Top 5 Android Phones 2015 (So far)

THE BREAKDOWN

LG G4

The quantum edge

• Excellent design
• Top-notch camera
• Optional leather backs

• Will be large for some users
• Software is better, but still a bit much
• Plastic parts are still plastic

LG’s flagship phone keeps getting better. For 2015’s model, the LG G4 keeps the QHD display but gets the bugs worked out and makes the colors pop like never before. It also keeps the expandable microSD storage and removable 3,000 mAh battery at a time when most other phones have done away with both.

But perhaps most impressive about the G4 are the optional leather backs, and the quality of the camera, which absolutely holds its own with the likes of Samsung’s own excellent cameras. The laser autofocus is fast as ever, and a new sensor helps reproduce colors more accurately. Plus you now have full manual control and can shoot in the RAW format.

The G4 software, while still imperfect, has improved a good bit and takes a flatter, more Material Design feel.

All in all, this is an excellent choice coming to all major carriers worldwide.

Samsung Galaxy Note 4

Big and Beautiful

• Excellent build quality
• Swappable battery
• Excellent camera

• May be too big for some users
• More pricey the other offerings
• Anachronistic hardware buttons

Big phones sell. You might think they’re getting too big, but the simple fact is that folks are buying them. And they’re buying a lot of them. And not only is the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 one of the best oversized phones available, it’s also one of the best all-around phones, period. It's got a beefier processor than last year's model and the higher-resolution QHD display, also bumped up in size to 5.7 inches. It's running Android 4.4.4 KitKat, with an update to Android 5.0 Lollipop on the way, and comes with a removable 3,220 mAh battery.

The addition of optical image stabilization (OIS) on the 16-megapixel camera makes it one of the better low-light shooters available, and it’s definitely improved over the Galaxy S5.

Plus, the Note 4 has Samsung’s excellent pen input features, which nobody else has even bothered to attempt to replicate. It’s that good.

Add all that up, and you’ve got a major contender.

Samsung Galaxy S6

The best Galaxy you've seen yet

• Great design
• Excellent camera
• A fingerprint scanner that works

• Battery life
• Software is still overbearing
• Hardware buttons

It's sort of been a while since we've really been excited about Samsung's Galaxy S line — go all the way back to the Galaxy S3, really. But the GS6 has us singing its praises, and for good reason. It's got a design and build quality as good as anything you've seen before — and that's without even talking about the curved "edge" model.

The 5.1-inch display is gorgeous. The fingerprint scanner is actually usable now, even if we'd prefer on-screen buttons most of the time. And the 16-megapixel camera is as good as you'll find in any other phone on any platform.

That's not to say there's not room for improvement. The battery life is just OK. The speaker is underwhelming. And while Samsung has included wireless charging out of the box, it's taken away the removable battery,and the expandable storage. But it has increased the top on-board storage level to a full 128 gigabytes.

Moto X (2014)

Leather or wood? Your call

• Customizable exterior
• Handy Moto Assist apps
• Nearly stock Android

• No expandable storage
• Average battery life
• Camera is still just okay

The Moto X was one of our favorite phones of 2013, and it's grown up a bit in late 2014 and remains a contender in 2015. Motorola shed the diminutive size of the original and scaled the display up to 5.2 inches at 1080p. It's also improved the camera quality a bit with a 13-megapixel shooter capable of recording video in 4K resolution. Motorola's also added a video highlights feature, so you can easily share the best of your events in just a few touches.

But the standout feature of the Moto X continues to be its software. Motorola doesn't do much to the basic look and feel of Android as Google intended it to be, but there are a few choice customizations that will help your phone be smarter when you're sleeping, driving and busy in meetings.

And Motorola has set the bar extremely high when it comes to updating the software on its phones, so you'll likely get the newest version of Android before just about anyone else. (It was one of the first to get Android 5.0 Lollipop, and the Android 5.1 updates.)

What's more is that you can customize your own Moto X, getting it in a variety colors and styles. (Leather, anyone? Or how about wood!) It's currently available.

HTC One M9

Last year's phone gets (mostly) a little better

• Proven hardware design gets even better
• Excellent front-facing speakers
• Fast software

• Camera still lags competitors
• New predictive home screen is a flop
• Battery life a bit disappointing

HTC's phone don't rule the smartphone world, but they're consistently ranked among the best designed. That continues with the M9, even if it's more of a refinement of last year's model than anything else.

The sleek body is now easier to hold. The front-facing "BoomSound" speakers are about as good as always. And HTC's software is about as light and fast as any you'll find that deviates from "stock" Android — though the new predictive home screen is a bit of a miss.

The other big change for the M9 is in moving the "UltraPixel" camera from the rear to the front of the phone, and instead opting for a more traditional 20MP sensor in the back. The results have been serviceable, but not remarkable.

But add in HTC's new "UH OH" insurance plan — a free replacement phone should you break yours in the first year, and $100 off your next HTC phone if you don't — and you've got one of the more compelling Android phones that's outside the top spot.

Moto G (2014)

More bang for fewer bucks

• Excellent bang for buck
• Loud stereo speakers
• Big, bright screen

• No LTE
• Camera is still just okay
• Similar internals to last year’s model

The 2014 Moto G brings a level quality not often seen in the sphere of budget phones. It packs a 5-inch 720p display, fashionable color selection with replaceable shells, and it’s already rocking the latest version of Android, Lollipop. For the price, the Moto G is very hard to beat. For some CDMA carriers you’ll be stuck with the original Moto G, but even that’s still a great choice.

Motorola Nexus 6

Big, bold, Lollipop

• Latest Google Hardware
• Running stock Android 5.0 Lollipop
• Brilliant QHD AMOLED Display

• May be too large for many users
• No expandable storage
• Poor camera

The Nexus 6 is a big, big phone. As the name implies, the display’s been increased to 6 inches, in a form factor that’s nearly identical to the smaller (but not exactly tiny) Moto X. The differentiator here is that the Nexus 6 was the first phone to sport Android 5.0 Lollipop, and it's the first to run Android 5.1. It’s also got dual front-facing speakers, a 13-megapixel camera and the ability to be seen through your pants pockets from 100 yards. It’s that big. But the kids are gonna love it.

That is, so long as they can put up with the relatively rocky release that has been Lollipop. This is one of those times in which you can expect to be a bit of a beta tester. We’re not in full-stop, don’t buy it territory, but performance issues coupled with crashes have darkened the experience for us a bit. And good luck finding a 64-gigabyte model.