Best android phones you can buy in 2014

Discover what are the best Android phones to buy in 2014 and read our in-depth smartphone reviews, as rated by our team of expert reviewers. Android devices now dominate the market for smartphones, having overtaken the iPhone in sales. Google's Android operating system is remarkably flexible, and there are loads of Android phones available to buy. 

Google's Play Store now has a huge range of apps, with support from every major service you can name - Dropbox, iPlayer, Netflix, Kindle, eBay, Uber, PlayStation, OUtlook, UK newspapers and much more. Plus you get excellent integration with the Google services that so many of us now use - such as Maps, Gmail and Drive. Check out our Best Android Apps if you want to see more.

And all of that needn't cost you the earth. Here are our top picks, from budget pay-as-you-go devices to flagship handsets with all the latest features. There's an Android phone here for every need and budget, with a decent phone costing as little as £90 contract-free.

LG G3 - The biggest and best display

For a while now flagship smartphones have largely used the same Full HD resolution with 1,920x1,080 pixels. The LG G3 is the first big-brand handset to go beyond that packing an incredible 2,560x1,440 pixels into its relatively massive 5.5in display. It's the biggest smartphone to date that we haven't branded a 'phablet' and those extra pixels certainly help on such a big screen, with a pixels-per-inch figure of 534, compared to 400 PPI if it had used a Full HD resolution instead. The result is a crisper and cleaner looking screen than on any other phone. Add teh ability to run two apps side-by-side and you can genuinely get more done, quicker, than on smaller handsets with less pixels.

Aside from the screen you get a screamingly quick SnapDragon 801 chipset running at 2.5GHz and brillinat battery life, with the LG G3 lasting for 13 hours and 12 minutes in our video playback battery test. The camera is good, with fast 'laser' autofocus and decent results from its 13-megapixel sensor. In most respects it's hard to seperate this from its immediate competitor, the S5 below, but if you want the best screen then the LG G3 is the phone to buy.

Price when reviewed: £490 SIM free. For the latest prices, see our full LG G3 review

Samsung Galaxy S5 - 'S' is still the obvious choice

Arguably the most anticipated smartphone of the year, the Samsung Galaxy S5 doesn’t disappoint. An evolution of the S4, the S5 looks very similar, though it actually has a slightly larger 5.1in. The resolution remains at 1,920x1,080 but image quality has been improved with great colour reproduction and fantastic contrast. The rear has gained a new dimpled finish, which we like, and at just 8.1mm thick it’s easy to slip in your pocket.

It’s faster too with incredible benchmark scores in both web browsing and 3D applications. However, the real improvement is in battery life, with the larger 2,800mAh battery pack providing an incredible 17 hours and 30 minutes in our video playback test. It’s the best score we’ve ever seen and the handset will handle a typical day of heavy usage without a problem.

The camera has also been updated and the results are better than ever, thanks to a comparatively large 1/2.6in sensor and great automatic exposures. There are some more gimmicky extras packed in too, the fingerprint reader takes a little getting used to, but once you’ve got the hang of it you’ll never want to go back to passwords. The heartbeat sensor will interest some people, but they might be better served by a dedicated fitness gadget. Thankfully the S5 is fully compatible with Samsung’s own Gear range, making it the smartphone of choice for fitness fanatics.

It’s not a huge step up from the Samsung Galaxy S4 but it’s still the best new flagship handset for most, if only due to its incredible battery life and great all-round camera.

Price when reviewed: £560 SIM free. For the latest prices, see our full Samsung Galaxy S5 review

HTC One (m8) - A stylish alternative to the S5

The HTC One (m8) is an all-round update to the HTC One, though it does keep a very similar, and still fantastic looking metal chassis. Inside there’s a faster chipset for better all-round performance and a bigger battery so the phone should last all day. The screen is fantastic, bright and detailed with vibrant and largely accurate colour. Even more impressive are the front-mounted stereo speakers, making the HTC One (m8) the only choice for those who like to share their movies and music with others.

The camera is still the 4-megapixel ‘Ultrapixel’ design which reduces noise in low light conditions for crisper images, though in better light you will see more detail from higher-rated cameras. Still it’s a great choice for those who like to stay out late, and just want the best looking snaps to upload to Facebook, rather than worrying about the fine details. This year, HTC has added a second camera, which provides depth information, and so lets you refocus the image after having taken it, very handy for striking portraits with blurred backgrounds.

It’s a tough call between the HTC One (m8) and its Samsung S5 rival, we narrowly prefer the S5, but if the metal chassis, stereo speakers and dual camera appeal to you then this is a fine choice too.

Price when reviewed: £530 SIM free. For the latest prices, see our full HTC One (m8) review

Sony Xperia Z1 Compact - All the power in a smaller package

For a while now smartphone manufacturers have been trying to reflect some of the hype and glory bestowed on their flagship models onto lesser brethren – usually by adding the suffix Mini. The Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini and HTC One Mini are prime examples, they’re not just smaller versions of their illustrious siblings, they also has cut-down specifications and prices. The Sony Xperia Z1 Compact is a little different, for this is truly a flagship phone specification, just packed into a less massive shell than the Sony Xperia Z1 proper.

The chipset is the same speedy 2.2GHz Snapdragon 800 and it’s very fast indeed. The camera has the same 20.7-megapixel sensor and an identical lens and software. The design is the same too, not just a look-a-like, with the same metal frame and waterproofing.

The screen has a lower overall resolution of 1,280x720, but then it’s physically smaller of course, at just 4.3in; the detail level is still pin-sharp at 342 pixels per inch, more than you get from Apple’s Retina-class display on the latest iPhone. The battery is smaller too, but again the results are actually improved with over twelve hours of continuous playback from the 2,300mAh battery.

The Z1 Compact has no real competition from other Android handsets, if you don’t want a big 5in screen phone but you want a top-end spec then this is a great buy. The only other handset similar is the mighty iPhone 5S.

Price when reviewed: £399 SIM free. For the latest prices, see our full Sony Xperia Z1 Compact review

Motorola Moto X - Simple but brilliant

The Moto X took its time to reach the UK, and it's not the most exciting of handsets, but any smartphone designed and launched while Motorola was under Google's ownership is well worth considering. That's largely because Motorola left Google's Android operating system largely untouched, which makes it mean, lean and easy to get on with. It's also down to the price, which as with the Moto G, was competitve at launch and continues to be a great SIM-free buy even today.

The screen is a reasonably sized 4.7in AMOLED display, its great contrast and rich colours differentiates it from the raft of LCD displays onm phones at this price. The resolution is only 1,280x720 but it still looks crisp and clear. Inside the dual-core processor may not sound cuting edge, but it flies through tasks thanks to the help of the clutter-free Android 4.4 operating system, while a big twelve and-a-half hour battery life should keep you going all day.

It's simple design reflects it workmanlike specification and software, but here the whole is far more than the parts. The Moto X is a great value phone that is still a great choice if you're looking to buy a handset outright.

Price when reviewed: £264 SIM free. For the latest prices, see our full Motorola Moto X review

Motorola Moto G - Still the contract-free phone to buy

The Motorola Moto G is the first smartphone to be launched in the UK since Google took over the company, and you can tell. This handset redefines the budget smartphone market, for just £130 you can buy a SIM free handset with impressive specifications. Its quad-core processor, detailed 1,280x720 HD display and long battery life (9h and 12min in our video playback test) would all have been welcomed in a handset costing twice as much.

On top of all that you get a largely vanilla version of Android 4.3, so you can use the operating system as Google intended it. No swathes of pre-installed apps to confuse you and silky smooth performance. Plus Motorola is promising an update to the latest Android 4.4 in January.

The handset itself feels well-built, it's a simple design but it doesn't feel cheap at all. You can switch out the back cover for various coloured versions, plus there's ruggedised and flip cover versions too. The only downsides are limited storage, just 8GB or 16GB options with no micro SD card slot, and a distinctly average camera, that's only good for quick social posts rather than photos to keep.

Despite those drawbacks though this is phenomenally good value and probably the most important Android phone to be released this year.

Price when reviewed: £135 SIM free. For the latest prices, see our full Motorola Moto G review

Motorola Moto E - The best phone under £100 contract-free

While the Moto G remains the Best Buy phone for those who a good handset for less, there will always be those who want to spend even less. And if your budget for a phone for under a £100 then Motorola have something for you too with the Motorola Moto E. As with other Motorola handset, Android has been left largely alone, which makes it easier to get your head around and quicker to run. Android 4.4.2 is included and its impressivly how smooth it is on the relatively modest hardware - a dual-core 1.2GHz chipset.

The handset is a little chunky, and has only 4GB of internal storage, but you can add more to this thanks to a microSD card slot. The 4.3in screen only has a meagre 960x540 resolution, but its quality was good and there's still Gorilla Glass to protect it. Ten hours of battery life in our video test isn't bad either, if you're using your phone more heavily than that you should seriously consider spending a little buit more. The camera is, as usual, the weakpoint of this budget wonder but that aside it's a great phone for light use.

Price when reviewed: £90 SIM free. For the latest prices, see our full Motorola Moto E review

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 - Still the best phablet

Samsung started the craze for massive smartphone handsets and continues to lead the way with this latest Galaxy Note 3. The most striking feature is undoubtedly its huge 5.9in Full HD display, which looks stunning with great contrast and vibrant colours. It stands out from its S4 sibling in more than just size though, with a faux-leather back panel and a built-in stylus so you can draw, write and doodle on that big screen.

There are numerous apps to support the stylus, plus Samsung has made further modifications to Android to allow for split-screen multi-tasking. It's not the best choice for Android novices maybe, but it's surprisingly flexible and powerful

Inside there's a huge battery providing a whopping 15 hours of constant video playback in our tests. It's among the quickest handsets we've seen too, with the 2.3GHz Snapdragon 800 chipset powering through our benchmarks. The 13-megapixel camera is great too, proving reliable in a wide array of situations.

If you're happy to tote around a big smartphone then the Note 3 is an impressive piece of kit. It's not cheap but it packs so much in that it's a great buy. Its replacement the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is imminent, so wait for its launch before buying, either that new handset will interest you more, or prices on the Note 3 will drop.

Price when reviewed: £620 SIM free. For the latest prices, see our full Samsung Galaxy Note 3 review