No. 5: Google Nexus 5

Phones from Google’s Nexus program have always had the advantage of being officially supported by the company. That means Google not only had a say in the design of the device (which no other Android devices but Motorola’s can say) but will also be pushing the latest updates for the Android operating system to those devices first. Nexus devices have been peace of mind for those Android users that want to make sure their phones are up-to-date. But, with last week’s launch of the Nexus 5, you can add the advantage of price as well.

The 16GB Nexus 5 costs only $349—and that’s without a contract. The 32GB is only $399, nearly half of what it costs to buy most new smartphones without the subsidy from wireless contracts. The phone is made by LG and runs the very latest version of Android, dubbed KitKat. It has a 5-inch, 1080p HD screen, 2.26GHz processor and 2GB of RAM.

For the money, it’s hard to get a better phone. The Nexus 5 also has a decent camera (it’s no iPhone 5S) and the fast updates and that big, crisp, 5-inch screen are hard to beat. Unless we’re talking about our next phone…

<< Intro                                          No. 4 >>