Conclusion
There’s no doubt that all of the products this year have impressive bones, and while their marketing budgets are also likely to help sway you, it would be hard to end up on a poor product, it really would.
Each one is excellent, it truly is, and if you’re looking for a new phone, you’ll be happy this year with either.
For our money, though, we’d choose Sony’s Xperia Z2 first, and here’s why: while LG’s G3 beats it in screen quality and overall features, the Z2 pack in a better build, a just as excellent camera with better software, and IP67 ruggedisation that lets us wash it off if it ever gets dirty.
In this writer’s opinion, those two are the best of the best this year, but regardless of what you choose, you’ll likely be satisfied.
The best test, mind you, once you’ve read our reviews and worked out which has the feature set you want is and has always been to go in store and put the phone in your hand. We can always tell you the good and the bad, but how it feels in your hands, your pockets, and what it feels like when you hold it up to your head will ultimately decide it, so read our reviews and then take those opinions into a store, because we can’t tell you how to feel when it comes to that whole physical side of things.
Now, in the order of what we think…
Sony Xperia Z2
Price: $759 outright; Available on plans from Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone;
It might seem strange that we’re awarding the Z2 our top marks, but it comes from the mixture of everything, with a solid body, some of that awesome dust and water resistance, a fantastic camera, and a speedy operating system thanks to 3GB RAM being more than what is generally included (2GB is Android’s sweet spot).
Our only major complaints with Sony’s Z2 extend from it destroying a pair of pants and from the Bluetooth feeling weaker in our tests than the other handsets, but that’s minor.
LG G3
Price: $799 outright; Available on plans from Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone;
You know what they say about “three times being the charm,” because that certainly applies here: LG’s third G series phone to hit Australia is a winner, and even though it could still do with a better material for the chassis, it has been designed well, includes a great camera, upgradeable storage, a speedy version of Android, and the best screen available in Australia today.
In fairness, this one is so new that we haven’t spent as much time with it, so in time, it could prove just as much of a favourite, but right now, our one wish for LG would have been a better chassis material, because that alone would have pushed this right to the top for us.
HTC One 2014 (M8)
Price: $899 outright; Available on plans from Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone;
Without a doubt, HTC’s One is the best built of the lot, with an aluminium block taking up most of the casing and a build that is so much better than the rest of the competition. HTC’s screen is also very nice, and we’re delighted to see microSD upgradeable storage, something the old One didn’t address.
While the Ultrapixel camera is very creative, we’re not in agreement with HTC in that 4 megapixels is enough, especially since Instagram can poke holes in that number, but otherwise, it’s a fantastic phone, especially with those two front-facing speakers.
Samsung Galaxy S5
Price: $929 outright; Available on plans from Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone;
While the S5 doesn’t quite have the oomph of last year’s model, it’s still an excellent product, packing in water and dust resistance, a decent camera with UHD video support, and a heart-rate monitor for those who find that sort of thing useful.
Since our review, Samsung has even unlocked that shortcut dock — how nice of them to restore the functionality everyone else has — so it’s a wee bit better than in our review. We wish the battery life was better and that it wasn’t made of such a cheap feeling material, but we’ll give credit where it’s due: it’s a comfy phone to hold.
Now it’s your turn, so tell us in the comments below: which phone do you rate the best and why?
A couple of items that are very important and worthy but not in this review, were the overall design aestethic including removing buttons for a clean design, reducing weight and edge to edge screen real estate. There really only is one that his all those marks out of the phones – the g3. Furthermore, an untarnished version of Android is also important. The battery life in the g3 lasts me two full days which was surprising with that excellent display.
It’s a hands down winner for me.
Not sure if I’d say clean design is something the LG only has. Sony’s Z2 hits that mark for us, as well, though can see what you’re getting at there.
In fairness, however, none of these handsets have “untarnished” versions of Android, and they’re all modified from what Google makes in the first place.
If you want untarnished, seek out the Nexus 5, which we’ve reviewed here: https://gadgetguy.com.au/product/google-nexus-5/
All of the phones in this test work well as phones, and as that’s pretty hard to screw up in a phone these days, is often something we won’t include in a smartphone feature comparison.
As for the loud speakers, the S5 probably wins here due to its extra loud loudspeaker, but the quality is more or less the same when calling someone on all of these.
Really, though, you can’t compare a 12 year old phone with stuff from today. Completely different.
I will still go for the M8 even if the sense in me says the G3 is best
Me too! M8 is that stunning beautiful girl who woos you all the time, while the G3 is that super intelligent girl who can be more dependable
htc one m8 or lg g3..?
If you’re having troubles picking, put them both in your hands at a phone store and see which you like the feel of most.
yes im really having trouble in picking…. what i like about the htc one m8 is its premium build, and its dual boomsound speakers…. while on the lg g3 is i like its camera, and the rear buttons…
Plastic is fine. Some plastics even go back to their original shapes when bent. Unlike many metals.
Wow,Detailed great comaprision!
Is the moto X that unknown that it is not reviewed, or not up to standard?
The 2013 Moto X came out too late in Australia for it to be considered a flagship, and the 2014 model hasn’t arrived yet. We’re anticipating it this month, and are planning on doing a final version of this article with the Note 4 and Xperia Z3, also.
Didn’t forget. Neither are out in Australia yet. We’ll redo this story once we’ve seen ’em! 🙂
Not all follow-ups are better, but the Z3 Compact impresses us, so we’re expecting good things from the Z3.
i will definitely go for M8.!. if you have problem with the camera go and buy Lumia 1020.!.
One could buy 2 Nexus phones at these prices…
In fairness, you can get that on any phone. Gorilla Glass and mineral-strengthened glass is scratch-resistant, not drop proof.
If you want a phone with less chance of breaking, consider one with a curved screen or a case that protects the sides heavily.
The RAM on the unit? Most flagships tend to hit around the 2GB to 3GB mark, which tends to be the sweet spot for Android at the moment.
That said, even large amounts aren’t necessarily going to indicate core performance, as operating system changes — overlays generally, such as Samsung’s Touchwiz — can get in the way and drag the speed down.
One easy fix for a slow phone — especially an older phone — is a backup and a reset, restoring your information afterwards. Phones are very much like computers, which is hardly surprising since phones are computers these days. As such, just like when you reinstall a computer to factory settings you get more speed, the same basically will happen to a phone.
So if your S3 is struggling, try backing everything up and going from beginning.
Thanks very much for this suggestion. I have already done that twice. There is the problem too of trying not to lose contacts and memos which take up quite a bit of time, especially if memos are locked. But yes I could have another go.
Not sure what the memos or contacts are saved to for your device, but we sync our contacts to Google so that they’re usable on every device we use, and memos we tend to run through Google. You might want to look at Google Keep for that.
you can try using super backup app… it will back up apps, contacts, sms, calender ….its awesome… no need to worry about loosing data…
HTC will be the future of smart phones…i strongly believe HTC will make their own OS and capture the market like blackberry was….
i think xperia phones are best only in terms of music; using their walkman that superb the quality of music, samsung is better in internet access, specuially in busy people, LG wins in durability and i dont know in htc because i didnt use the htc yet
HTC m8 is the best not 100% perfect but its above the competition !
the Sony Z3 also came out 2014. why not include it in the list?
Wasn’t available when we did the round-up. We’re thinking of doing it again in the next week or so ahead of MWC, so we’ll include it then.
I love my LG G3! I would not change it for any other phone!
I think the HTC One M8 is the best!
that would br my prefrence
The Note 4 is a great phone, though we had no problems with email, and yet weak battery life.
Our review is here: https://gadgetguy.com.au/product/samsung-galaxy-note-4-sm-n910g/