SMARTPHONES

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HTC Desire 826

Whether it gets a wider release beyond Asia is unknown right now, but the Desire 826 takes the mid-range to new heights with a 5.5-inch 1080p display, a 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 chipset, Boomsoundspeakers, a 13-megapixel camera, and a UltraPixel selfie-cam on the front. It’s a sleek design wrapped around some decent hardware and it comes with the latest and greatest Android 5.0 Lollipop. If the price is right, it’s going to spark a lot of interest.

LG G Flex 2

Honestly, this is as close as CES 2015 gets to a genuine flagship release from a major Android player. LG’s curved smartphone improves on last year’s G Flex in every way. From the top-of-the-line Snapdragon 810 processor to the 5.5-inch 1080p screen, this is a classy release. Throw in a stunning, feature-packed 13-megapixel camera, a huge, fast-charging 3,000mAh battery, and Android 5.0 Lollipop, and you have yourself the first irresistible Android of the year. It’s also definitely landing in the States with AT&T.

Asus Zenfone 2

Here’s a beast in the power stakes offered in two varieties, with a 64-bit Intel Atom processor clocked at 1.8GHz or 2.3GHz. It also boasts 4GB of RAM and a whopping 3,000mAh battery. There’s an impressive-sounding 13-megapixel camera with a f/2.0 aperture lens and a 5-megapixel selfie-cam. It runs the latest Android 5.0 with a fully customizable Asus skin on top.

Asus Zenfone Zoom

If the camera is what you look for first on your smartphone then this one might interest you. It features a 13-megapixel sensor with 3x optical zoom, a 10-element lens, laser auto-focus, and optical image stabilization. It also has a 5.5-inch 1080p display and runs Android 5.0. At $400, it could prove tempting for budding photographers.

Blu Vivo Air

The impossibly slim Vivo Air is the headline release from budget smartphone manufacturer Blu. It is just 5.1mm thick and feather-light at under 100g. Specs-wise, there’s a 4.8-inch Super AMOLED with a 1,280 x 720 pixel resolution, a 1.7GHz octa-core processor, an 8-megapixel main camera, and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. Sounds like a lot of phone for $200.

Lenovo Vibe X2 Pro

Here’s a svelte mid-ranger that takes the selfie-cam trend to new heights. The Vibe X2 Pro is packing a 5.3-inch 1080p display, 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, and matching 13-megapixel cameras front and back. It runs Android 5.0 Lollipop and only costs $400. It may not break China’s borders, though, especially now that Lenovo owns Motorola.

Lenovo P90

The P90 combines Intel’s 64-bit 1.8Ghz quad-core Atom chip with 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, and a 13-megapixel camera. It also supports the latest LTE-Advanced for lightning speeds where the network supports them (which isn’t many places right now). The front-facing camera drops to 5-megapixels, but there’s also an enormous 4,000mAh battery. It’s the first phone to sport this Intel processor and that might account for the extra big battery. This one costs $500, but it won’t be sold in the US.

Tonino Lamborghini 88 Tauri

No amount of calfskin leather, gold, and Lamborghini glass is going to justify the $6,000 price tag on this one, but it’s for people with more money than sense. You might expect cutting edge specs, but you’d be disappointed. There’s a 5-inch 1080p display, 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor, 3GB of RAM, and a 3,400mAh battery. The cameras are rated at 20 megapixels for the back and 8 megapixels for the front. That’s good, but not $6K good. It is impressively ugly, though.

Saygus V2

If your major bugaboo about modern smartphones is a lack of storage then get ready to be very excited. The Saygus V2 offers a maximum of 320GB of storage, via 64GB of internal storage and two microSD card slots that support up to 128GB each. Beyond that, it has a 5-inch 1080p display, a Snapdragon 801 processor clocked at 2.5GHz, 3GB of RAM, and an impressive 21-megapixel back camera and 13-megapixel front camera combo.Are you impressed yet? What if we told you it was waterproof, lined with Kevlar, and has a fingerprint scanner? There’s also a 3,100mAh battery that supports wireless charging and front-facing Harman Kardon speakers. Not to mention the 60Ghz Wi-Fi. You may emit a slight sigh of disappointment when you discover it runs Android 4.4.4, but there’s plenty to be impressed about. We expect a flagship price tag to match the specs.

Worth-able Mentions

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Worth-able Mentions

Kodak IM5

Acer Liquid Jade S Acer Liquid Z410

Briggs & Spriggs Boss Phone

Alcatel OneTouch Pixi 3

Archos 50 Diamond

HTC Desire 320

ZTE Grand X Max+ ZTE Star 2

THANK YOU!

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