Flagship fight: which Android phone wins in 2014?

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.

Read our review…

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.

Read our review…

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.

Read our review…

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.

Read our review…

Now it’s your turn, so tell us in the comments below: which phone do you rate the best and why?