Best Android smartphones for work and play (November 2015 edition)

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  • Google Nexus 6P

    Google Nexus 6P

    The Nexus 6P is an odd beast indeed. From a tech point of view it's a powerhouse, with its sharp display and powerful Snapdragon 810 processor. But the exterior is something that might not appeal to all - it's bulky and top-heavy and the fingerprint reader is placed in an odd spot.

    It also ditches the much-loved wireless charging feature.

    Tech spec:

    • Android 6.0 (Marshmallow)
    • 5.7-inch 1440 x 2560 pixels AMOLED multi-touch display
    • Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 MSM8994 with Adreno 430
    • 3GB of RAM
    • 12.3-megapixel rear camera
    • 8-megapixel front camera
    • Non-user-replaceable 3450mAh Li-Ion battery
    • Colors: Aluminum, Graphite, Frost.

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • Google Nexus 6P

    Google Nexus 6P

    For more information, along with pricing on various carriers, read the CNET review of the Google Nexus 6P here.

    Photo by: Josh Miller/CNET

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • LG V10

    LG V10

    An Android handset that has, given what users tell me, everything that an Android handset needs. It has a powerful processor, sharp display, user-replaceable battery and a microSD card slot.

    It also has some gimmicks, such as two front-facing cameras and a secondary display at the top of the main display.

    Tech spec:

    • Android 5.1.1 (Lollipop)
    • 5.7-inch 1440 x 2560 pixels IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen display
    • Qualcomm MSM8992 Snapdragon 808 with Adreno 418
    • 4GB of RAM
    • 16-megapixel rear camera
    • Dual 5-megapixel front camera
    • User-replaceable 3000mAh Li-Ion battery
    • Colors: Space Black, Luxe White, Modern Beige, Ocean Blue, Opal Blue.

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • LG V10

    LG V10

    For more information, along with pricing on various carriers, read the CNET review of the LG V10 here.

    Photo by: Josh Miller/CNET

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • Samsung Galaxy Note 5

    Samsung Galaxy Note 5

    The new kid on the block. A powerhouse of an Android handset, but with a price tag to match. Excellent quality components and construction – just don't insert the stylus into it the wrong way!

    Tech spec:

    • Android 5.1.1 (Lollipop)
    • 5.7 inch 1440 x 2560 pixel Quad HD Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen display featuring Corning Gorilla Glass 4
    • Quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 with quad-core 2.1 GHz Cortex-A57
    • 4GB of RAM
    • 32/64GB of storage
    • Fingerprint sensor
    • Non-removable Li-Ion 3000 mAh battery
    • 16-megapixel rear-facing camera with optical image stabilization
    • 5-megapixel front-facing camera
    • Wireless charging support
    • Color options: Black Sapphire, Gold Platinum, Silver Titan, White Pearl

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • Samsung Galaxy Note 5

    Samsung Galaxy Note 5

    For more information, along with pricing on various carriers, read the CNET review of the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 here.

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • Samsung Galaxy Note 5

    Samsung Galaxy Note 5

    The signature S Pen has a whole new design featuring a solid and sleek metallic finish.

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • Samsung Galaxy Note 5

    Samsung Galaxy Note 5

    The Galaxy Note 5 is exceptionally well made, and the engineering and finish is second to none.

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • Motorola Moto G (late 2015)

    Motorola Moto G (late 2015)

    Not the most powerful handset by far, but probably one of the best handsets for the money, doubly so given that you can buy it unlocked for under $200.

    Tech specs:

    • Android 5.1.1 (Lollipop)
    • 5.0 inch 720 x 1280 pixel IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen featuring Corning Gorilla Glass 3
    • Quad-core Snapdragon 410 with 1.4 GHz Cortex-A53 with Adreno 306 GPU
    • 1GB of RAM in the 8GB storage version, 2GB in the 16GB storage version
    • 8/16GB of storage
    • Non-removable Li-Ion 2470 mAh battery
    • 13-megapixel rear-facing camera
    • 5-megapixel front-facing camera
    • Micro SD card support
    • IPX7 certified - water resistant up to 1 meter for 30 minutes
    • Color options: Black and White, but with many accent and trim options

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • Motorola Moto G (late 2015)

    Motorola Moto G (late 2015)

    For more information, along with pricing on various carriers, read the CNET review of the Motorola Moto G here.

    Photo by: Sarah Tew/CNET

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge

    Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge

    Tech spec:

    • Android 5.0.2 (Lollipop), upgrades depend on carrier
    • 5.1 inch 1440 x 2560 pixel curved-edge Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen display featuring Corning Gorilla Glass 4
    • Corning Gorilla Glass 4 back panel
    • Octa-core Exynos 7420 CPU with Mali-T760MP8 GPU
    • 3GB of RAM
    • Non-removable Li-Ion 2550 mAh battery
    • 16-megapixel rear-facing camera with optical image stabilization
    • 5-megapixel front-facing camera
    • Fingerprint sensor
    • Wireless charging support
    • Color options: Gold Platinum, White Pearl, Black Sapphire and Green Emerald

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge

    Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge

    For more information, along with pricing on various carriers, read the CNET review of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge here.

    Photo by: CBS Interactive

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • Samsung Galaxy S6

    Samsung Galaxy S6

    Tech spec:

    • Android 5.0.2 (Lollipop), upgrades depend on carrier
    • 5.1 inch 1440 x 2560 pixel Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen display featuring Corning Gorilla Glass 4
    • Corning Gorilla Glass 4 back panel
    • Octa-core Exynos 7420 CPU with Mali-T760MP8 GPU
    • 3GB of RAM
    • Non-removable Li-Ion 2550 mAh battery
    • 16-megapixel rear-facing camera with optical image stabilization
    • 5-megapixel front-facing camera
    • Fingerprint sensor
    • Wireless charging support
    • Color options: Gold Platinum, White Pearl, Black Sapphire and Blue Topaz

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • Samsung Galaxy S6

    Samsung Galaxy S6

    The Samsung Galaxy S6 is not a small handset. In fact, it's quite a handful, as most modern smartphones are these days.

    For more information, along with pricing on various carriers, read the CNET review of the Samsung Galaxy S6 here.

    Photo by: Josh Miller/CNET

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • HTC One M9

    HTC One M9

    Tech spec:

    • Android 5.0 (Lollipop), upgrades depend on carrier
    • 5.0 inch 1080 x 1920 pixel Super LCD3 capacitive display featuring Corning Gorilla Glass 4
    • Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 CPU with Adreno 430
    • 3GB of RAM
    • Non-removable Li-Po 2840 mAh battery
    • 20-megapixel rear-facing camera
    • 4-megapixel front-facing camera
    • FM radio
    • Quick Charge support
    • Colors: Gunmetal Gray, Amber Gold, Silver/Rose gold, Gold/Pink

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • HTC One M9

    HTC One M9

    For more information, along with pricing on various carriers, read the CNET review of the HTC One M9 here.

    Photo by: Andrew Hoyle/CNET

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • HTC One M9

    HTC One M9

    One of the color options for the HTC One M9.

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • LG G4

    LG G4

    Tech spec:

    • Android 5.1 (Lollipop), upgrades depend on carrier
    • 5.5 inch 1440 x 2560 pixel PS LCD capacitive display featuring Corning Gorilla Glass 3
    • Hexa-core Qualcomm 808 CPU with Adreno 418 GPU
    • 3GB of RAM
    • Removable Li-Ion 3000 mAh battery
    • 16-megapixel rear-facing camera with optical image stabilization
    • 8-megapixel front-facing camera
    • FM radio
    • Wireless charging support
    • Colors: Grey, White, Gold, Leather Black, Leather Brown, Leather Red

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • LG G4

    LG G4

    For more information, along with pricing on various carriers, read the CNET review of the LG G4 here.

    Photo by: Andrew Hoyle/CNET

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • LG G4

    LG G4

    The LG G4 is the only handset features to have a removable battery.

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime

    Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime

    A cheaper "feature" version of the Galaxy S6 (around $200 compared to $600), with a specific focus on the cameras and LTE.

    Tech spec:

    • Android 4.4.4 (KitKat)
    • 5.0-inch 540 x 960 pixels capacitive-touch TFT
    • Qualcomm MSM8916 Snapdragon 410 with Adreno 306
    • 1GB of RAM
    • 8-megapixel rear camera
    • 5-megapixel front camera
    • Dual-SIM
    • User-replaceable 2600mAh Li-Ion battery
    • Colors: White, Gray, Gold.

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime

    Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime

    For more information, along with pricing on various carriers, read the CNET review of the Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime here.

    Photo by: James Martin/CNET

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

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Motorola Moto G (late 2015)

Not the most powerful handset by far, but probably one of the best handsets for the money, doubly so given that you can buy it unlocked for under $200.

Tech specs:

  • Android 5.1.1 (Lollipop)
  • 5.0 inch 720 x 1280 pixel IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen featuring Corning Gorilla Glass 3
  • Quad-core Snapdragon 410 with 1.4 GHz Cortex-A53 with Adreno 306 GPU
  • 1GB of RAM in the 8GB storage version, 2GB in the 16GB storage version
  • 8/16GB of storage
  • Non-removable Li-Ion 2470 mAh battery
  • 13-megapixel rear-facing camera
  • 5-megapixel front-facing camera
  • Micro SD card support
  • IPX7 certified - water resistant up to 1 meter for 30 minutes
  • Color options: Black and White, but with many accent and trim options

Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

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