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Make a smart choice ; After a lot of walking about the many miles of aisles, here are our top six new smartphones [Newcastle Evening Chronicle (England)]
[March 14, 2014]

Make a smart choice ; After a lot of walking about the many miles of aisles, here are our top six new smartphones [Newcastle Evening Chronicle (England)]


(Newcastle Evening Chronicle (England) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) WATER WORKS Sony Xperia Z2 - SIM free, Pounds 549.95 from carphonewarehouse.com AFTER making an impressive return last year, the update to the Z1 is thinner, packs a more powerful processor and adds some screen size (5.2 inch vs 5 inches), but crucially retains its waterproof capabilities, that superbly sharp HD screen, stereo speakers, and the video camera that takes 4K Ultra HD. Keep it up Sony, we're liking your work.



OUTSTANDING SNAPS Nokia Lumia 1520 - Pounds 532 from pixmania.co.uk THE Finnish firm has had a tumultuous 10 years, but now under the leadership of Microsoft it has plenty of good gear to shout about. This handset has a very decent six-inch full HD for looking at your snaps taken from the 20 megapixel camera (and Carl Zeiss lens) - there's also plenty of space to keep them all with an eye-watering 32FB of internal storage.

WORTH WAITING Samsung S5 - Pounds TBC see carphonewarehouse.com LAUNCHED to much fanfare at an event called Samsung Unpacked (though the room of journalists vying for a peek was very full indeed), the S5 has a water-resistant case, finger print ID technology and a heart monitor, as well as somehow shoehorning in a 16 megapixel snapper. A serious adversary for Apple.


SIMPLER STUFF Libertone 810 - Pounds 109.99 from 02.co.uk TAKING away the overtly fancy stuff allows a feature rich phone aimed at those who want apps but not necessarily all the top-notch technology. This fine example had three hard keys on the front for easy navigation, larger on-screen icons and the four-inch touchscreen makes navigation a breeze. A very decent mobile offering indeed.

WATCH OUT Samsung Gear 2 - Pounds TBC, register at expansys.com THE South Korean outfit is paving the way in wearable technology, and this updated version of the relatively new original has a built- in 2.0 megapixel camera and it loads your 4GB memory with music for when you (maybe) go for that run. Fitness is very much at the Gear 2's centre, with an integrated heart rate monitor, pedometer and sleep tracker. It also connects to your mobile in your pocket and tells you who is calling, and can send/receive texts too, but the the screen might be a tad small for actually reading them.

LATEST ARRIVAL Huawei G6 - Pounds TBC see huawei.com/uk The Chinese manufacturer has only been on our shores for about a year, but if the massive take up of its phones in its home market is anything to go by, then watch out everyone. This Android powered number is notable for its forward-facing five megapixel camera, which makes it about the best on the market for taking selfies (up to you if that's actually a good thing or not).

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