'In a market full of unwieldy phones, it is refreshingly good to come across a mobile that's actually handy.'
' The Xiaomi Mi 4i packs some fairly impressive hardware, including a 5-inch full-HD display, a 13-megapixel rear camera and a solid compact build while still sticking very close to the lower end of the cost spectrum. '
'Stunning display.'
'Sound quality is the most responsive in the mid-range frequency.'
'The Windows Phone OS has a smaller app market, the handset's battery is nonremovable, and like the Android M8s before it, photos aren't as sharp as those from its competitors.'
'Premium construction that looks very different from other Windows Phones.'
'Not surprisingly, the phone is pretty darn responsive with an assortment of things, like gaming and simple navigation. '
'The HTC Butterfly 2 ticks most of the boxes for an Android flagship in 2014 - the Snapdragon 801 is still more than relevant, the camera has a sufficient amount of pixels, the display is of ample size and 1080p resolution. '
'Volume in the earpiece gets plenty loud and voices remain clear and easy to understand, even at maximum volume.'
'With beefy chipset, ample amount of RAM, as well as an easy update to Windows Phone 8.1, the smartphone is sufficiently future-proof too - it will not fall behind the update curve for some time to come.
'
The Samsung ATIV Odyssey is a well-designed, snappy phone that belies its budget nature and is well worth the asking price.
'The Sony Xperia Z1 looks stunning, it's a distinctive design and there's no questioning the quality of the build. '
'For normal media viewing everything looks great, but you really notice the difference when watching or viewing full HD 1080p content where, as with the Xperia Z, everything takes on an incredible and cinematic, almost 3D-like quality.'
The next level of Sony's Android ambitions or a needless mid-cycle vanity upgrade?
