The smartphone industry witnessed a lot of action since the beginning of the year and the recently-held MWC event in Barcelona, Spain, was the icing on the cake as some of the best upcoming handsets of the year were introduced there.
Some of the big names in the smartphone market are already involved with major top-level handsets that are present all around us. Apart from companies like Samsung and Apple, new and less-fancied names have also taken a centre-stage.
However, with 2015 well and truly set on its course, we are taking a look at few handsets that, we believe, will keep making news throughout the year. Hence, here are the six smartphones that, according to us, are expected to make an influential mark on the industry this year:
HTC One M9
HTC seems to have done a great job with the recently-revealed One M9 handset. HTC has been slowly clawing its self back into the cut-throat smartphone wars, a proof of which could be obtained from the previously-released and widely-acclaimed HTC One M8. The One M8 was a brilliant handset, both in terms of power and looks, and the One M9 is now looking to build upon its success. Almost everything about the new HTC One M9 screams improvement over the One M7 and One M8, alongside its improved two-tone color metal and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor to power things up.
Motorola Moto X (2014)
The second generation Moto X is Motorola's way of trying to amend things that might have gone wrong with the earlier version of the same handset, released a year ago. The new Moto X version is cheaper and carries many of the same features and design traits that had worked so well before. As far as upgrades are concerned, the new Moto X comes with a bigger, higher-resolution display. Also, this is coupled by a faster processor, premium metal frame, and an improved software. The Moto X (2014) comes with 5.2 inch 1080p display that fits well in the hand and pockets, while the Snapdragon 801 and 2GB RAM keep things powered up. The 2300 mAh battery should also suffice most.
Samsung Galaxy S6 (S6 Edge)
Coming out of the Samsung camp are two new Samsung Galaxy handsets, the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 Edge. Needless to say, Samsung has a lot riding on both the new handsets, and after Apple presented both of its new iPhones to the world, a sort of response was anyway expected from the South Korean handset-maker. The Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge come powered by Samsung's Exynos octa-core processor with 3GB of RAM and 32GB/64GB/128GB internal storage options to choose from. The handsets also offer 16 megapixel camera and 5.1 inch Super AMOLED 2560 x 1440 pixel display.
Google Nexus 6
Each year, Google releases a brand new Nexus handset. And 2014 wasn't any different with the company officially taking the veils off the new Nexus 6. Sure, the Nexus 6 was a considerable upgrade from the Nexus handsets of the yesteryear, but there was still something lacking about the smartphones that didn't really leverage its prominence in a way the company would have liked. Nonetheless, since it is a Nexus handset, it will never move into oblivion, especially with the specifications the handset is carrying inside. The Nexus 6 comes with a big 5.92-inch 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution display. It is powered by a Snapdragon 805 processor, offers 3GB of RAM and is available in 32/64 GB internal storage variants. The handset also sports a large 3900 mAh battery, a 20-megapixel camera, Qi wireless charging, and water resistance.
LG G Flex 2
That LG is having a tough time getting around its more-fancied industry rivals in the market shouldn't take away anything from the fact that the company's G Flex 2 handset is a treat to use. It's a premier smartphone and, hence, will cost a mini fortune. However, going by the kind of specifications the handset holds inside, the pricing should be justified. Coming as a considerable upgrade over the previous G Flex handset, the G Flex 2 sports a 5.5-inch 1080p display. It runs on the latest Android Lollipop, has a 13 megapixel camera and offers quite the massive 3000 mAh battery. There's also the Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor that's powering the handset from inside.
Apple iPhone 6
There's no question about it as Apple still continues to claim a major share of the market and crowd popularity with the recently-released iPhone 6. We might as well include the iPhone 6 Plus into this piece since both of them sport the same kind of specifications, barring the difference in size, battery capacity, and optical image stabilization in the camera. The iPhone 6 comes with a 4.7-inch screen with 750 x 1334 pixels(326 ppi pixel density) LED-backlit IPS LCD, capacitive touchscreen and 16M colours. The handset runs on iOS 8, although it is upgradable to iOS 8.1.2, and is clocked by a Dual-core 1.4 GHz Cyclone (ARM v8-based). It has a Apple A8 chipset along with PowerVR GX6450 (quad-core graphics) for graphics. It also has a 8MP rear camera with an 1.2 MP front shooter, and is powered by a non-removable Li-Po 1810 mAh battery.
