GSMArena smartphone buyer's guide: November 2014

€300-€400

Aside from 2014 flagships there are few phones worth buying that go over €400. Here we have an arrangement of 5 or so inch devices with great camera specs. 5" is about the biggest phone most people are willing to handle, though there are a couple in here for phablet fans as well.

The LG G Pro 2 proved very difficult to find in stores for some reason, but with some digging it's possible to get a unit at a great price. There are plenty of young makers offering great specs at a killer price, but often in this price range people prefer to stick to a brand they know.

As far as phablets go, the G Pro 2 is a solid upper mid-range offering with a 5.9" 1080p screen, a Snapdragon 800 chipset, a 13MP camera with OIS and 2160p video, all in a relatively compact body. It's not going to dethrone the Nexus 6 but it comes close enough, especially when you account for the price difference.

In late 2014 Samsung put out a refreshed Galaxy S4 with a Snapdragon 800 chipset, usually called Galaxy S4 LTE-A or S4 Advance (model number for both is I9506). It is otherwise the same device as the regular S4, but you can find it in Black Edition, which features Galaxy Note 3's faux leather back that is more attractive than Samsung's usual glossy plastic of the period. The Galaxy S4 LTE-A is something to look at as an alternative to the LG G2.

The LG Nexus 5 did not get replaced this year, the Nexus 6 is in a different category both in terms of price and size. It boasts pure Android with quick updates to the new version and is a solid alternative to the Galaxy S3. It has other perks too, like an OIS camera and built-in wireless charging.

Yet another 5" phone with OIS is the Nokia Lumia 930. It sticks close to the Androids with a 1080p AMOLED screen and a Snapdragon 800 chipset and challenges Sony's top dogs with a 20MP optically stabilized camera with Carl Zeiss lens and great audio capture.

Note that the Nokia Lumia 830 also has a 5" screen and optically stabilized camera with Zeiss lens, but it's only marginally cheaper - not nearly enough to compensate for its 720p screen or 10MP camera resolution.

The Sony Xperia Z2 is pricier than the Xperia Z1, but we think it adds enough to justify the extra cash. For one you get a slightly bigger screen with better viewing angles and stereo speakers around it, 2160p video mode (still camera is otherwise the same) and a slightly faster chipset.

The Xperia Z2 is also a direct competitor of the Lumia 930 - no OIS for the camera, but again 2160p video, an IP58-certified waterproof body and better battery life. Both phones boast metal rims for a more premium build quality.

The LG G3 has already slipped below the €400 mark and it can tackle pretty much any 5.5" phablet or late-2013 flagship out there. In a body about the same size as the Xperia Z2 LG has managed to cram a whopping 5.5" screen with QHD resolution.

The 13MP camera is an improvement on the LG G Pro 2 camera, including the addition of Laser focus - an active focus system that makes fast, accurate locks possible even in the dark. Something to keep in mind is that the LG G3 comes in multiple versions - with 2GB or 3GB of RAM, which is tied to the storage (and thus price) in some regions.