February 2015
GSMArena smartphone buyer's guide: February 2015
€300-€400
This chapter proved a little light on new devices - it's the quiet before the MWC storm. Still, some deserving devices from 2014 work very hard to earn your approval. When paying this much cash it's okay to be vain - design is hugely important and nothing but the best features will do.
The HTC One mini 2 is compact - at least smaller than the One (M8) - and is one of the few Androids with aluminum unibodies. And we don't mean aluminum frame with glass or plastic back, this one is all metal. It has a quality 4.5" 720p screen flanked by stereo speakers and while the Snapdragon 400 chipset is no monster, the phone will be updated to Android 5.0 Lollipop.
The One mini 2 is pricier than the Galaxy A3, though the HTC has its design to lean on - the Galaxy A series are very thin and have a metal frame, though they look like a €200 phone at a distance.
Anyway, the HTC One mini 2 has a good decent camera - 13MP/1080p - and a 5MP/1080p selfie camera. It has a microSD card slot to expand the storage too.
 HTC One mini 2 |
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It's amazing that the LG G3 costs barely more than the One mini 2, but offers so much phone. Literally - the 5.5" screen is massive, the QHD resolution makes it beautiful and the phone isn't unmanageable thanks to LG's narrow bezels. The back is plastic, but is a good quality one and successfully fakes the look of metal.
Inside is a Snapdragon 801 chipset, the Lollipop update is already out, the 13MP camera has optical stabilization and Laser autofocus, plus it records 2160p video. The storage is expandable though keep in mind that there are two versions - 16GB storage with 2GB RAM and 32GB storage with 3GB RAM. Here we picked the 2GB/16GB version as there's little difference in performance and the microSD card means you can save cash on storage.
The LG G4 will not be unveiled for months and even then the G3 price is already pleasingly low, so you don't have to worry that much about not getting the latest model or missing out on a price cut.
 LG G3 (16GB) |
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While the Lumia 830 has a respectable camera, the current flagship is the Nokia Lumia 930. It has a large 20MP sensor with Carl Zeiss lens and optical image stabilization. After the Lumia Denim update you can also shoot 2160p video.
The Lumia 930 also has much better screen - 5" 1080p AMOLED. It will be updated to Windows 10 too. On the downside there's no microSD slot so all you get is 32GB storage.
 Nokia Lumia 930 |
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From the same generation is the Sony Xperia Z2. We recommended the Z1 already, but this one ups the screen size to 5.2" and puts stereo speakers around it. It also upgrades the chipset to Snapdragon 801, which also enabled 2160p video recording.
The camera is still a 20.7MP shooter with the large sensor, all that's missing to dispatch the Lumia 930 is OIS. On the up side you get the speakers, the IP58 certification (1m of water, 30min) and expandable storage.
Sony is holding its cards close to the vest so we don't know if we'll see the Xperia Z4 at the MWC or not. The Xperia Z2 offers practically the same features as the Z3 and the price difference is nearly €100. As you can tell, the Xperia Z3 will not make the cut.
 Sony Xperia Z2 |
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While we almost included the Galaxy A3, we were pretty certain about not putting the A5 and A7 on the list. The A5 in particular has nothing on the Galaxy Alpha, which has the better chipset, higher-quality camera and a fingerprint sensor. Both are the same thickness - 6.7mm - and have a metal frame. With all that, both cost about the same.
Anyway, this phone is a luxury item like the HTC One mini 2 and you do pay a premium on its features. The Galaxy Alpha has better specs than the HTC, though that one will most likely win in a design competition. And design is important for luxury items.
 Samsung Galaxy Alpha |
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The Nokia Lumia 1520 lay forgotten for a while, but the Windows 10 announcement reinvigorated interest in the 6" phablet. The new OS promises a lot of integration between desktop and phone, we're excited to see the new Office suit on 1520's large, beautiful screen.
The hardware is very capable too with a Snapdragon 800 chipset (Windows never needed as much power as Android) and the exact same camera as the Lumia 930 - which is to say a great one. Also, the Lumia 1520 has expandable storage.
The market shifted towards large mobile devices and business users in particular ate up the phablets. The Galaxy Note series may have gotten most sales, but the Windows 10 phone/desktop combo may be just what was needed for the Lumia phablet to move up in the world.
 Nokia Lumia 1520 |
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The Sony Xperia Z1 Compact is pretty great though the 4.3" screen can be a little limiting. The Sony Xperia Z3 Compact fits a 4.6" screen in the same body (actually, it's almost a millimeter thinner) and brings 2160p video capture to the 20.7MP video camera.
It also adds stereo speakers and offers amazing battery life - a huge improvement over the Z1 Compact. It's a pricy phone, at least €100 over its predecessor, but the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact is one of very few small Android flagships. And the IP68 rating and stereo speakers will probably see more use than Galaxy Alpha's fingerprint sensor.
 Sony Xperia Z3 Compact |
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