Five Best Alternatives to the iPhone 6
Words: Vincent Lim
Everyone’s got an iPhone nowadays, and that’s rather boring. One company having a monopoly on a product is never a good thing – quality goes, prices rise, and the gentleman consumer has no choice in the matter. The good news is however, that there are several promising alternatives to the ninth iteration of Steve Jobs’ world-beater. These are five of the very best.
Google Nexus 6
Google’s Nexus 5 impressed all critics with its stunning display and speedy, super reliable running, and it’s no surprise that its successor is tipped to challenge the iPhone 6 for the smartphone crown. The Nexus 6 will most likely be running Android’s newest mobile operating system, Android L, and unconfirmed leaks put the screen at a dazzling 2560 x 1440. Speculative reports of a 13MP camera and a fingerprint scanner to match other current generation smartphones make this a phone to watch. If the Nexus 5 is anything to go by, this will be an excellent phone, and most probably cheaper than Apple’s offering. The Android Twitter account may well have leaked an unconfirmed photo of the Nexus 6, but we may have to wait until its expected launch date in October.
Google Nexus 5, £299 from Google
HTC One M8
After having created what was called the ‘phone of the year’ in 2013, HTC have somehow managed to build on that success, recently releasing an absolutely brilliant piece of technology. Although an expensive phone, coming it at £550, it’s easy to see where that money will go, as this certainly may have the ability to dethrone the iPhone. Its 90% metal exterior is a masterpiece in design, whilst its Android interface runs beautifully. The ingenious micro SD slot also means you can increase storage by up to 128GB. Take a bite out of that, Apple.
HTC One M8, £549.99 from HTC
Samsung Galaxy S6
Reports are saying it’s very unlikely to be arriving this year and so won’t pose a direct challenge to the iPhone 6 in its infancy, but the Galaxy S6 is undoubtedly going to be one to watch. Whilst a lot of this information is rather speculative, reports are suggesting that the chassis will be made of metal, a welcome change from the poor plastic build quality of the Galaxy S5. The camera is expected to at least match the 16MP of its predecessor, but could potentially reach a tasty 20MP; in terms of displays, if Samsung decide to use the Snapdragon 810 processor as they’re rumoured to be, we could see a screen with an unprecedented 4K display, although that’s unlikely. A gentleman can dream, after all.
Samsung Galaxy S5, £549 from Samsung
LG G3
Like the HTC, this is a phone that’s only recently been released, and so its successor is unlikely to pose any early challenge to the iPhone 6. Its breathtaking QHD screen packs in 3.1 million pixels compared to the already impressive Samsung Galaxy S5’s 2 million, and the LG’s metallic frame has also been earning it a fair bit of praise for its aesthetics. The issue that many have with it however, is that the G3 feels too light and a tad too cheap to be a real competitor, but there’s no doubt that this is an excellent smartphone.
LG G3, £439.99 from Amazon
Sony Xperia Z3
With the Xperia Z2’s launch a few months ago now, and Sony rumoured to be pursuing a 6 month product cycle for their flagship items, the Xperia Z3 is expected to be coming to a shop near you in September. If it’s anything like its predecessor, we’re in for a treat. Continuing in the same stylish manner as the Z2, the Sony Xperia Z3 is rumoured to be super thin, only measuring a impressive 7mm. An improvement on the marvellous 20.7MP camera would just be spoiling us.
Sony Xperia Z2, £499 from Sony
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