Android phones have slowly been making inroads on Apple's smartphone market dominance in 2015. Google's recently released Nexus 5X and 6P have gained plaudits from reviewers, but it's Samsung, LG and HTC that have really upped their game this year.
In the Samsung Galaxy S6, the LG G4 and the HTC One M9, 2015 has brought three smartphones that were well matched to topple the iPhone's dominance, but how do they compare head to head?
Design
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HTC has consistently won over critics with its design prowess and PC Mag called the M9 "the best-looking, best-handling Android smartphone available" while others have also praised the M9's high-quality Boomsound speakers - Trusted Reviews even declared them to be "the best speakers you can find on a phone".
The LG G4 improves on the aesthetics of previous LG offerings with an eye-catching orange leather fascia, but the move has left some reviewers a bit puzzled, with Tech Radar saying: "The leather is too thinly stretched over the back of the phone to be considered premium, and when you're fighting against the beauty of the HTC One M9, it's a real misstep."
With the Galaxy S6, Samsung left behind the full plastic body of the S5, and rebuilt its flagship phone from the ground up with an aluminium trim around the side, gorilla glass on the rear case and higher-grade materials throughout.
The quality shines through, says CNET. The site declares: "The Galaxy S6 feels far more fluid and thin than it looks in photos, especially compared with the slightly chunkier Galaxy S5. It's obvious that this is a different beast, and one for which fans have been crying out for years."
Display
On paper, the S6 wins this hands down. Its 5.1-inch screen has a pixel density of 577 pixels per inch, better than any other smartphone on the market.
However, CNET warns: "In normal everyday use, the S6's nosebleed-high screen pixel density is probably too exact for most eyes to notice; it's an imposing feature on paper, but less critical in real life."
The M9's display hasn't been updated from its well-received predecessor and according to Tech Radar, "it doesn't pack the same 'wallop' as the iPhone 6 or LG G4, for instance". The review states: "It's not terrible, but it begs the question why HTC hasn't updated this."
The LG G4's display is a touch less bright than the S6 says Engadget, but users may appreciate the different colour palette on the LG phone.
"After looking at the overly saturated colours on the Galaxy S6's screen (especially the reds, my goodness), I found myself appreciating LG's subtler take," says the site. The LG G4 is also 5.5 inches – to the S6's 5.1 – taking it into the 'phablet' range.
Camera
Smartphones have to be just as good as standalone digital cameras these days and there is little difference between these three in terms of photography.
HTC has packed a 20.7-megapixel camera into the M9 and the results are obvious. "The One M9 generally has a very good performance in most conditions," says Tech Radar.
"Whether it's low light, bright scenes or changeable conditions. The sharpness of the pictures is clear and the colour tone looks more mature than the over-colouration of the One M8."
The Galaxy S6 has a 16-megapixel camera and has added a number of new strings to its bow such as slow-motion and fast-motion video capture, and a mode called "virtual shot" which allows you to take 360-degree panorama images.
But it is the LG G4's camera that takes the majority of praise, with Engadget stating: "Of all the things the G4 has going for it, the 16-megapixel camera lodged in its back is easily one of the best. Photos are often crisper and brighter than the Galaxy S6".
Verdict
"Worldly looks and top-notch specs make the impressive, metal Samsung Galaxy S6 the Android phone to beat for 2015," says CNET. The New York Times agrees saying: "The Galaxy S6 accomplishes something important for Samsung. It's a flagship phone that finally feels like a flagship."
Stuff magazine praises the LG G4: "The camera is top notch, the screen brilliant and those extra 0.4 inches of screen space [compared with its predecessor, the G3 will be enough to convince a bunch of buyers."
However its similarities to the G3 and the reservations about its battery life mean it comes in just behind the S6 in the review stakes, says Stuff.
Tech Radar declares the M9 to be a "great phone if you're upgrading from two years ago", but says that overall the handset still isn't quite as good as the latest Samsung flagship offering.
