The top 5 smartphones of 2015
As the year draws to an end let’s look at some of the phones that were worth talking about in 2015:
1. Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge: The much anticipated phones from the Samsung brand arrived with a lot of excitement from Android fans, as the new devices in this range had a better front camera for the selfie-loving generation, came with the latest Android 5 (Lollipop) operating system running Material design, had a faster CPU than its predecessor, and looked very similar to the iPhone 6, which made it a competitor for users who like style more than functionality. It also came at quite a high price, which may have slowed its sales worldwide due to forex rates, resulting in Samsung reducing the price of the device later on in the year to make it slightly affordable. In Zambia the phone was initially trading for K6500 for the S6 and K7500 for the KS6 Edge with its curved edges. In good news for Samsung, the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge was named “Best Gadget” at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2015.
2. LG G4: A very square phone that looked very manly, with a 5.5 ” screen, snapdragon 808 processor with 3GB RAM. It runs on Android Lollipop with Optimus UX 4.0, and has a 16 MP rear and 8MP front camera. It was released in the UK for 500 pounds. It also has 32 GB inbuilt storage with a micro-SD slot. The most attractive thing about the LG G4 was its leather designed back, which also enabled a firm grip of the phablet. Many users were only disappointed that it didn’t come with water- and dust-proof capabilities.
3. HTC One A9: This phone looked like an iPhone 6 running Android, and many tech bloggers agree. It had its home button at the bottom of the screen, with the same vertical lines running through its design like it does in the iPhone 6. It comes with a 13MP camera. However it was much cheaper than the iPhone 6. It has a 3GB RAM and 16 or 32 GB storage variants, with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 octa-core processor.
4. One Plus Two: Released to compete with all the above at a very low price of $329 (pre-tax, for the 16GB), the One Plus Two was worth taking a look at. It runs on runs on Oxygen OS based on Android 5.1, has 16 or 64 GB variants, a 5.5″ screen, a 64 bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor. It has a 13MP rear and 5MP front camera, and has a 3000mAh battery non-removable battery. The biggest feature it had was its USB Type C port that can be used reversibly. The hassle with getting one was you had to go through an invitation process, like they did with the One Plus One.
5. Nokia 105: For $20, Microsoft targeted the very low-budget end of the market with this phone and though not as advanced as the 4 above, it’s a smartphone, able to do more than most low cost phones do. This was clearly targeted at emerging markets where mobile internet penetration is increasing at a fast pace, but with the population unable to afford to the very expensive brands out there. It has a dual SIM variant, comes with Nokia 30+ series, has space for 2000 contacts, a 4MB RAM and internal storage and a 1.4 inch screen. Not so smart, but smart enough to make it to our top 5.
We are so excited for 2016’s devices so keep your bookmarks tagged for our page 🙂