Best Smartphones of 2015

With 2015 coming to an end, I thought I'll sum up the year by choosing a couple of my favourite devices this year.

Nexus 5X vs Moto X Style vs Nexus 6P

I started out wanting to do a comparison between the Nexus 5X against the Moto X Style. But while the Moto X Style’s price tag might seem a tad closer to the Nexus 5X rather than the Nexus 6P, the Moto X Style’s built quality and size is actually better compared to the Nexus 6P’s more premium feel. So in the end, I decided on a three-way instead.

Motorola Moto X Style (Pure Edition) - BLTN

The 3rd generation Moto X, or Style, or Pure Edition, didn’t really pique my interest when it was announced. It didn’t have any new innovative features like past Moto X series of devices, and from what I can tell, it is meant to be a bang for the buck phone with good, but not great specifications. Which is part of the reason why it took so long for me to get hold of the phone to try out.

BlackBerry Priv First Impressions

The BlackBerry Priv has been officially announced in Singapore yesterday evening. I was able to get my hands on a unit to play with at the launch event, and would like to share my initial impressions of the device with you guys.

Nexus 6P vs Note 5: No Losers Here

The Huawei-made Nexus 6p, and the Samsung-made Galaxy Note 5 are two of the best Android smartphone/phablet I have used to date. Both of them are similar in size and specifications as well, so a comparison between those two is pretty much inevitable, so lets do it.

Nexus 6P Review

Every year, the most highly anticipated Android smartphone for Android fans is undoubtedly the Nexus. The unadulterated Android experience, as Google intended it to be. This year however, we got 2 Nexus smartphones to deal with. The first being the Nexus 5X which I had a quick look at earlier on, and the other being the bigger, and more premium looking Nexus 6P. So without further ado, let’s talk about the Nexus 6P.

Quick Look at the OnePlus X

I have never been a fan of OnePlus as a company. First of all, their marketing, and invitation system stinks of bovine manure. While technically useful in a variety of applications, it's still pretty revolting to be around it. Secondly, I don't think their phones are very interesting. Their past 2 “flagship killer” devices brought knives to a gunfight. A cheaper weapon of choice, but not quite as deadly. Thirdly, their slogan “Never Settle”, cannot be any more untrue if you look at their products.

The only reason I got this OPX (OnePlus X) was because a friend of mine bought one, and I swapped my Moto X Play over with him so we could try both devices.

After just 30 minutes, there were only 2 words in my head, “holey sheet!”.

Quick Look at the Lenovo Moto X Play

The Moto X Play is Lenovo’s new mid-range offering, sitting between the Moto X Style, and the Moto G. The name Moto X Play suggests that this should be closer to its larger and pricier kin, but does it really live up to the Moto X name?

The short version? Nope. 

For the long version? Keep reading.

Quick Thoughts On The Nexus 5X

I did not set out to get the Nexus 5X actually. I wanted the 6P because it was the more interesting device of the two. However, I was given the opportunity to give the Nexus 5X a short test. So here are some quick thoughts on the device.

Samsung Gear S2 Review: On the Right Track

Samsung has been going at it in the wearables game for a while now, and their past attempts has been somewhat underwhelming. With the Gear S2, they finally have a watch that I think is at least worth checking out.

Sony Xperia Z5 Review: Same Same, But Different

Yup, you read it right. Yet another Sony Z-series flagship phone review. In case you have forgotten, here's a quick reminder. While the Xperia Z3+ was announced in late May (if you don't count the Z4), the phone only arrived in Singapore early July. So after just little over 3 months, I now have the Xperia Z5 in my hands. And nope, I have no idea what the folks over at Sony were smoking.

Apple iPhone 6S Review: Here we go again

This is the best iPhone to date. The end. 

This is how one does a new iPhone review isn't it? But really, do you need a review to tell you that Apple has the ability to make iteratively better products at this point in time?

Quick Thoughts on the Samsung Galaxy Note 5

For the past couple of years, I have been making the same “Pen is mightier than finger” joke at Samsung’s Note series. The fact is, ever since the Note 3 was announced with a new suite of S-Pen features, that statement above has held true. The precise S-Pen is indeed more powerful than our big fat blunt fingertips.

Why I think Google Acquired Agawi

It has been a while since news broke that Google had quietly acquired Agawi, a company focused on low-latency streaming of apps from the cloud to mobile devices last year. I actually started to draft this over a month ago when the news just broke, but never got around to finishing it... until now.

Samsung Bringing the Fight to Xiaomi

The Samsung Galaxy A8 was officially launched in Singapore over the weekend, and to me, it is the strongest punch that Samsung has thrown towards Xiaomi thus far...

Samsung Galaxy Alpha - BLTN

Hot on the heels of the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact's BLTN (Better Late Than Never) review, comes another BLTN review of another compact smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Alpha. Other than just being a compact smartphone that doesn't compromise too much on specifications, the aptly named Galaxy Alpha also marked a new beginning for Samsung Galaxy devices as a whole. Which is why I think it deserves a post of its own.

Sony Xperia Z3 Compact - BLTN

When I go back to try older devices, I don't always do a BLTN (Better Late Than Never) review of them. While some of them may still be viable alternatives, many of them has been reviewed to death already by review sites. Some of them have already been replaced by a newer and better model, and others that are just not that interesting at all. But this is special though. This is one of those rare devices that took the path less travelled. This is one of those rare devices that I just had to write about despite its age (in tech years).

Why BlackBerry with Android makes sense to me.

(Photoshopped image)

Let's talk BlackBerry. Rumours and leaks recently have pointed towards BlackBerry devices running Android. While some may be wondering why they even bother, I am sitting here thinking of reasons why BlackBerry should do it.

Quick Thoughts on the Sony Xperia Z3+

The Sony Xperia Z3+ is probably one of the devices that I am least excited about this year, seeing that it is a pretty minor bump over the Xperia Z3. Nonetheless, I got my hands on one on launch day, and would like to share some of my quick thoughts on the device.

Quick Thoughts on the Microsoft Lumia 640

It has been a while since I have tried a new Windows Phone device, so why not. Here are my quick thoughts on the Microsoft Lumia 640, after spending a bit of time with it.

Quick Thoughts on the LG G4

The LG G4 with its much touted camera capabilities is a device I have been looking forward to trying out. With the device now officially released in Singapore, I got my hands on one, and would like to share some of my thoughts on the device after spending a bit of time with it.

Quick Thoughts on the Asus ZenFone 2

The ZenFone 2 is perhaps one of the more interesting device released this year. It is one of the handful of smartphones in the market with 4GB of RAM, and the first one to be released in Singapore. I got my hands on one, and would like to share some of my thoughts on the devices after using it for a short period of time as my daily driver.

Quick Thoughts on the Xiaomi Mi 4i

The Mi 4i was officially launched in Singapore on the 12th of May, at just S$279. I managed to get my hands on one, and would like to share some quick thoughts on the device after spending a bit of time with it as my daily driver.

Moto E LTE (2nd Generation)

I recently got my hands on the 2nd generation Motorola Moto E, and I have to say, this is an impressive little device. In fact, I would probably go as far as calling it one of the most impressive device I have used this year.

HTC One M8 - After the One M9

After spending some time with the HTC One M9, and feeling pretty underwhelmed by it. I thought I would go back to using the One M8 to see what I would miss from HTC's latest flagship device.

Quick Thoughts on the HTC One M9

About a week ago, the HTC One M9 was finally released in Singapore. I got my hands on one, and would like to share some of my personal thoughts on the device.

Quick Thoughts on the Samsung Galaxy S6

A week ago, the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge officially went on sale in Singapore. I got my hands on one, and would like to share some of my personal thoughts on the device.

iPhone: Is there still a need for a “C” Model?

(Photo credits: Phone Arena's Phone Size Comparison Tool)

Last year with the launch of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, the iPhone lineup for the first time offered consumers the ability to choose the screen size of the iPhone they want. Consisting of the smaller, cheaper, but still very capable iPhone 5S at 4", the iPhone 6 at 4.7", and the iPhone 6 Plus at 5.5". But this year come September, the iPhone 5S would be 2 years old, and no longer a viable candidate as a cheaper and smaller option due to its age.

To me it presents an interesting problem, which is “What about consumers who love the one-handed ease of use of the iPhone 5/5S?”

Moto G 2014 (2nd Generation) - BLTN

A couple of months back when the device was first officially released for the Singapore market, I decided to skip the 2014 Moto G in favour of the Moto G LTE (1st Generation), and even did a review of it. My reason was simple, the 2014 Moto G did not have LTE, something that was a deal breaker for me. Months later (due in part to my itchy hands), I finally decided to give the 2nd Generation Moto G a go.

Quick Thoughts on the Nexus 6

Just slightly over a week ago on the 28th of February 2015, the Nexus 6 was officially available for sale in Singapore. I got my hands on one, and would like to share some of my personal thoughts on the device.