Best smartphones to look forward to in 2014

1.Samsung Galaxy S5 Prime/LTE-A/Galaxy F



When the SGS5 (pictured) launched, there was a sharp exhalation as a slew of expected spec points weren't met. Enter the Samsung Galaxy S5 Prime, stage left.Rumours have started circulating of a second, higher-spec, Samsung Galaxy S5, known as Prime. This model claims to have a metal back, but critically take the display up in resolution to 2560 x 1440 pixels, as found on the recently-announced LG G3.Well the SGS5 Prime didn't launch, but the Samsung Galaxy S5 LTE-A did. It's a handset that goes some of the way towards stepping Sammy's models upwards. The name puts an emphasis on the fast data connection, but it does have that 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution display on it.
It also has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 chipset, so is likely to be an incremental step faster than current devices, but it isn't quite the Prime people were hoping for - there's no metal back, for example. Prime or Galaxy F remains a pipe dream for now, while the SGS5 LTE-A remains a Korean exclusive device.


2. APPLE IPHONE 6





There's little to nothing that we know about the iPhone 6, except that there will be one, or two. Following Apple's patterns of iPhone naming, the next iteration of device should take the name up to iPhone 6, and we should be looking at a new design to move beyond that of the iPhone 5 family.There's rumour of two devices, one measuring 4.7-inches and one at 5.5-inches. There's little to substantiate these claims, except for some leaked case shots, which are still a little suspect.However, the chap who has leaked a number of recent devices - popstar Jimmy Lin - has just posted pictures of what he claims is the iPhone 6 on his Weibo page. We're inclined to believe it.
What also know that the iPhone 6 will launch with iOS 8, previewed at WWDC 2014, bringing with it a whole new range of features, like enhanced notifications and widgets, support for third-party keyboards and more functions for Siri.The iPhone 6 launch is likely to be in October 2014 if Apple sticks to its release cycle. But unlike other manufacturers, Apple tends to stay on top of leaks, so you're likely to be in for a long wait before there's anything solid to go on.



3.Sony Xperia Z3






That's right, there's a Sony Xperia Z3 in the works, as Sony Mobile continues its aggressive march towards smartphone supremacy.Appearing in a leaked photo, claiming to be Sony's next-gen smartphone, there's little to go on by way of specs, but there's expected to be a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 chipset with 3GB of RAM.
We'd be surprised if Sony didn't stick to the 20.7-megapixel camera, but we'd guess that the aim would be to try to reduce the bezel slightly, to result in a device that's a little more manageable.
Previously Sony has launched devices at IFA 2014 in Berlin, so we can expect to hear something in early September.


4.Nokia Lumia 930




There's a new Nokia kid on the block called the Lumia 930, offering a global model of the Lumia Icon. It has a 5-inch display, in a premium design, pitched at the high end and announced at Build 2014.There's a 2.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor and 2GB of RAM at the heart, meaning this should be slick and fast, no matter what you ask it to do.There's a 20-megapixel PureView camera on the rear and you'll also get Windows Phone 8.1 out of the box.It's expected to arrive in June and promises to be the hottest Windows Phone yet.


5.Google Project Ara





Created by Motorola, and now shifted over to Google after the sale of Motorola to Lenovo, Project Ara isn't due to early 2015 but is essentially an exoskeleton that allows users to modify what parts they want. That way someone that wants to spend the bulk of their budget on the camera, but doesn't need as much storage, can chose to upgrade that way. Perhaps one person will skip NFC in favour of faster 802.11ac Wi-Fi, for example.There should also be third party components on offer that will allow for competitive pricing as well as new types of parts - like sensors. A person with diabetes may want a blood sugar sensor where another may not.Users can also looks forward to different texture options that they can 3D print off at home themselves. The speed this phone can develop at, without costing us as much, is very exciting indeed.