Now is a great time to go shopping for an Android phone, but there are tons of options. Sure, you can judge them by check-box features like processor speed, screen size, or battery life, but that's only part of the picture. We want a complete view, and to hear which ones you think are the best this year.
You might remember that this isn't the first time we've asked this question. We ran down the best Android phones of 2013 last year, and again the year before that. Plus, it's been a while since we heard which Android phones were popular with you. This year, we waited a little bit until the year's best phones have all been released and are out to market and in people's hands. It doesn't hurt that Lollipop is in the wild now too, and making its way to lots of devices.
That all said, the best doesn't have to be a shiny new device with top-end specs, or currently running Lollipop at all. Maybe it's a reliable contender that pleases everyone who uses it. Whatever it is, we want to hear it. We have one condition though: Your nomination has to be on the market now and available to everyone.
The call for contenders is closed! To see which of these great nominees earned enough support to get into the top five, head over to our Hive Five feature, the five best Android phones of 2014! Don't forget to cast your vote for the all-out winner!
Let's hear your vote in the discussions below! To cast your vote, follow these guidelines:
Follow this format for your vote, including the bold print. If you don't, it won't be counted:
A PHOTO OF THE BEST ANDROID PHONE
Vote: [BEST ANDROID PHONE]
Why: Why is this phone the one you think is the best right now? Maybe it has all the features you think are important—great battery life, a fast processor, and tons of storage. Maybe you're a photographer and you love the camera. Maybe you're a dev, or like to have the latest updates fast, so it's a Nexus. Whatever it is, make your case! Try to keep it to a single paragraph, maybe two.
Don't duplicate nominations! Instead, if someone's nominated your pick, star (recommend) it to give it a boost, and reply with your story instead.
Please don't leave non-entry, direct comments on this post. They'll just get pushed down. Save your stories for others' submissions!
If you're not sure what we mean, just check out the nominations by our writers below. We'll give you a head start, and they should all be in the proper format, so you can just follow our lead.
The Hive Five is our weekly series where you vote on your favorite apps and tools for any given job. Have a suggestion for a topic? Send us an email at [email protected]!