)
The second generation Moto
X came with a lot of improvements both internally and on the design
front. Performance was great, camera output was decent, almost stock
UI with proprietary Motorola features was a pleasure to use and
battery life could last over a day. Overall the Moto X was a complete
package and at a price of Rs 31,999 was able to hold its own against
flagships such as Sony Xperia Z3, LG G3 and so on.
Xiaomi Mi3
This was the phone that
started Xiaomi’s onslaught in India. At Rs 13,999 it offered
specifications that were seen on flagship devices which were almost
twice or three times its price. Indian consumers lapped up Xiaomi
handsets and the success of the Mi3 has rubbed on to the Redmi 1S and
the Redmi Note as well.
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