If you recall, I did a Top 10 list of Best Smartphones of 2013 last year, and the tradition continues this year. 2014 has been a great year for the Tech World, and especially the smartphone world. We have seen a lot of devices this year, but Only a few stands out. We saw a lot of companies trying a lot of new stuff, and we saw minor updates from some others. Either-way, if you want to know the Best Smartphones of 2014, then you have come to the right place, So Without Further-ado Let’s start the count down.

10) Google Nexus 5

The Google Nexus 5 was a Smartphone that was released late last year, and I ranked it as the 2nd Best Smartphone of 2013 last year. This year, there have been a lot of powerful smartphones that outperformed the Nexus 5, but the Software and Price, still makes this one of the best smartphones. If you don’t like Google’s latest Flagship, the Nexus 6, then your only option to get Pure Android directly from Google is also the Nexus 5. The Nexus 5 packs a Snapdragon 800 SoC along with 2GB of Ram and a 1080p Display to top it all off, and it has been updated to the Latest Android 5.0 Lollipop as well. If your in the market for a Overall Good Phone with an affordable price, then you have to have a look at the Nexus 5. The Nexus 5 will cost you $349 for the 16GB variant.

For more Information about the Nexus 5, Click Here.

To Purchase a Nexus 5 from the Google Play Store, Click Here.

9) Moto G (2014)

The Moto G (2013) was a Great Phone, because of the price tag and what it brought to the table at that price. This year Motorola made it even better with the 2014 edition of the Moto G (aka 2nd Edition Moto G). It was given better slightly better internals, a bigger display while retaining the Water Resistance, and the Near Stock Software. The Moto G (2014) makes the Top Smartphones list because it offers a lot of the price. It was updated to the latest Android 5.0 Lollipop by Motorla, and it was one of the First devices to get it. This shows that Motorla has taken this device seriously, and it shows that the Moto G (2014) deserves to be on this list. The Moto G (2014) will cost you $179. To read my Initial Impressions of the Moto G (2014), Click here.

For more Information about the Moto G, Click Here.

To Purchase a Moto G (2014) from the Motorola Store, Click Here.

8) Sony Xperia Z3

Sony unveiled the Xperia Z3 back at IFA with slight changes to the Z2. Since Sony is releasing 2 Flagships each year, we were not expecting anything drastic with the Z3. The Z3 had slight design changes when compared to the Z2, and it had upgraded specifications while retaining the Killer Waterproofing System, which makes it the best option if you want a Waterproof device. The Xperia Z3 is running Android 4.4.4 Kitkat, but it will soon be updated to Android 5.0 Lollipop. The Xperia Z3 will cost you $629. To read my Initial Impressions of the Xperia Z3, Click here.

For more Information about the Xperia Z3, Click Here.

To Purchase a Xperia Z3 from the Sony Store, Click Here.

7) LG G3

The LG G2 was one of the Top Devices of 2013, and this year LG came out with the successor to that, the LG G3. The LG G3 had an Improved design when compared to the LG G2 while retaining the Buttons at the back which gave it a very slim side profile and minimal bezels. The LG G3 looks gorgeous from the front mainly because of those slim bezels. The LG G3 was one of the First phones in the World to have a QHD (2K) Display and it has great internals inside. The Camera on this device is another great thing about the LG G3, especially with the Laser Auto Focusing System. Software wise, The LG G3 is currently bring updated to Android 5.0 Lollipop. So, Overall the LG G3 is a Great phone, and it will cost you around $400-500. To read my Initial Impressions of the LG G3, Click here.

For more Information about the LG G3, Click Here.

To Purchase a LG G3 from Amazon, Click Here.

6) Samsung Galaxy S5

The Galaxy S5 was an incremental update to the Galaxy S4. It had great internals and it had added options. First major thing for a lot of people was the Water Resistance of the Galaxy S5. The Galaxy S5 also had a Striking Camera, and the Galaxy S5 was named the Best Smartphone Camera in early 2014 by DxOMark. The Galaxy S5 had a lot of Software tricks to take use of Andorid, and it even had a USB 3 Port for slightly fast charging and data transfers. With the Galaxy S5, Samsung also introduced a Fingerprint scanner which had a Swipe method to unlock. Software wise, The Galaxy S5 is currently being updated to Android Lollipop worldwide. The Galaxy S5 will cost you around $500-600. To read my Initial Impressions of the Galaxy S5, Click here.

For more Information about the Galaxy S5, Click Here.

To Purchase a Galaxy S5 from Amazon, Click Here.

5) OnePlus One

With the Tagline, “Flagship Killer”, OnePlus Introduced their First Smartphone with a Jaw-dropping Pricetag. The OnePlus One had Flagship level Specifications at an affordable price of $299 for 16GB and $349 for 64GB. Everything about this device was great, especially the Performance and Battery Life. OnePlus partnered with Cyanogenmod to have Cyanogen run on the OnePlus One, which made the Software Experience on the OnePlus One near stock android, with added features of Cyanogen which made it an Awesome Experience. The Only bad thing about the OnePlus One was the Invite System, which made users wait for an invite only to get a “Chance” to buy the OnePlus One. This made it really disapointing, and some people had to spam all over the internet to get invites. I even gave away a lot of Invites by conducting simple giveaways over at my Twitter Account. If OnePlus had more supply of the OnePlus One, then I’m sure this would have had a better place on this list. To read my Initial Impressions of the OnePlus One, Click here. To Watch my Initial Impressions Video, Click here.

For more Information about the OnePlus One, Click Here.

To Purchase a OnePlus One from Oppomart, Click Here.

4) HTC One (M8) & HTC One (M8) for Windows

The HTC One (M8) was one of my favorite devices to come out in Early 2014 as I named it the Best Smartphone to buy in Early 2014 in my Versus. HTC did a lot of good things with this device, and they improved the design even more. The device screams quality in hand, and the software experience is really good. HTC packed great internals, and saved all the good things of the HTC One (M7)  like the Boomsound Speakers. The main con when it comes to the HTC One (M8) is the Camera. It has a 4 Ultrapixel Camera, and it is not great. Don’t get me wrong, the Camera is ok, but when compared, the Camera is way behind the competition. If the HTC One (M8) had a better sensor, then there was a Chance of this being the Best Smartphone of 2014. Hopefully HTC will change this next year, and come out with something more competitive. The HTC One (M8) is currently running Android 4.4.4, and it will be updated to Android Lollipop in Q1 of 2015 according to HTC. HTC also introduced a Windows Phone version of the HTC One (M8) calling it the HTC One (M8) for Windows, and it is simply the HTC One (M8) running on Windows Phone 8.1. Both devices cost around $500, and you are free to pick the best version for you. To read my Initial Impressions of the HTC One (M8), Click here.

For more Information about the HTC One (M8), Click Here.

For more Information about the HTC One (M8) for Windows, Click Here.

To Purchase a HTC One (M8) from HTC, Click Here.

To Purchase a HTC One (M8) for Windows from HTC, Click Here.

3) Apple iPhone 6 & iPhone 6 Plus

Apple listened to the people and made not one, but 2 big screen phones this year. One is the iPhone 6, which has a 4.7″ Display and the other is the iPhone 6 Plus, which has a 5.5″ Display. The most striking thing about the new iPhone is how Thin it is. Apple had made the iPhone 6 just 6.9mm thin and the iPhone 6 Plus just 7.1mm thin. The chassis of the new iPhones are made of anodized aluminum with a stainless steel Apple logo. The new iPhones also pack power inside, and they have the latest internals and Apple has also added NFC while retaining the fingerprint scanner, which allows people to use Apple Pay seamlessly. The New iPhones also have steller cameras. It is really really good. According to DxOMark, the iPhone 6 & iPhone 6 Plus has the Best Smartphone Cameras available right now. The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are running on iOS 8, and the sad part is iOS 8 doesn’t take use of the Big Screen. Apple should have made use of the big screen to add more useful features, but they didn’t and that’s where the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus falls back. The iPhone 6 will cost you $200 on contract and the iPhone 6 Plus will cost around $600-$1000 depending on the Storage Option you pick. The iPhone 6 & iPhone 6 Plus could have come even higher in this list if Apple really made iOS more productive. To read my Initial Impressions of the iPhone 6 & iPhone 6 Plus, Click here.

For more Information about the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, Click Here.

To Purchase an iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus from the Apple Store, Click Here.

2) Google Nexus 6

Google Stepped in to the Phablet space this year with the Google Nexus 6. The Nexus 6 is made by Motorola, and it has a 5.9″ QHD (2K) Display. The Nexus 6 was the First Smartphone to run Android 5.0 Lollipop Out of the box. The Nexus 6 packs a lot of power inside with a Snapdragon 805 SoC and 3GB of Ram, and maybe because of this, the device costs more. The average Nexus budget pricing is gone, and instead Google is charging a Premium of $649 for the Nexus 6 as it makes no compromises. The Battery is giant on the Nexus 6 and it has good battery life and it also has Fast Charging built in. The Google Nexus 6 also falls in to the category of big screen phones which take no real use of the size. Google should have done something better with Stock Android Lollipop but they didn’t this time, but we have heard about Multi Window, and Pen Window from Samsung coming to Pure Android Soon. We could use 3rd party Applications with Root to get similar functionality with Android, but not everyone is going to do this. So Google should include this in the Next Version of Android. Overall the experience on the Nexus 6 should be great, and the fact that it is running Stock Android gave it the edge over the iPhone 6 & iPhone 6 Plus. If you have an Android phone, the opportunities are endless. To read my Initial Impressions of the Nexus 6, Click here.

For more Information about the Nexus 6, Click Here.

To Purchase a Nexus 6 from the Google Play Store, Click Here.

1) Samsung Galaxy Note 4

The Galaxy Note 4 is the Best Smartphone you can buy in 2014. Why? Because the Galaxy Note 4 has the best in everyway. It has superb internals with a Snapdragon 805 SoC, 3GB of Ram and a Stunning 5.7″ QHD (2K) Display. With the Galaxy Note 4, Samsung finally introduced metal in their flagship line, and this makes the device feel so much better. The Galaxy Note 4 also has a lot of sensors and a finger print scanner. The device also has a Steller Camera right on par with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, and in most cases, I would be giving the Win to the Note 4 due to the Higher Mega Pixel count and the Sharpness because of it. The Note 4 also has a lot of Modes and Extra features built in to the Camera and this makes it a really compelling package. The Galaxy Note 4 also has superb battery life, and to add to it, the Galaxy Note 4 also has Fast Charging built in. The Note is not the Note without the S-Pen, so this time around Samsung has improved the S-Pen even more by doubling the Pressure Sensitivity. The Software Experience on the Galaxy Note 4 takes use of the Giant Screen and here it wins big time over the competition. The power inside is just great and you can multitask like a boss. You can use your phone really productively if you have a Note, and you will only understand how useful it is when you really use one. The Galaxy Note 4 is currently running Android 4.4.4 Kitkat and it will be updated to Android Lollipop in Q1 of 2014 according to Samsung. So if you want the Best of 2014, Go ahead and pickup the Galaxy Note 4. To read my Initial Impressions of the Galaxy Note 4, Click here. To Watch my Initial Impressions Video, Click here.

For more Information about the Galaxy Note 4, Click Here.

To Purchase a Galaxy Note 4 from Amazon, Click Here.

Well, That’s it! That was my Top 10 Smartphones for 2014. What did you guys thing about the Ratings and What was your Favorite Device of 2014? Let me know in the comments section below.

Share this with your friends and let them know about THE best Smartphones of 2014.