A question we’re asked more regularly than anything else is “what phone should I buy”? Seeing as it’s July, the half-way mark for the year, we should probably answer that.
Finding an answer to this question isn’t as easy as “get that one”, though, because there are so many choices.
Do you want one that matches your clothes? Your sense of style? Your hat? Your need for speed? Or do you want something no one else has?
The competition for the best phone is so fierce, however, that we’re not doing a “best phone” round-up by comparing scores, because that would just result in just as much confusion as there currently is.
Rather, we’re doing this with some statements about what we think the phones are, along with review for each device. And when you’ve gone in store and decided on the final three, you can research and see what we have to say on them to come to that final answer, because picking a phone should always involve how it feels in your hand and your pocket, because they’re among the most pertinent of questions.
When you’re ready to find out how they rate, however, you’ll be good to check out what GadgetGuy believes are the best phones of 2015. So far, anyway.
Best looking phone
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Without a doubt, Samsung’s take on what a curved screen can do for a mobile phone is probably one of the better ones we’ve seen, providing a different take on design that make the phone have a lovely thin edge and a look like no other.
Technically, it’s the same as what Samsung offers in its Galaxy S6, with all day battery life, an excellent camera, and one of the brightest and most detailed displays you’ll find in any phone.
It’s even a screen that works beautifully in sunlight, which not too many phones can say, and can show information about the day when the screen is off.
We wish Samsung had left upgradeable memory and water resistance, but even without them, the S6 Edge is one sexy, sexy smartphone.
Best phone to go with a jacket
LG G4
LG’s latest phone isn’t small and isn’t attempting to steal the limelight of design from Apple, but has managed to bring a leather back to the world of smartphones. Is this a good thing?
We’re not so sure, but there’s no escaping the fact that the G4 oozes quality, and feels like it goes with our brown leather jacket more than any other phone on this list.
Add a great screen, versatile camera, upgradeable storage, and some fast insides and you’ll find something that not only works well with your jacket, but with your need to get stuff done quickly.
Best phone with the best bling
HTC One M9
If your life is all about the “money money money”, and it is about the “b-bling b-bling”, not only are you not a Jessie J song, but you also might be interested in a mobile handset HTC pushed out earlier in the year.
The mobile is the 2015 edition of the HTC One, and features a two-tone metal body with a real solid heft, 20 megapixel camera, and a version of the Android operating system that can be tweaked to match your own images, with your colours and design.
We’re told HTC has now fixed some of the problems with its camera that we found in our first review, so that’s handy, and support has been included for the retro-looking DotView cases, which is handy, but really this one is for people who like a metallic look and feel, which HTC has definitely nailed.
Best phone for selfies
Oppo N3
You may not know the name Oppo, but this is one of those brands that will likely make a huge dent in the world in the next few years, and the N3 could help it get there.
This phone is a rather curious one, packing in a decent camera that sits on its own hinge and can actually move when you touch the screen.
It’s semi-automated, and yet isn’t, with only one decent quality 16 megapixel camera that can be shifted to a front-facing camera with a simple swipe.
Neato.
Best value phablet
Huawei Ascend Mate 7
Samsung may have set the benchmark for what a tablet-sized phone should be like in the Galaxy Note range, and Apple may have even gotten close, but Huawei’s Ascend Mate 7 pushed the concept of phablet to value levels.
This metal encased monster packs in a huge 6 inch screen, throwing in some solid performing parts underneath, including a Category 6 modem capable of some super-fast downloads and uploads, while the cameras on the front and back offer 5 and 13 megapixels respectively, with a fingerprint sensor locking this down for security.
With the $699 price, it’s hard not to be impressed by what Huawei offers, but it manages to throw in a phone case for free. Bargain.
Best phone that looks nothing like a phone
Samsung Gear S
Need a phone that looks nothing like a phone? No worries, because one of those actually exists.
It’s called the Samsung Gear S, and it is Samsung’s take on the super-smart smartwatch, packing in a nanoSIM card slot into a smartwatch that features a curved 2 inch display, 4GB storage, and an operating system that won’t let you run any apps.
Truth be told, this one is really supposed to be an accompaniment to one of Samsung’s other phones, and it really needs one to work properly, so if you already have a Samsung phone, you’ll be right.
When you need to make a night out on the town, however, and you don’t want to bring with your big bulky Galaxy Note or Galaxy something-else, you can switch to this phone and make voice calls by speaking into the wrist.
It’s a little weird, but it’s the closest you’ll get to a phone that looks nothing like a conventional phone.
