Among the smorgasbord of new devices premiered at CES, it was almost hard for your work-a-day smartphone to stand out. But they found a way – and CBR has compiled some of the best entries below.
1. Saygus V2
Utah-based Saygus have put together what can only be described as a ‘beast’ of a smartphone – and while they haven’t announced the price, the mouth-watering specs will already have some enthusiasts scribbling out a blank cheque. The V-squared hosts 64GB of internal storage with two microSD card slots supporting up to 128GB each – adding up to a maximum 320GB. It also boasts a Snapdragon 801 processor running at 2.5GHz and 3GB of RAM. The device also features a 21-megapixel back camera – and people can even take professional-quality selfies with a 13-megapixel front camera.
2. LG G Flex 2
With all the palaver surrounding the "bending" iPhone (Twitterised with the infamous #bendgate) earlier this year, some manufacturers might have been timid to stray into the angled smartphone territory. But LG has pushed on with their (intentionally) curved smartphones, shaped in order to feel more ergonomic to the user. It runs on Qualcomm’s 64-bit octa-core Snapdragon 810 processor, supporting 32 GB of internal storage, which MicroSDs can boost by up to 128 GB.
3. Samsung Galaxy E5
Slated for release in the early part of the year, the Galaxy E5 aims to tap into the selfie-obsessed youth market. The 5MP front-facing camera is one giveaway, but other features seem designed to bring a real connoisseur experience to the art of taking selfies.
Allowing wide-angled shots of up to 120 degrees, the functionality of the front camera can be activated with a palm gesture or voice command.
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4. Asus Zenfone Zoom ZX550
This dedicated cameraphone will appeal to any budding photographers who don’t want to be weighed down by bulky equipment. It carries a 13-megapixel camera with a 3x optical zoom. It can capture 4128 x 3096 pixels, with laser autofocus, optical image stabilisation and a dual-LED flash. The key to the phone’s appeal, though, is its slimness – at a slender 12mm this gadget will fit comfortably into the average pocket.
5. HTC Desire 826
This phone for the mid-range market is something of an upgrade for HTC over its predecessors in the Desire family – notably, it is the first featuring the Android 5.0 Lollipop operating system. It features Snapdragon 615 and runs Quad-core 1.7 GHz Cortex-A53 and quad-core 1.0 GHz Cortex-A53 processors, with 2GB RAM. The phone comes in several colours with cool-sounding names, including White Birch, Blue Lagoon, and Purple Fire.
6. Yotaphone 2
YotaPhone caused ripples with its dual screen setup, although it somewhat fell by the wayside due to the limited uses for the second screen. Yota Devices boldly returned at CES 2015 to show off the YotaPhone 2. The lower energy E-Ink display on the back now hosts several software features, including the ability to run normal Android on it, conserving vital battery life. It is also now fully touch-enabled.
7. Energizer Energy 500
Energizer (as in ‘Bunny’) used the Las Vegas festival to show off prototypes of its new durable cell smartphones. With a heavy, industrial feel, the 500 hosts a 3,000mAh battery claimed to be twice as long-lasting as the iPhone 6 – batteries of course being what the Missouri-based manufacturer is famed for. It runs with Android 4.4 KitKat, and is both dust and waterproof, ensuring it will hop valiantly on through all sorts of wear and tear.
8. Oppo R5
Touted as the world’s thinnest smartphone, the R5 sits at an incredibly slender 4.85mm. In case you’re worried you might snap it in half by sitting on it, the frame is reinforced with industrial grade stainless steel. The phone runs Android 4.4.4 and boasts front and back cameras of 13 MP and 5 MP respectively. However, the internal storage suffers, as the device only hosts 16 GB of internal memory with no possibility of upgrading through a card slot.
9. Lenovo Vibe X2 Pro
Clocking in at $499, or around £325, this sleek update of the Lenovo Vibe X2 comes with a bigger screen and battery, a better camera and a faster processor. Again, there’s something for selfie aficionados here with the front-facing 13 MP camera, enabled with auto-focus to capture those all-important pouts and poses. It runs on a Snapdragon 615 and has a Adreno 406 graphic accelerator, with the distinctive layered coloured panels helping the device stand out in a crowd.
10. Snail W3D
Nokia’s disastrous attempt to bridge the phone and gaming markets 12 years ago with the N-Gage must have left a distinctly sour taste in the mouth of what was then the biggest mobile phone company. But perhaps Karl Marx’s truism that history must happen once as tragedy and again as farce has finally been proven wrong. The Snail W3D is an Android smartphone designed specifically for high-performance gaming. It has a built-in joystick and a 3D screen, with high-definition graphics coming in a package with a 13 MP camera and Android 4.4 Kitkat.
