What Is The Best 2014 Android Flagship?

Dennis3003 on 13/09/2015 - 00:04
Last edited 13/09/2015 - 16:10

Hi,

I have moved from a Lumia 520 to a S3. The S3 currently does the job but as its 3yrs old, it chews through battery (even after a factory reset) and the UI sometimes lags/stutters. I'm looking into purchasing a 2014 flagship, and looking for your advice. As a daily driver, which phone would you recommend? The phone will be used for social media, email checking and an occasional photo/video (would still like to have a good camera). Smoothness of the UI and app performance is also important.

Max $520, and will probably be buying through a grey seller like T-Dimension or DWI.

Thanks

Poll Options

  • 14
    LG G3
  • 7
    Oneplus One
  • 2
    Oppo Find 7a
  • 0
    Oppo R7
  • 6
    Samsung Galaxy S5
Mobile

Comments

  • ozhunter on 13/09/2015 - 00:35

    Note 4

  • [Deactivated] on 13/09/2015 - 00:37

    S5 obviously

    • Dennis3003 on 13/09/2015 - 00:42

      I aswell have begun to lean towards the S5, but then I see the LG G3 and Oneplus One are cheaper.

  • steff on 13/09/2015 - 00:38

    If you're happy with your S3, why not try rooting it with Cyanogenmod? Many who've done it claim an increase in battery life and speed

    • Dennis3003 on 13/09/2015 - 00:41

      Not to comfortable with rooting and ROMS (in the world of Android, I'm a noob with rooting and ROMS). I've looked at installing cyanogenmod using the installer (app on phone and pc), but if stuff hits the fan, you can't go back unless you have custom recovery (Noob at custom recovery stuff too).

      • steff on 13/09/2015 - 00:45
        +1

        I get what you're saying, but honestly it isnt hard at all. Just a matter of following each step carefully like in this guide but for the right version of your S3 obviously.

        Think of it as testing the waters. If it does go south for some reason, no harm done since you're looking to get a new phone anyway

        • Dennis3003 on 13/09/2015 - 00:46

          I guess so.

        • steff on 13/09/2015 - 00:47

          @Dennis3003: on the bright side, if it does go well, you just saved yourself 500 bucks :)

        • Dennis3003 on 13/09/2015 - 00:54

          @steff: What are the chances of something going wrong if installing using the official Cyanogenmod app?

        • steff on 13/09/2015 - 01:00

          @Dennis3003: almost none; if you pick the right installation package for your phone's model (specific S3 model) and follow the instructions I linked to earlier, it should be a piece of cake

      • iridiumstem on 13/09/2015 - 10:26

        Odin pretty much allows you to fix things easily, doesn't it?
        It's very easy and it can make your phone feel like a new one. I'd recommend doing it along with replacing the battery since batteries are expected to be replaced once every 12 months or so.

        Also, after rooting, you will be able to control apps that runs on the background more, so you can use that to your advantage for better battery life.

  • Axelstrife on 13/09/2015 - 01:15

    Note 3 while not a 2014 flagship id say it's better then all those listed.
    id say note 4 but i just checked prices and there too high

    s5 lags ive used a few of those and all those UI's lag
    and i had an LG G3 and Ive found it annoying when the phone itself gets too hot it limits the screen brightness plus it gets warm from very little use.

    • Dennis3003 on 13/09/2015 - 01:43

      Will consider it.

  • bryanang on 13/09/2015 - 02:19

    LG G4 goes pretty cheap now
    Oneplus One/2 still good chooices
    Z3 compact if u fancy smaller size/ultra long battery life/waterproof combo
    I never liked samsung due to poor UI, but feels better on current S6 (not in your budget of course =p )
    If you don't mind used phone, iPhone 6 is going to depreciate significantly in next few weeks.

    I had Oneplus One for past 1 year and has been serving me well. Battery is great- 70% by the end of 10+ hour shift, 50% by bed time, decent performance, decent screen, and good overall value.
    My sight complain camera- slow and quality not as good as other current flagships, and size a tad larger than I'd like.

    • Dennis3003 on 13/09/2015 - 10:52

      LG G4 and Oneplus 2 are out of price range, as well as the Z3.

      Considering the Oneplus One. I don't take pictures/videos often, but I guess the camera will do.

  • heartychat on 13/09/2015 - 09:11

    I'd get the Moto G 2015 which is coming shortly to Australia

  • terrys on 13/09/2015 - 09:29

    At three years old, it's probably not as much chewing through the battery, as the battery is running out of puff! Take it out, put it on a flat surface, then flick one corner and see if you can get it to spin.
    A big power drain on the galaxy nexus/2/3's is sync, knock that of and see what happens.
    A genuine Samsung charging kit with a small portrait/landscape dock and new 2100mAh will set you back A$49, but tho the photo is black, they only have white.
    http://www.samsung.com/au/consumer/mobile-phone/accessories/…

    I won't mention the "K" word in case sensitive souls are reading, but he will give you a battery only for A$39. Yatango want $25.

  • Ayanami on 13/09/2015 - 10:14

    I'm quite happy with my Xperia Z3; battery life is amazing.

    • Dennis3003 on 13/09/2015 - 10:50

      Out of price range.

  • spacebanana on 13/09/2015 - 10:17

    I got an s5 off gumtree for 300 6 months ago, has treated me very well! I bought it as an interim phone for travelling but I have held onto it as I cant fault it.

    • Dennis3003 on 13/09/2015 - 10:51

      Looking for brand new.

  • altomic on 13/09/2015 - 10:24

    $520 will get you a high spec'd China droid with some change.

    Plenty of excellent phones out there.

    Or less than half the price : lenovo k3 note. I'm hanging out for mine to arrive. ETA: this week.

    • Dennis3003 on 13/09/2015 - 10:50

      Not really interested in a China droid.

  • iridiumstem on 13/09/2015 - 12:19

    Galaxy S4 i9506? Has Snapdragon 800 on it, which is fairly comparable to 801.
    LG G2 has Snapdragon 800 and it's fairly cheap, but looking at the fiasco it's going through in Korea, I don't think I can recommend it.

    The screen on G2 dies randomly after 1 year point without any physical damages to the screen, which has gotten KCA (Korean Consumer Agency) investigating. LG Electronics is providing free screen replacement as a result in Korea.

    www.sisaweek.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=50931
    http://www.kca.go.kr/brd/m_32/view.do?seq=1878

    All in Korean (Couldn't find an article on this in English)

  • ShamelessBargains on 14/09/2015 - 07:38

    Htc One M8 is good choice if you want a fluid operating system and a sweet design. Seen them around $500 for Australian stock too.

  • klaw81 on 15/09/2015 - 11:23

    OnePlus One is the phone to beat in the "best value flagship" category, in my opinion.

    The S5 is hampered by Touchwiz and a side-by-side comparison of their performance makes the difference very obvious.

    Might be worth waiting to see what price the new Nexus 5 is….rumour has it there will be a budget version that's likely to be very good.

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