SAMSUNG VS SONY VS HTC

NEW FLAGSHIPS

If you’re in the market for an Android phone, the range of options is rather wider than it was a month ago. Tomorrow Samsung’s S5 will start to sell what will surely top 50m units; HTC’s new One is already on sale; and Sony’s Xperia Z2 has just landed on my desk for review, signalling impending public sales.

None of these devices is, unfortunately, a great leap forward. HTC’s camera appears impressive initially, but ultimately lets it down, Samsung’s plastic design is a problem that many can’t get over, and Sony’s screen is not as good as the other two. That said, the Sony is a lovely looking piece of rectangular design and a superb compromise between all the best options on the market.

If I were to be buying one myself, I’d probably go for the Samsung because it offers the option to connect to the new generation of wearable devices that the South Korean giant is pioneering. But even then, Google’s own Android Wear devices will be out in July.

The point, however, is not which Android phone is best: we are currently on an innovation plateau before the next stage of devices, so they are all simply iterative improvements on their predecessors.

Two points, therefore, arise: if you want a new phone, the reasons not to go for last year’s model at a bargain price are fewer than ever (and don’t forget Google’s Nexus 5 by LG).

But there’s a much bigger theme, too: mobile phones have driven huge profits but are no longer at the cutting edge. Over the next decade there will be a process of making almost every device smart. It’s starting with washing machines and thermostats already, and plant sensors are easily available to put your window box online. The phone is not an end in itself; it’s becoming ever clearer it is only a gateway to an internet of things. Worth noting that Samsung is the company that already makes most of those things and is poised to have the first stab at smartening them up.