Android has had a long run in its mobile phones since the release of the HTC Dream in 2008. Android has led the mobile world in market share for a while now, and through the platform a lot of new features have been created and released. To see how far we have come, the AndroidGuys are getting together to list their favorite phones they’ve owned since Android’s release. Below each section is the amount of votes each device received from us. After reading through, vote for which of the following is your favorite with the poll at the bottom (up to 3 choices), and we’ll see what might be considered the favorite Android phone. Reminisce with us as we take a look at Android’s best!
AndroidGuys favorite Android phones
Moto X
The Moto X got recognized the most by AndroidGuys. The first gen got more attention, but the second was pretty close. The first Moto X took the tech world by surprise, as Motorola proved that it doesn’t take the best specs available to provide a great user experience. With mostly vanilla Android, Motorola designed the Moto X to fit comfortably in the hand and allow consumers to design it themselves, and it would be made in a factory in the U.S. The features they did add were not overbearing and in the way, but rather complemented Android to improve on the experience: Touchless Control, Active Display, and Moto Assist.
Unfortunately, the first gen did not sell as well as Motorola hoped. So, with the second gen, Motorola bumped up the specs with a newer generation SoC and a better and bigger screen, while still holding true to the spirit of the first gen: custom device, vanilla Android with useful features, and a comfortable build.
AndroidGuys Votes: Moto X (1st Gen) = 5, Moto X (2nd gen) = 2
HTC One (M8)
Up until 2013, HTC was practically a no-name in the mobile market. Sure, they had released the first ever Android phone in the HTC Dream. They even had some good phones. But overall their sales were underwhelming, their phones were never updated, and often left a bad taste in people’s mouths. However, with the release of the HTC One M7, they started a whole other ball game. The HTC One M7 was well designed, built with a premium feel, and unlike all other phones, had front facing stereo speakers.
With the release of the HTC One M8, they did what any manufacturer should do with any successful device: took the same idea, and refined it and listened to consumers. HTC has succeeded in that, as the HTC One M8 is considered on of the best smartphones available. What’s more, HTC changed their philosophy on upgrades, and now guarantee up to 2 years of upgrades within 90 days of the release of the new Android version. This is part of HTC Advantage, which also guarantees the replacement of a broken screen within the first 6 months of purchasing the device, immediate customer support, and cloud backup.
AndroidGuys Votes: HTC One M8 = 3, HTC One M7 = 1
Samsung Galaxy Note 3
The original Samsung Note was initially slammed by critics who called it too big and monstrous. It was the device that made the term “phablet” popular (Fun Fact: “phablet” was coined by one of the AndroidGuys, Scott Webster!). Nevertheless, Samsung did well with the original Note, and two iterations later made one of the most widely accepted devices made. With the Note 3’s S Pen features, battery life, and camera it was a great tool for productivity and play. The size of the screen and the crisp Super AMOLED display allowed for vibrant colors and a pleasure to use. It was also one of the only flagship devices of 2013 to have a micro SD slot and a removable battery. The battery was known to allow a user to play games, watch videos, make calls, and more and still have enough juice at the end of the day to go another day. The Note 3 is also well-known for its multi-window functionality, allowing you to view two apps at the same time. So, you could look at directions from Google Maps and text someone about them at the same exact time. This was also one of the first Android phones that had a camera that could compete with the iPhone. It did great in low light, and had great video. Also, the phone had top of the line specs of its time, and even still holds its own with a FHD display, Snapdragon 800, 3GB of RAM, and more. Because of this, the phone was fast, and worked well, even with Samsung’s heavily modified version of Android, TouchWiz. This phone also was the perfect size for many, allowing consumers to use it in placement of a tablet and phone.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 was a great upgrade to that phone. It brought the specs in line to outrun the other flagship phones, it has a great build quality which improved the biggest complaint about the Note 3 (being the plastic and faux stitching) and added a metal frame, and further improves on many of the other features consumers loved about the Samsung Galaxy Note 3.
AndroidGuys Votes: Samsung Galaxy Note 3 = 3, Samsung Galaxy Note 4 = 1
Samsung Galaxy S (all versions)
The fourth on our list is an interesting one. The original Samsung Galaxy S. This includes all of them from the different carriers (Vibrant, Captivate, Epic 4G, etc.). The original Samsung Galaxy S was Samsung’s first largely successful Android device. It had TouchWiz (Samsung’s UI skin), a sleek profile, and some neat features that was a different take on Android. Samsung sold enough that they have continued the S series to this day (Samsung Galaxy S5). This was a time when Android was still growing and evolving immensely, but it shot Samsung forward to become one of the top dogs in the Android market.
AndroidGuys Votes:Â Samsung Galaxy S (Original) = 3
Nexus 5
Back in 2010, Google released the very first Nexus device: the Nexus One. The idea behind the Nexus line was for Google to showcase what it thought an Android device should look like, and what the best specs are at the time. The Nexus line was also a line of phones that would be first in line to receive future updates, as it was straight from Google, and it ran Vanilla Android (stock, with no modifications to the UI). It also gave manufacturers a chance to work with Google and showcase what they can do, beginning with HTC. Next was Samsung, who made the Nexus S, and then the Galaxy Nexus.
After that was LG, who made the very popular Nexus 4. The Nexus 4 did all of the things mentioned before, but Google provided it for a low price that was unheard of among flagship devices with similar specs. However, the camera was a big disappointment, the battery left much to be desired, and many consumers had their phone break due to the glass back of the phone.
Nevertheless, LG was given another go-round, and released the Nexus 5. Improved specs, a more secure build with a soft-touch plastic, much better battery life, and a slightly improved camera. All this coupled with the great low starting price of $349, and we had a winner. The Nexus 5 still holds its own with a FHD display, Snapdragon 800, and Android Lollipop. With the release of the controversial-sized Nexus 6, the Nexus 5 is a great option for those looking for a device that will perform well, and will receive updates for at least another year first (if not longer) for a good price without having too big of a screen. Better move quickly, as the Nexus 5 may soon be out of stock.
AndroidGuys Votes:Nexus 5 = 2
Samsung Galaxy S3
After Samsung did well with its first round of Samsung Galaxy S devices, they released the Samsung Galaxy S2, which saw one phone across all the carriers, rather than a different phone for each carrier. The S2 was the thinnest phone at the time, and looked to improve some of the things from the first iteration. However, it didn’t seem to do as well as the first Galaxy S. However, that was soon to change.
In 2012, Samsung released the Galaxy S3. This phone has been one of the top-selling Android phones of all time, selling over 55 million handsets around the world. Considered by many to be the “iPhone killer”, it brought a whole new hardware design that brought a comfortable hold, and a brilliant 4.8″ 720p Super AMOLED screen that was a pleasure to use. TouchWiz had been greatly improved with Android 4.0.4, no longer being nearly as glitchy as it had been up until this point. The home button was a unique touch, and the camera worked well compared to other smartphones at the time, and battery life was pretty good. All that with expandable memory and a swappable battery, and we have ourselves a phone that is still purchased to this day. Sadly, Samsung has seemed to stop development altogether for the device, and it is doubtful it will see Android Lollipop. Still, if you like Samsung and are looking for a cheap phone, it is still a pretty solid option.
AndroidGuys Votes: Samsung Galaxy S3 = 2
OnePlus One
In December 2013, Pete Lau left OPPO and created a new company, OnePlus. His goal: to create a smartphone that looked good, had flagship specs, but didn’t cost a flagship price. For several months, OnePlus teased what they were creating, and made a forum to interact with consumers to ask them about what they wanted in this smartphone. Then, in April 2014, OnePlus announced the OnePlus One, the “flagship killer”. OnePlus encouraged consumers to “Never Settle” by getting the One, which had a 5.5″ FHD display, Snapdragon 801, 3GB of Ram, 3100 mAh battery, and the first phone to only run Cyanogenmod 11S, a modified version of Cyanogenmod 11 tweaked to work in line with the One. This gave users an immense amount of flexibility, from how the device’s home screen is set up, to having either on-screen of off-screen navigation buttons. All this for a beginning asking price of $299.
However, OnePlus has been stuck in the news since the release of the One, and not necessarily for good reasons. You can only get the OnePlus One through an “invite system”, so that the start-up could control manufacturing costs and not get drowned in overhead. This has caused one issue to the next. Nevertheless, once consumers got the device, they were very pleased. Critics have praised the device for its flexibility in the software, great battery life, and cheap price. If you can get one, it is certainly a device to be reckoned with, and will likely last a long while.
AndroidGuys Votes:Â OnePlus One = 2
LG G2
LG was another company much like HTC that struggled making noticeable phones for a while. They also have always been horrible in communicating with consumers about device updates and issues. However, LG was looking to shake up the market, and it did pretty well at doing so when it released the LG G2 in August of 2013.
The LG G2 was unique in many ways, most notably in its design. The 5.2″ screen was compact, allowing for a near-bezel-less body. That wasn’t even the most interesting part: the power and volume buttons were on the rear. In an effort to create a more “learn-friendly” device, LG thought placing the buttons on the back would allow the user to more easily hold and use the device, and not sacrifice screen size. This allowed a 5.2″ screen to fit in a body that most other phones could only fit 4.7″. Along with the unique design, the software brought some innovative features such as “Knock On” that has been adapted by Google in Android Lollipop. Along with a good camera, great battery life, and a UI that brought customization to the next level, LG had created a well-received phone.
While not necessarily mentioned by any AndroidGuys, the LG G3 deserves a shout out, as it greatly improved the build quality of the phone, and was the first flagship phone from a major manufacturer to have a QHD display. It also improved on some of the popular features from the LG G2, such as allowing the “Knock On” feature to be a password, creating “Knock Code”.
AndroidGuys Votes:Â LG G2 = 2
[sidebar float=”left” slug=”featured-content”]
