5 Best Smartphones [February, 2014]

There are a lot of smartphones on the market and those looking for a new device will need to wade through a great many before they come to a decision on their next device. And while we likely won’t see any big names like the Samsung Galaxy S5 and HTC M8 hit shelves this month, there are still some fantastic devices on the market that warrant a look from consumers in the hunt.

Those looking for a new smartphone during the month of February are going to encounter lots of different choices from Android devices to Apple’s iOS-powered smartphones to phones utilizing Microsoft’s Windows Phone software. There are a lot of directions to go, a lot of smartphones to look at.

February is an interesting month because it’s the calm before the storm. What we mean by that is that just about every smartphone on shelves right now launched in 2013. Companies have been slow to debut new devices in 2014 and thus, we have a shortage of new flagship devices on American carriers. Devices like the Samsung Galaxy S5 and HTC M8 figure to arrive in the next few weeks but their release dates still haven’t been nailed down.

Fortunately, the crop from 2013 was a good one and there are more than a few top notch devices that should appeal to those in the market for a new device. Here, we take a look at the devices we consider to be the five best smartphones at this moment in time. We factored in everything from price, to longevity, to hardware, to software, to carrier options when making these selections.

What this means is that two big name smartphones were left off this list. The HTC One and the Samsung Galaxy S4 remain fantastic smartphone choices but not this month. With Galaxy S5 and HTC M8 launches on the way, these devices are in a holding pattern, meaning, they should not be bought right now. We have our reasons (Galaxy S4, HTC One) and we implore you to look at them.

With that in mind, here are the devices we consider to be the five best smartphones, right now, in the month of February.

iPhone 5

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Simply put, the iPhone 5s is one of the best smartphones available on the market today. It's a phone that just about every consumer should have on their radar as it combines a long list of features that make it an extremely worthy successor to any device. Apple's iPhone 5s is one of the best all-around smartphones. It offers something good in just about every area including the display, processor, camera, software support, carrier choices, and of course, its well-known anodized aluminum design. It also features a fingerprint sensor embedded in the home button. This is a device that should absolutely, without question, be on a smartphone shopping list and it's a device that will likely continue to reign until Apple's next iPhone arrives.

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