The votes have been counted, it’s time for the winners!! Throughout this week, we’ll be announcing the results across all 10 categories in the 2014 Lifehacker Awards. The first category up is best smartphone. It was a closely-fought battle, and the winner is . . .
Readers’ Choice: Nexus 5
It’s far from the newest or most powerful phone on our list of finalists, but clearly the Nexus 5’s crapware-free approach — regular updates direct from Google, no unwanted software you’ll never use — strikes a chord. The fact that it’s substantially more affordable than most of its rivals undoubtedly played a part as well.
Editor’s Pick: Galaxy Note 4
In a year which saw excellent new models from most providers, I figure the only honest way to pull out an editor’s pick is to go with the phone I actually use day-to-day — and that’s the Galaxy Note 4. As I learned during my recent Note 4 Roadtrip, it’s a properly powerful piece of gear. But I have to give an honourable mention to the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, which saw a level of excitement over iDevices we haven’t experienced since the original iPhone 3G.
Thanks everyone for voting! Keep checking back throughout the week for more winners.
Comments
8 responses to “Lifehacker Awards 2014: Best Smartphone”
Galaxy Note 4? Give me a break. The Nexus and dare I say it iPhone 6 were both better than the Note 4.
Pft.. Thats like giving the best Hamburger award to McDonalds..
For REAL innovation – Sony has been the biggest innovator of 2014 in terms of Smartphones
Give me a samsung that has a IP8 for Dust and water.
Give me an Iphone thats not $1000 for the specs of a 2012 Phone
Give me a Nexus thats got a 20.7MP Camera with VR and Remote Play on a PS4
Yeah…
Was hoping I could get a recommendation for an upgrade of my Nexus 5 here – it’s a 2013 phone.
Oneplus One, easily the best value around at the top end.
HTC One M8. It’s got a 5″ screen, minimal bloat, and is blazing fast. I did some careful research before I bought mine. It’s totally usable as a phone/SMS tool, and as a pocket computer it hits the sweet spot.
Although I didnt vote, if I did, it would definately be the Nexus 5. Taking it out of its case the other day and just admiring its design and feel in my hand. For the price, the performance and overall usability of the phone is just amazing. I could not imagine swapping it out for anything else, not even the Nexus 6 which would probably be too large to hold in one hand comfortably.
Arguably the best tech reviewer did the work for you…
incorrect, the following bloatware cannot be uninstalled without root
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