What's what in Android phones at the moment?

[Sway]

Just had the call congratulating me on being 'selected' for an 'early' upgrade...

Currently have a Galaxy S3,and have loved it overall. It's just about at the point where it'd need a new battery, and the corners have taken a battering.

Thinking of going for a note 4, as the note taking would be very useful at work. But is it worth a tenner a month over an S5 or Alpha?

Or are there killer non Samsung phones I'm potentially missing out on?

Mainly used for calls and Web. Currently fill a notebook with jottings every couple of weeks. Not much in the way of music, decent camera would be good - but not to the detriment of the core phone functions.

[ZesPak]

If you don't mind Samsung's interpretation of android, it's safe to stick with them. Going for another brand will have a bit of getting used to (other icons and the like, nothing major).

However, if you fancy a change after a couple of years, have a look into these:
LG G3
Motorola Moto X (2014)
Sony Z3
HTC One
Oppo Find 7a

Lower budget, but can run with the big boys in most cases: Nexus 5. Nexus 6 is bound to be out but no real reviews yet.

It all depends on what you want to do with it.
For example, the Z3 and S5 have outstanding camera's, the HTC produces tonnes of sound from the speakers, the HTC is deffo a "premium" build, the G3 has a huge screen for not a big form factor,...
Also, not all of these swallow SD cards, if that's your thing.

Great site to compare them side by side:
http://www.phonearena.com/phones/size#/phones/size...

[Mr Will]

Sony are on a bit of a roll at the moment, the Z3 and Z3 Compact are both decent flagships with the perks of also being waterproof and having the best battery life in the business.

Nexus 6 looks great since it seems you want a large phone - the stock android experience is one of the best IME

[Shaoxter]

I consider myself a tech enthusiast and have no interest in upgrading the Galaxy S3 I have at the moment. The new phones just don't do anything useful for the price.

Get a sim only deal, install Cyanogen and buy a new genuine battery. Your phone will feel like new and your wallet will be a little heavier

[Crusoe]

Very happy with my THL5000, bought one for my wife too. Faster than my HTC One and battery lasts at least four times as long so you can actually use it all day without worrying about running out of power. On my second day since charging and still on 60%

[paul99]

Another THL5000 user here, very pleased with mine. Dual sims is awesome as I dont have to carry a work phone around as well now. I've had 4 days between charges a couple of times but usually get 3 days. I struggled to get a full day out of my old HTC one X.

Performance, screen and camera are also very impressive for ~£180 phone.

[Crusoe]

smug high five @ Paul

£180 for all the phone you will need and £11 a month for my EE 5gb data deal