Sunday Debate: Which 2015 Flagship Is an XDA User’s Best Option?

Join us in a fun Sunday Debate on Enthusiast Flagships. Come with your opinions and feel free to read some of our thoughts, then pick your side or play devil’s advocate to get your voice heard and engage in friendly discussion. You can read our food-for-thought or jump straight into the fray below!

This year has not been the best for those looking to upgrade; from very hot chips to memory management issues, phones of 2015 have had one compromise or another with each new release. Future phones such as the Moto X Style and the Galaxy Note 5 look to bring some improvements, but not necessarily correct the trend. For those who religiously lurk XDA, this is a big deal: we typically want it all, and if the phones we consider have clear-marked compromises, the selection process becomes more difficult.

For those who want to flash ROMs regularly or modify system files for a desired tweak, a powerful and open phone is a godsend. But at XDA, we have all sorts of users, and many of them are OK with just having a beastly phone that can handle everything they throw at it, and carry them through the day, for years to come. Many trends seem to plot against that: the industry is partially moving away from removable (and thus, replaceable) batteries and storage expansion, and many phones have a clear focus on design rather than functionality.

That being said, many phones this year have had good custom software development already, some have surprised us with sudden breakthroughs, and some upcoming phones have the potential to bring us amazing experiences. Many of the points one can argue, and their value, are subjective, as everyone has different use-cases. You can answer with a personal opinion or with a more objective weighting of the phone’s potential. So with all of that said, and considering everything 2015 phones offer,

Which 2015 phone do you think is the best (all around) for Android Enthusiats?

Why do you consider that phone to be the one?

Why are other flagships unworthy of the title?

 

Some thoughts to consider:

Galaxy S6

• Extremely powerful Exynos 7420 processor.
• All-around great hardware; camera, screen, etc.
• The S6 is seemingly not lending itself to thorough development.
• The premium design sacrificed the traditional microSD slot and removable battery of the S line.

HTC One M9

• Has microSD slot for storage expansion.
• Beautiful design, good speakers.
• Snapdragon 810 limits performance, battery life potential.
• Camera is considerably worse than those of the competition.

Sony Xperia Z3+/Z4

• Has microSD slot for storage expansion.
• Beautiful (waterproof) design, good display & front-facing speakers.
• Snapdragon 810 limits performance, battery life potential.
• Camera is not much better than before, riddled with issues (including some from SD810).

LG G4

• Has removable battery, microSD slot.
• Amazing camera, good display, Snapdragon 808 saves performance.
• Root has just now been achieved for many variants, development uncertain.
• Processor (808) and RAM (3GB, DDR3) not quite as future proof as others on this list.

OnePlus 2

• Great bang-per-buck, low price. Good specifications including 4GB of RAM
• OnePlus welcomes custom ROM development, OnePlus One has great development record.
• Snapdragon 810 limits performance, battery life potential.
• No NFC, no removable battery, no expandable storage, no wireless charging nor quick charging.

Moto X Style/Pure

• Stylish design, customizable through Moto Maker.
• Reportedly amazing camera, has microSD slot, Moto Features
• Small battery (3,000mAh) for its screen resolution (1440p) and processor (808).
• Processor (808) and RAM (3GB, DDR3) not quite as future proof as others on this list.

Note 5

• S Pen and its features seem revamped, more functional.
• Great internal hardware and design.
• No microSD slot, no removable battery.
• Small battery (3,000mAh) for its screen resolution (1440p).

Xperia Z5

Not much is known, but Sony has been participating in many interesting software developments (such as their AOSP-inspired ROM)  that could benefit this release.

New Nexuses

Not much is known, but we can expect solid specifications, decent prices and an open platform for XDA modding.

Debating

There are many phones and points not listed above, so make sure to add them and discuss them if you feel they are relevant. Many of us here want a perfect phone, and in today’s world that is seemingly unrealizable. We can get as close as possibl through those devices that cater to our tastes, and XDA users, in general, want phones that are open, reliable and fast. We haven’t seen all that 2015 has to offer, so keep an open mind as well.

So, in your eyes:

• Which 2015  phone do you think is the best for an XDA user?

• Why do you consider that phone to be the one?

• Why is each other flagship unworthy of the title?

 

 

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