Today's Flagship Android Smartphones: Which is best for you? by Rob Blaich

Choosing an Android smartphone in Canada can be a daunting task. Even if you limit yourself to today's flagship phones, there are still many to choose from. Personally, I don't feel any of them are bad choices. You just need to know their perks and what is making them unique from each other. Then, you can see which features you'd care about most and use.

Example. Some are waterproof. If you have a toddler who likes to nab things and place them in the toilet, then this may be a feature you require and will narrow down your choices.

Here, I'm going to list out the major features of each. I won't be going into hardware stats. If you wish to learn more about this, check out Ryan Moore's infographic or Android Coliseum’s Data page. Specifically, you see the database of all Canadian Android phones.


Samsung Galaxy Note 4
  • Quick charging (2.0)
  • S-Voice 
  • Air gestures 
  • Heart rate sensor 
  • Fingerprint sensor 
  • S-Pen stylus 
  • Face/smile detection 
  • TouchWiz UI

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge
  • Quick charging (2.0) 
  • S-Voice 
  • Air gestures 
  • Heart rate sensor 
  • Fingerprint sensor 
  • S-Pen stylus 
  • Face/smile detection 
  • 1 side of the screen is curved 
  • TouchWiz UI







Samsung Galaxy S6 / S6 Edge
  • Fingerprint scanner 
  • Samsung Pay 
  • Face detection in camera app 
  • Heart rate sensor 
  • Wireless charging (Qi/PMA) 
  • S-Voice 
  • OneDrive (115GB) Both sides of the screen are curved (S6 Edge only)






LG G3
  • Optical image stabilization and laser focus
  • Optional wireless charging (Qi)





LG G4 (Coming soon.)
  • f1.8 camera with 3-axis stabilization and laser focus 
  • Removable battery 
  • Expandable memory 
  • Fast-charging (new) 






Moto X (2014)
  • Active Display 
  • Touchless Control 
  • Moto Assist 
  • Near-stock Android 
  • Shake-to-wake camera 
  • Quick charging (2.0) 





Sony Xperia Z3 / Z3 Compact / Z4
  • Waterproof IP65/68 rating 
  • Double-tap to wake screen 
  • Remote Play with Sony PS4 
  • Dedicated Camera button 
  • High ISO for low light shots 
  • Many fun camera apps included 
  • Long battery life compared to other brands
  • Expandable memory
  • FM Radio 


HTC M9
  • FM Radio 
  • Quick charging (2.0) 
  • Google Drive 100GB storage 
  • Dual front-facing speakers 
  • Expandable memory 



LG Nexus 5
  • Bone-stock Android, meaning fastest updates to the OS from Google 
  • Wireless charging (Qi) 

Nexus 6
  • Bone-stock Android, meaning fastest updates to the OS from Google 
  • Wireless charging (Qi)


OnePlus One
  • Choice of operating system between Cyanogen Mod or OxygenOS 








Asus ZenFone 2
  • Fast charging 
  • FM radio 
  • Asus Zen UI 











As you can see, when you take out the consideration of processors, RAM, space, and resolution, you have a comparable list that helps the average consumer who may not know, or care about a “quad-core”, or so-and-so DPI.

If you see a missing perk about any of these smartphones, or, if I missed a flagship smartphone that is available in Canada, let me know in the comments below!

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