Samsung Galaxy S5

2014 is turning out to be a stellar year for the prospective smartphone user, as the HTC One (M8) was joined by the Samsung Galaxy S5 in our best smartphone list, and with the Xperia Z2, LG G3 and more entering the fray things just keep getting better. There was a lot of hype around the new Galaxy, and rightly s its by far the best phone Samsung has ever produced, with a blazing fast core, a strong result in the benchmarks and a larger 5.1 inch screen. Then theres the fact that with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 CPU the Galaxy S5 is one of the best phones on the market when it comes to battery life, besting the already impressive One M8 in the power stakes. Samsung has also dropped the innovation of the air gestures from last year (well, they are in there but not the main focus) and improved the hardware with a better camera, fingerprint scanner and heart rate monitor too. The last addition is pretty pointless... but hey, its fun for down the pub. Quick verdict The Samsung Galaxy S5 is a good phone, apart from the design. Its something that needs to be updated sorely, and while it doesnt have to be an all metal shell, it needs to evolve. The S5 has a clear UI, powerful innards and is also waterproof... the rivals might edge it slightly overall, but its very, very tight at the top and whichever handset you end up with wont disappoint.