13 Best Smartphones and Mobile Phones 2015

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Motorola Moto E 2 (2015)

Originally reviewed by Jon Devo 17 March 2015

Read full Motorola Moto E 2 (2015) review

Ultra-budget phone with a 4.5-inch screen

Key features:

    4.5-inch, 960 x 540 IPS screen

    Excellent performance

    4G connectivity

    Two-day battery life

The Motorola Moto E 2 (2015) is an ideal option for anyone looking to buy their first smartphone. At just £109, it’s surprisingly speedy and has some features you wouldn’t expect to find on a phone this cheap, such as 4G.

Function over form should be the E’s tagline. Performance is incredible for the price, thanks to the 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 410 processor. It can handle high-end games well, and you’ll struggle to find anything quicker at this end of the market. The 2,390mAh battery can also easily go for more than two days between charges, and we’re pleased that Motorola has left Android 5.0 Lollipop fairly pure.

Design is plain and simple. It’s clad in durable plastic, and comes either in black or white. It’s quite chunky though – 12.3mm at its thickest point – but this isn’t too much of an issue. We wish the 4.5-inch, 960 x 540 IPS display was a little sharper, but it succeeds in reproducing colours faithfully. The 5-megapixel camera takes good snaps for the price, and the addition of HDR is a welcome bonus.

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Moto G 3 (2015)

Originally reviewed by Michael Sawh 06 August 2015

Read full Moto G 3 (2015) review

Affordable water-resistant phone with 4G
<b>Key features: </b>

    5-inch, 720p display
    IPX7-rated
    13-megapixel camera
    microSD card slot

It isn't quite as cheap as older models in the line, but the Moto G 3 (2015) is undoubtedly still a bargain. Why has Motorola inched up the price? It's added water resistance and the option to customise it using the Moto Maker service to the G's armoury.

Motorola’s included a larger battery too, with the G now capable of going for over a day and a half between charges. Its 5-inch, 720p screen is actually one of its least impressive features, though it’s still decent enough.

The new 13-megapixel main camera is a huge improvement on the 8-megapixel sensor of old, and performance is every bit as slick as you expect it to be. However, it's worth noting that the 16GB version not only features more storage than its 8GB sibling, but also double the RAM.

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Huawei Ascend G7

Originally reviewed by Andrew Williams 16 March 2015

Read full Huawei Ascend G7 review

Good value 5.5-inch phone with great battery life
<b>Key features</b>

    5.5-inch, 1,280 x 720 screen
    13-megapixel camera with HDR
    Up to three-day battery life

Again delivering incredible value for money, the Huawei Ascend G7 is damn impressive. It’s a large-screened mobile that costs less than £200, and we think Huawei could get away with selling it at twice the price.

It’s well-built and attractive too. The rear is predominantly aluminium, and the 7.6mm thickness makes it easy to hold, despite its size. The display is a 5.5-inch, 1,280 x 720 panel. It’s not the sharpest we’ve ever seen, but it’s bright and accurate, reproducing colours naturally. The cameras are also better than what you’d expect at this price, with the main 13-megapixel sensor featuring HDR.

Inside is an interesting combination of a basic CPU and a good amount of RAM – the Snapdragon 410 and 2GB. Performance is good but not quite flawless. However, battery life is exceptional, and it’s just about possible to go for three days between charges.

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Moto X Play

Originally reviewed by Max Parker 26 August 2015

Read full Moto X Play review

Great mid-range 5.5-inch phone with superb battery life

Key features:

    5.5-inch, 1080p display

    21-megapixel camera

    16/32GB storage (plus micro SD slot)

    3,630mAh battery

A surprise package from Motorola, the Moto X Play is an astonishingly-good mid-range handset. Instantly recognisable as a Motorola-made smartphone, you can swap out the front and back panels, as well as the trim.

The 5.5-inch, 1080p display is large and bright, but the X Play has enough in the tank to keep it going (and going). Its 3,630mAh battery can provide an incredible two days of heavy use before it needs powering up again.

Performance is slick enough for gaming too, while the main 21-megapixel camera is more detailed than you’d typically expect from a phone at this price.

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OnePlus 2

Originally reviewed by Andrew Williams 21 August 2015

Read full OnePlus 2 review

Invite-only mid-range phone with flagship features

Key features:

    5.5-inch, 1080p screen

    Snapdragon 810 processor

    13-megapixel camera

    3,300mAh battery

The OnePlus 2 is a worthy successor to the excellent OnePlus One. It’s one of the best all-round handsets on the market, despite being available at just half the price of its main rivals.

Its unusual textured rear makes the OnePlus easy to hold, despite its large proportions. That's right, this isn’t a mobile for small-handed users. The metal frame adds a touch of class to proceedings, and the fingerprint scanner is speedy and reliable.

The 5.5-inch display is a bright and generous Full HD affair. The OnePlus 2 runs Android 5.1.1, with OnePlus’s Oxygen UI on top, which combines the flavour of stock Android with a load of handy tweaks and customisation options. Performance is slick enough for gaming, the 13-megapixel camera is detailed, and the 3,300mAh battery provides solid stamina.

The main caveat is it's only available by obtaining an invite through the OnePlus community, which makes it hard to get hold of.

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Nexus 5X

Originally reviewed by Alastair Stevenson 26 October 2015

Read full Nexus 5X review

Great mid-range phone running pure Android

Key features:

    5.2-inch, 1080p resolution LCD screen

    12.3-megapixel, f/2.0 rear camera

    Fingerprint scanner on the back

    Snapdragon 808 processor, 2GB RAM, 2,700mAh battery

The Nexus 5X is the Android phone for purists. Nexus phones come direct from Google, though the 5X is actually made by LG, which means they run a pure version of Android with no third-party additions. This means you get the latest version of Android as soon as it arrives, rather than waiting ages for the manufacturer to update your phone.

This is great for many reasons. Less 'bloatware' means the Nexus 5X runs smoothly all the time and you get all the latest features of Android. This should make your phone more secure, too, as will the fingerprint scanner on the back. It's a super-fast and secure way of authenticating your phone and means you can use Android Pay when it launches.

The 5X is quite a plain looking phone, but it does everything well and it's excellent value. The only serious downside is the lack of a microSD card slot, which means you're limited to the built-in storage. It's only available in 16GB and 32GB versions, too, so it's not the best phone for anyone who likes to download lots of video.

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Moto X Style / Moto X Pure Edition

Originally reviewed by Max Parker 23 October 2015

Read full Moto X Style / Moto X Pure Edition review

Giant phone at a not giant price

Key features

    5.7-inch Quad HD screen

    21-megapixel rear camera, 5-megapixel front camera

    Snapdragon 808 processor, 3GB RAM, 3,000mAh battery

Motorola's Moto X range offers something for everyone. The Moto X Style as its known in Europe – it's the Moto X Pure Edition in the US – is a phablet style phone with a large 5.7-inch screen but a similar design to the rest of the range.

It uses the same 21-megapixel camera as the Moto X Play, which takes great photos in good light but struggles somewhat in poor light. It doesn't have the very fastest processor, but it's more than good enough and it's outstanding value for such a large phone – it's priced well below top-spec phablets.

Best of all, like all Motorola phones, it runs a clean version of Android and ships with the latest version, Marshmallow. If you want a big phone but don't want to break the bank, it's a great phone for you.

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LG G4

Originally reviewed by Evan Kypreos 18 August 2015

Read full LG G4 review

Stylish phone with impressive camera

    5.5-inch QHD Quantum Display

    16-megapixel camera with optical image stabilisation and laser focus

    3,000mAh removable battery and removable back covers

The LG G3 was our Phone of the Year in 2014 and the LG G4 is a very good follow-up, though it isn't quite the revelation the G3 was. It retains the unique design ideas of the G3, such as the rear mounted buttons, but adds a few new flourishes such as a very slight curve in the screen and optional leather backs.

It's not quite as powerful as the top phones on the inside, but it's still fast enough for most people and the improved camera and screen mean it competes with phones that are more expensive. It's not a huge step up from the previous phone, but it's a great alternative to the bigger names.

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Samsung Galaxy S6

Originally reviewed by Jon Devo 19 August 2015

Read full Samsung Galaxy S6 review

An outstanding flagship phone with a great camera

Key features:

    5.1-inch, 2,560 x 1,440 AMOLED screen

    16-megapixel camera with OIS

    2,550mAh battery

Samsung has finally decided to make a flagship smartphone that looks the part. The Samsung Galaxy S6 is far prettier than its older brothers, featuring metal sides and a glass rear instead of that pesky plastic. It’s comfortable to hold too, and the fingerprint scanner on the back has been much-improved. However, water resistance, the removable battery and microSD slot have been chucked out of the window.

The screen is a 5.1-inch, 2,560 x 1,440 AMOLED panel, which is bright and offers vivid colours and exceptional contrast. It’s one of the most impressive on the market. The 16-megapixel main camera with OIS and 5-megapixel front-facing camera are designed to be good in all light conditions but are especially great in low light.

Under the hood are the Samsung-designed octa-core Exynos 7420 chipset and 3GB of RAM. The 2,800mAh battery of the S5 has been replaced with a smaller 2,550mAh one that supports wireless charging. Android 5.0 Lollipop runs the show, though the latest version of TouchWiz is the best we’ve seen.

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Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge

Originally reviewed by Evan Kypreos 20 August 2015

Read full Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge review

Key features:

    5.1-inch, 2,560 x 1,440 AMOLED screen

    Octa-core Exynos 7420 chip

    16-megapixel camera with OIS

    Stunning design

The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is possibly the best smartphone on the market right now. Interestingly, that’s not actually down to its headline feature – the curved screen. We still think it’s more showy than useful. The handset as a whole is nothing short of brilliant though. If you can afford it, buy it.

It’s the best-looking of Samsung’s mobiles, with an aluminium and glass design that really highlights the aesthetic shortcomings of the Galaxy S5. There’s a fingerprint scanner built into the home button, which allows you to unlock the phone or make purchases through Samsung Pay with a touch.

It’s also not much bigger than the 4.7-inch iPhone 6, despite packing a larger 5.1-inch, 2,560 x 1,440 AMOLED display. It’s incredibly sharp, offering great vibrancy and colour accuracy, as well as pure blacks. Our only complaint is that the edges can pick up glare. The 16-megapixel main camera is the best on any smartphone right now, coming with OIS, an effective Bokeh app and the option to tinker with the finer points of photography far more than you usually would.

Performance is astounding. The Edge is the fastest phone we’ve tested to date, thanks to the octa-core Exynos 7420 chip and 3GB of RAM. It makes mincemeat of complex games, and doesn’t suffer from any overheating issues. The battery is easily good enough to last a day and charges speedily too.

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iPhone 6S

Originally reviewed by Andy Vandervell 04 October 2015

Read full iPhone 6S review

A surprisingly good upgrade from the iPhone 6

Key Features

    4.7-inch, 326ppi LCD screen

    1.8GHz, Apple A9 processor with 2GB RAM

    12-megapixel rear camera, 5-megapixel front camera

    3D Touch pressure sensitive screen

The most recent iPhones were 'S' phones, which means they share the same basic design as the previous version but add a bunch of new features. For the iPhone 6S, those features include higher resolution cameras and a neat new pressure sensitive screen technology dubbed 3D Touch.

3D Touch is the outstanding new feature of the iPhone 6S. It allows you to activate all sorts of features by pressing a little harder on the screen, and it can detect several levels of pressure. For example, press on a link and you can preview it without leaving the app you're in; press a little harder and it will open it in Safari – Apple calls this Peek and Pop.

There are numerous small, useful uses for this – a '3D Touch' on the Camera app icon, for example, gives you the option to take a selfie straight away, so you don't have to select the mode in the app. It's a great way to get to what you need a little faster.

Apple's also improved the cameras. The main camera is up to 12-megapixels (from 8-megapixels) and has improved contrast performance. It also shoots 4K video, though it lacks optical image stabilisation – a useful feature that improves photo quality in low light. The front camera is improved, too, and adds a clever feature that uses the screen as a flash when taking selfies.

It's another excellent phone overall, though we'd like to see wireless charging in the next iPhones Apple launches.

  

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iPhone 6S Plus

Originally reviewed by Evan Kypreos 07 October 2015

Read full iPhone 6S Plus review

A big phone with a top-class camera

Key Features:

    5.5-inch, 1080p screen with 3D Touch

    1.8GHz, dual-core Apple A9 processor with 2GB RAM

    12-megapixel camera with optical image stabilisation

Just like last year, the iPhone 6S Plus is the larger cousin to the 6S. It has a 5.5-inch screen with a higher, 1,920 x 1,080 resolution. It's an excellent screen – it can't match the best from Samsung, but it's right up there among phones with LCD screens.

The Plus version also has Apple's innovative 3D Touch system, which can detect the level of force you use to press the screen and activate extra software options. It's a great addition to the iPhone that we can see many companies copying it in future.

Apart from its size, the iPhone 6S Plus adds optical image stabilisation to the camera over the standard 6S. This makes it better for shooting photos in low light and also makes it easier to get steady, shake-free video. It's the better phone for video.

Battery life is better, too, but the Plus does feel very big and heavy. It's heavier than the first 'Plus' phone, so try it out first if you think weight is important.

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Nexus 6P

Originally reviewed by Max Parker 10 November 2015

Read full Nexus 6P review

The ultimate Android phone

Key Features

5.7-inch, Quad HD AMOLED screen

Snapdragon 810 processor and 3GB RAM

32, 64 and 128GB versions, 3,450mAh

The Nexus 6P doesn't have a microSD slot – it's just about the only complaint we can think of about this phone, and it's hardly alone in omitting that feature. In every other respect, the Nexus 6P is one of the best Android phones ever made. One of the smartphones ever, actually.

The fact this is a Nexus phone helps. It doesn't have any annoying extra stuff you don't want or need and you'll get Android updates when they're available, not six months later. But this is first time Google has combined that with a desirable high-end phone that can match the iPhone and Samsung Galaxy phones.

It's large at 5.7-inches, but the screen is brilliant and battery life is very good. Vitally, it has a decent camera – its 12-megapixel effort isn't quite as good as Samsung's and Apple's cameras, but it's damn close. Low light photos look great and it captures plenty of detail.

If you want the best Android experience possible, this is the phone to buy.