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Introduction and key features

The world has proclaimed the Samsung Galaxy S6 to be a stylish leap forward for the range following the somewhat drab Samsung Galaxy S5. But now that the initial bloom of gadget lust has passed, is Samsung’s latest flagship actually a better phone?

Samsung found itself in an unusual position following the launch of the Galaxy S5 in April 2014. For the first time in five generations the sales graphs flattened, as relative public indifference aligned with that of the critics.

The key issue with the Samsung Galaxy S5, so the commonly held view went, was that it was just more of the same. And the same meant a cheap-looking plastic design while all around were going metal. The Galaxy S5 looked staid and workmanlike next to sexier rivals like the HTC One M8.

For once, Samsung didn’t need to do something more with its flagship range, it needed to do something DIFFERENT. What it needed, and what we got, was the Samsung Galaxy S6.

Following notable experimentations with a more premium design in the Samsung Galaxy Alpha and the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, Samsung launched the Galaxy S6 on April 10 2015. Most notable was its premium metal-and-glass design, as well as its beautiful QHD display and stellar camera.

But among all the hype piped a few dissenting voices, claiming that the Galaxy S6 was actually a step back in terms of the day-to-day practicality of owning and using a smartphone.

With the Samsung Galaxy S5 now available for a temptingly low price, it’s time to pitch it against its flashy successor and see if things really have improved as much as they seem to have.

• Samsung Galaxy S6 review | Samsung Galaxy S5 review

Key features

The Samsung Galaxy S6’s defining feature, particularly when compared to its predecessor, is its design. Samsung has belatedly acknowledged that its signature functional plastic look, which had evolved in the Galaxy S5 to include tacky faux metal and faux leather elements, could no longer cut it at the top end of the market.

This design overhaul has been a roaring success. In fact, holding the two phones in front of me now, it feels like there are several years of iterative design work between them rather than 12 months. They’re clearly of the same family but, to stretch that analogy a little further, the S6 feels like the S5’s great grandson rather than its son.

Of course, the old man is built of sterner stuff than its metrosexual offspring, which we’ll discuss further in the next section.

Another key generational leap forward for the Samsung Galaxy S6 comes in the form of its screen. We thought that the Galaxy S5’s display was one of the best on the market, and it remained as such for around a year.

However, the Galaxy S6’s screen, while not representing the massive leap of its design, is a clear generational stride forward. It’s sharper, yes, but more importantly it’s richer, clearer, and its colours are more lifelike.

Again, we’ll talk about this in more depth in the appropriate section, suffice to say that the Galaxy S6 display is arguably the best in the business.

The final key feature of the Galaxy S6, and one that Samsung went to great lengths to highlight during the phone’s launch period, is its camera.

Last year the Samsung Galaxy S5 made great strides forward with its photographic abilities, leading many to comment that it was almost as good as an iPhone’s. The Galaxy S6 goes one better – it’s better than the iPhone 6‘s in many respects.

Like its display, the Galaxy S6 camera is a contender for best-in-class, though LG G4 fans might have something to say about that.

What can the Samsung Galaxy S5 offer that’s unique against such an onslaught of excellence? A surprising amount, as it happens.The Samsung Galaxy S5 was arguably the toughest flagship phone around upon its release, and it certainly hasn’t been usurped by this year’s namby pamby efforts.

Whether or not IP ratings were a passing fad we’re not sure, but the Samsung Galaxy S5’s IP67 rating hasn’t made its way to the S6. It means that the Galaxy S5 is alone in having the ability to survive full immersion in a body of water, while dust won’t have any more luck getting into its ports and gaps.

Another key feature of the Galaxy S5, which was rare at the time of its release and seems even rarer now, is its removable rear cover. The chief function of this is to enable you to replace the battery, a feature much beloved of a small subset of power users and frequent travellers.

I have to admit to not appreciating the value of this in my own day to day usage, but then I spend most of my weekdays in front of a laptop within easy reach of a power point.

The other advantage to this removable back is that there’s a discrete place to put a microSD slot. This too is a feature that seems to be disappearing from flagship phones, including with the Galaxy S6.

Again, there’s a sizeable minority of Android fans who hate that the Galaxy S6 has dropped the microSD support. I prefer the convenience, speed, and simplicity of a decent amount of internal storage, but I could never deny the appeal of having the option to expand — particularly if you like to carry your entire MP3 collection around with you on your phone.

Of course, the irony with the Galaxy S5’s ability to swap its battery around is that it’s already one of the longest lasting high-end phones on the market. 2800mAh is a good size for a phone of this type, and tied in with an efficient display and Samsung’s battery-saving software, it can last through the best part of two days if you’re careful.

As we’ll discuss a little later, this key area is another way in which the Galaxy S6 has taken a backward step.

Both phones have fingerprint scanning technology to unlock the phone, but the Galaxy S6 implementation is much better. It’s mounted in the home button again, like the Galaxy S5, but you no longer have to swipe up to the screen to use it — a technique that never works quite consistently enough.

Rather, Samsung has managed to install an iPhone-like press-to-activate system that works just as well as Apple’s trailblazing Touch ID. It’s a major improvement, and most importantly it makes the feature usable in everyday life rather than just another box checking gimmick.

Design and display

Design

As we’ve touched upon, the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S5 are styled quite differently.

Not that you’d say that if you only saw the two phones together head-on. The S6 has the same basic shape, the same lozenge-like physical home key, and the same speaker and logo placement.

The proportions are similar too, with the Galaxy S6 a millimetre or two wider than the Galaxy S5, but also a similar amount thinner and narrower.

From every angle other than the front, the difference is pronounced. While the removable back cover of the Galaxy S5 is made of cheap-looking dimpled plastic, with a grippy synthetic leather feel, the Galaxy S6 is covered by glass, which tapers off pleasingly at the edges. There’s a beguiling glimmering effect to this that sees the true colour of whatever’s underneath this glass revealing itself only from an angle.

Of course, the Galaxy S5’s plastic rear serves to make the S5 more resistant to day-to-day wear than we fear the Galaxy S6 will be. The Galaxy S6 might have a Gorilla Glass 4 back panel, but it’s still glass, and thus will inevitably shatter with a hefty enough drop.

When it comes to the sides, the Galaxy S6 steps up to a premium matte aluminium. It’s easy to say that this is a rip off of the iPhone – and the placement of those drilled speaker holes on the bottom of the phone is certainly reminiscent – but in the flesh it simply doesn’t feel that way.

Perhaps it’s the subtle lip that Samsung has given this edge, or the way it flattens out along the sides where the volume and power buttons are found.

Whether you think it’s derivative or not, it’s a massive improvement over the Galaxy S5’s edges, which are made of a kind of shiny plastic that makes a weak attempt to look like metal. While the Galaxy S5 is a more robust phone overall, our seasoned test model bears the the kind of collision-scars that make it look like it’s been chewed by a dog.

The basic lesson here is that, when it comes to smartphone edges, go metal or go «unapologetically plastic,» to borrow from the Jony Ive lexicon.

All of this combines to make the Galaxy S6 feel markedly nicer in the hand. It’s actually seven grams lighter than the Galaxy S5, but it has a denseness and a heft that its predecessor lacks.

Its cold metal edges and cool glass back make it feel every inch the premium bit of kit, whereas the Galaxy S5 feels just the same as any low-end or medium-range handset.

However, for long term calls or media sessions, holding the Galaxy S5 is arguably more comfortable. Its grippy rear and thicker body means that it may not sit nicer in the hand, but it certainly sits better.

While you’ll happy throw the Galaxy S5 down onto any surface, it’s often a precarious thing to do so with the S6. Its smooth glass back creates a similar effect to the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact and the iPhone 4S, in that it will slide along most soft material surfaces with the slightest incline.

I experienced a number of bizarre self-propelled droppages off my seemingly flat couch arm, though fortunately the drop was always brief and onto soft carpet.

So while these two phones allegedly belong to the same family, their designs suggest that they’re suited to different types of people. The Galaxy S5 is a no-nonsense phone that’s grippy and rugged. It’s built to be lugged around and used heavily, to survive in the real world without a case.

The Galaxy S6, on the other hand, has the combined feel of a piece of jewellery and a high-end camera. You want to handle it carefully, to keep it in a pocket all on its own, to clean its fingerprint-magnet surfaces, and even to invest in a case for it. It’s for those who value classy design over practicality, and it’s probably not for those who have particularly active jobs or hobbies.

Display

Samsung has long been the master of AMOLED technology on mobile, and both of these phones showcase that expertise.

Both are the same 5.1-inch size, too, which nowadays is a nice balanced size for all-round usage. Though perhaps not quite suitable for comfortable one-handed operation for most people – you’ll be wanting a 4.7-inch device like the iPhone 6 or Sony Xperia Z3 Compact for that – they’re far from unwieldy. They’re not phablets.

The biggest difference between these two displays on paper is resolution. The Galaxy S5 has a 1080p (1920 x 1080) screen, which was par for the course in a flagship Android phone release in mid 2014 (the LG G3 being an exception).

It’s still a strikingly vibrant display today, with colours (particularly reds) that pop out of the screen. We also admire how Samsung lets you tone these colours down with a range of display settings.

Overall, the accuracy of the colours here is much better than rival AMOLED efforts like, say, the Moto X 2014.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 display is something else, though. It’s a QHD display, which means a resolution of 2560 x 1440. That provides a pixel density of 577ppi versus the Galaxy S5’s 432ppi.

To be perfectly honest, though, the difference in sharpness isn’t readily apparent for most tasks. Not unless you get right up close, which is kind of silly. It’s arguable that you need a 5.5-inch or even a 6-inch display to really start making the most of all those extra pixels.

Watch well-shot 2K or 4K videos on the two and you’ll probably pick up the difference, but that’s hardly a common occurrence. Not yet, anyway. Don’t let that make you think that the Galaxy S6 display isn’t a notable step forward, though. Samsung has improved the quality of its display in general terms, particularly by making it brighter. It’s this that makes it look better than the Galaxy S5 when placed side-by-side rather than the difference in resolution.

Interface, performance and battery

Interface and performance

Both the Samsung Galaxy S6 and the Samsung Galaxy S5 now run on Android 5.0, which is the latest major iteration of Google’s mobile OS.

Actually, the Samsung Galaxy S6 runs on the slightly more current Android 5.0.2, but it’s the same basic OS, and the differences are barely perceptible. However, that’s not to say that both handsets look and handle identically. They’re very similar, but there are differences.

That’s because they run subtly different versions of Samsung’s custom TouchWiz UI, which sits atop the Android OS. The Galaxy S6 runs the newer version, as you might expect.

It’s a shame the Galaxy S5 didn’t get the exact same interface, but we suppose it comes down to Samsung wanting to differentiate its new phone. The Galaxy S6 interface is the more elegant and restrained of the two. Just as Samsung has smartened up its hardware act, so too it has applied a slightly more tasteful livery to the Android OS this time around.

The two UIs are functionally the same, but it’s in the little touches that you see the differences: the default clock/weather widget that sits unassumingly at the top of the S6 home page rather than taking half the S5 screen up with a bright image. The slightly rounder, less fussy icon design. The simpler home screen transitions that scroll rather than appearing to come forward from the background.

The two phones have very similar drop-down notification menus, but the deeper settings screen is much better on the S6. On the S5 it’s a sprawling mass of chunky icons, whereas Samsung has wisely pulled most of the options into an easier-to-navigate list format on the S6.

We’d still rather Samsung just dropped TouchWiz altogether and gave us a top notch phone with stock Android, but that’s not going to happen any time soon. Comparing these two phones shows that Samsung is getting better every year. What’s more, they’re both pleasant, intuitive, modern systems that will be appreciated by hardcore and casual users alike.

All in all, the navigation experience is decent on both. Having said that, a combination of the slightly busier UI and inferior processing power means that the Galaxy S5 doesn’t feel as smooth or snappy as the Galaxy S6.

The Galaxy S5 sports a Snapdragon 801 CPU backed by 2GB of RAM – a solidly capable off-the-shelf setup that’s typical of a high-end phone of this vintage. However, Samsung bit the bullet and went with a much more interesting custom 64-bit Exynos 7420 CPU with 3GB of RAM for the S6.

It’s a blazingly fast chip – perhaps the fastest around at the moment, at least in the world of Android. In our GeekBench 3 tests, the S6’s average single-core result was 1495 compared to the Galaxy S5’s 974 – a huge difference. That’s echoed in the multi-core segment, where the S5’s 3055 is soundly trounced by the S6’s 5155.

Again, this is no disgrace for the older phone – the S6 is simply incredibly fast.

In real world terms, both phones can play modern high-end games just fine. You can discern the difference in performance in general navigation, as discussed, and you can also see it in the speed with which the Galaxy S6 camera boots up from the touchscreen.

With the newer phone, it’s pretty much instantaneous. With the older phone, there’s a noticeable black screen pause before the camera interface comes into view.

Battery life

TechRadar’s reviews of the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Samsung Galaxy S5 paint strikingly different pictures of battery life. While the Galaxy S5’s is described as «excellent,» the Galaxy S6 is labelled «not good enough.»

How did Samsung get it so wrong, and how does that bear out in a real-world head-to-head comparison?

The simplest point to make here is that Samsung dropped to a physically smaller battery with the Galaxy S6, clearly in the name of keeping that slinky new design. While the Galaxy S5 has a generous 2800mAh battery, the Galaxy S6 has a 2550mAh unit.

What’s more, while the Galaxy S5’s battery could be removed and replaced, the Galaxy S6 battery is fixed, so no carrying a spare around with you on a long haul flight.

Of course, few people actually do this anyway, and as mentioned, the Galaxy S6 is an easier phone to charge thanks to support for the two leading wireless charging standards. But the issue of that smaller battery remains, especially given the presence of a brighter, more pixel-packed screen, which is always the biggest power hog with any smartphone.

In practical terms, the Galaxy S6 isn’t exactly bad. As we noted in the original review, you can get a full working day out of it, but you might have to hold off watching that HD video on the train home if you’ve been particularly active with it during the day. Now that’s not uncommon in a modern smartphone, but when the Galaxy S5 can clear a whole day comfortably with room to spare, you see the issue.

Interestingly, in my own video tests, which involved playing a 90 minute 720p video with the screen brightness cranked right up, the two phones performed identically. Both ate up just 13 percent of a full charge on average.

This suggests that Samsung has worked wonders to make that brighter, sharper screen work more efficiently. It also shows how flexible and efficient that Exynos 7420 CPU is, and emphasises how well it’s cut out for media playing.

Samsung’s custom chip is built using a much smaller production method than the Galaxy S5’s Snapdragon 801 – 14nm versus 28nm – which means that it generates less heat, and can do a lot more with the same power. It’s also octa-core, so it divides tasks intelligently between two sets of four cores according to requirements.

In other situations, however, I found that the Galaxy S6 battery fell way behind. After an afternoon out spent snapping photos with both phones for this comparison piece – a four hour trip that involved travelling to some nice RHS gardens and taking around 20 identical pictures – I found that the Galaxy S6 had just 60 percent battery life left in the tank, while the Galaxy S5 had 79 percent.

You could argue that the Galaxy S6 has a much more advanced camera than the Galaxy S5, and that the viewfinder was rendering the live images with much more detail. But this explains why we’re so irritated that the Galaxy S6 battery doesn’t perform as well as its predecessor. Samsung has crammed some phenomenal components in, but it hasn’t given them the power plant to fully match their capabilities.

It didn’t need to be this way, if only Samsung had added a couple of millimetres onto the phone’s waistline and gone with a slightly bigger battery.

Meanwhile, the continued strong performance of the Galaxy S5 – a well worn handset that’s been in frequent use at TR towers over the past 12 months, let’s not forget – shows that its robustness runs deeper than its rather functional shell.

Media and the essentials

Media

Both phones are media heavyweights. Put that down to those 5.1-inch Super AMOLED displays, which render HD video content with deep blacks and vibrant colours.

Naturally with the Samsung Galaxy S6 you also get the ability to watch 2K content (there’s a fair amount available on YouTube) at its native resolution. Such content (as well as 4K content) looks stunning here, and is by far the strongest case for the switch from 1080p.

One disappointment with both handsets is their weedy sound quality – at least in relation to rivals like the HTC One M9 and Sony Xperia Z3. Both have a single small speaker to output their sound. The Galaxy S5‘s is mounted on the back, while the Galaxy S6’s is on the bottom.

In actual fact, while the Galaxy S6 speaker is positioned better for clarity, it’s also prone to being covered by your hand, especially when playing games in landscape view.

Samsung has always boasted the best media support in the business, alongside Sony. File support is strong across both phones, with high-res audio also included.

Put simply, if I were to reach for one of these phones to watch a video or play a game on, I would instinctually go for the Galaxy S6 every time thanks to that brighter, sharper display and snappier performance. If I was loading one up with music to take away with me, I’d probably go with the Galaxy S5, thanks to that microSD slot.

The Essentials

Both of these phones work well as, well, phones. That sounds like a painfully meaningless thing to say, but many lesser manufacturers have been known to take their eye of the ball when it comes to everyday tasks like making calls and sending text messages.

Samsung phones always have great reception and call quality, particularly when it comes to its flagship Galaxy S series. It’s no surprise that the Galaxy S5 is so strong here with its conservative all-plastic design and high-quality internal components.

However, we were interested to see if Samsung’s radical shift in design and construction materials for the Galaxy S6 would interfere with this aspect at all. Say what you like about plastic, it’s far more conducive to a strong mobile signal than metal. Remember the iPhone 4‘s death grip issue? That came as a result of Apple’s shift to a metal and glass construction.

Thankfully, Samsung hasn’t made the same mistakes with its own conversion. The Galaxy S6 has four sensibly placed antennae situated near the corners on the top and bottom edges.

There’s no conceivable situation where you’ll cover more than one of these at a time with your finger, and signal quality was strong throughout my time with the phone.

Other everyday tasks like messaging and typing are identical on the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S5, for better and for worse, as they employ the same default messaging and keyboard apps.

Samsung’s Messages app is very functional, with more than a hint of Google’s Material Design to it. You get a familiar floating New Message prompt in the bottom right-hand corner, bold block-coloured headers, and handy swipe-based shortcuts on the messages themselves.

In fact, the ability to call the other party in a text exchange simply by swiping the message to the right is a handy one, and a feature that’s not present in Google’s own similar-looking Messages app (which has to be downloaded if you want to use it).

Samsung’s own keyboard hasn’t quite been modernised in the same way. It still looks like it belongs to a previous version of Android. It’s perfectly usable, though, and I particularly like that there are separate numerical keys to save hitting an additional key. It also has a perfectly decent word suggestion system that can save a lot of typing if utilised.

Having said all that, I still found myself downloading and switching to Google’s own keyboard pretty swiftly. It actually feels better suited to the latest Lollipop-inflected TouchWiz UI (on both phones), and it has the benefit of a fully integrated swipe-to-type system. You have to go into the settings menu and toggle that on with Samsung’s effort.

Web browsing is similarly strong on both phones, too. As with so many Android phones, both come with two browsers, and it’s annoying that the bog-standard Internet browser is pushed to the fore when Chrome is the superior option.

Once this has been rescued from the dedicated Google apps folder, however, the experience is slick across the board.

The general browsing experience is very fast on both the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S5, with the S6 only having a slight edge when it comes to loading speeds and displaying high resolution images. Put that down to the combo of fast processor and QHD display.

Price and verdict

Price

The Samsung Galaxy S6 is not a cheap phone. With prices starting from £559.99 / $750 / AU$999 / for the 32GB model SIM-free, there’s a premium price to pay for that leap in design. It’s possible to get the phone for around £500 / $650 if if you shop around online, but it’s still far from a bargain.

While it might be a more advanced phone in most key respects, that price might just be a little tough to swallow when you see how cheap the Samsung Galaxy S5 is going for nowadays.

At the time of writing you can pick up a 16GB SIM-free model for £295 / $406 from Amazon. We love the Galaxy S6 and the classy new course it signifies for Samsung. But is it twice the phone the Galaxy S5 is? Probably not.

When it comes to contract prices, here in the UK you generally need to pay around £40 per month as a minimum, with various initial fees getting you a range of data allowances. For the Samsung Galaxy S5, you can pay less than £30 per month for similar deals.

There is some good news on the horizon for prospective Galaxy S6 however, as Samsung says it’s going to «adjust» the price of the handset after sales failed to live up to expectations.

Verdict

Samsung has undoubtedly taken massive strides forward with the Samsung Galaxy S6 this year, but its superiority over the Samsung Galaxy S5 isn’t absolute. For some people, the Galaxy S5 will remain the better choice.

The biggest difference here is in the design of the two phones, and the Galaxy S6 feels like it’s in an entirely different league to its immediate predecessor. The Galaxy S5 looked and felt dated 12 months ago, and time hasn’t done anything to change those first impressions.

However, the Galaxy S5 is much more suited to those with an active lifestyle, its rugged plastic body and IP67 rating ensuring it can take the knocks and splashes that the Galaxy S6 simply cannot. Indeed, the Galaxy S5’s superior battery life and replacable power unit make it the more practical choice for those who aren’t frequently within reach of a wall socket, too.

The S6’s QHD display isn’t quite the huge difference maker you might expect it to be either. However, its greater brightness and more accurate colours make it the better choice as a media player, as well as for heavy web usage.

If mobile photography is your thing, the Galaxy S5 holds its own in the wider smartphone market. But the Galaxy S6 camera is arguably the best there is, whether you like to compose your own shots or just fire and forget.

Of course, all of this means nothing if you’re on any kind of a budget. The Galaxy S6 is undoubtedly expensive, whereas the Galaxy S5 can be picked up for not far off half the price.

For those who want a well-priced, highly capable and robust phone, and who remain unmoved by the prevailing metal and glass design trends of the current high-end crowd, the Galaxy S5 remains a fine choice. But if money is no object, the Galaxy S6 is the clear – if not entirely uncontested – winner.

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Best Android apps — introduction

The Google Play store has exploded in recent years, with a proliferation of apps that can cater to your every need. The problem is: there are just too many of them.

Even with Editor’s Picks, Featured and Best Selling, Top Paid and Top Free categories there to help you out with your downloading decision it’s still a difficult task finding the best apps around.

• What’s the best smartphone of 2015?

And that’s why we made this list. Like you we want the best apps for our Android phones. The apps that are going to revolutionise functionality or, at the very least, offer something so great that it becomes one of the must-have apps that has to be downloaded whenever you get a new handset.

The following apps will be constantly updated and are a mixture of paid and free ones and have been chosen by our Android experts. So, even if you do dip into actual cash for one of these apps, you are safe in the knowledge that it is a worthwhile purchase.

Spotify

Free (premium version needs a subscription)

No, wait. It is free. Sort of. Spotify now comes with a stripped-down playlist/radio combo for users who don’t pay for the service but still want to use it on mobile, accompanied by a swish new tablet interface that has much more in common with the free desktop browser player. So yes, it’s free. Hobbled a bit, but free.

The premium version drops the annoying adverts, ups the audio quality and provides additional features such as offline play, so it’s worth splashing out for the subscription if you use the service often.

Listed for app of the year at the TechRadar Phone Awards.

Strava

Free

If you’re serious about running or cycling then you should be serious about Strava. As smartphone fitness tools go it’s one of the best, allowing you to track your performance, set goals and see daily progress updates.

There are leaderboards and challenges to give it a competitive edge and if you’re ever not sure where to run or cycle you can find user created routes on the app, or share your own. All of that comes free of charge, while a premium version adds even more tools.

Listed for app of the year at the TechRadar Phone Awards.

Evernote

Free

Evernote is the original and the best note-taking app. It allows you save ideas for that book you are always nearly about to write, syncs across devices and you can also create to-do lists, record voice reminders and capture photos straight from the app. It’s a seamless way to organise your probably very messy life.

Listed for app of the year at the TechRadar Phone Awards.

Pocket

Free

Even in 2015 there are still times and places where we can’t get an internet connection, but this doesn’t have to mean you can’t read websites, however, thanks to the excellent Pocket app. It allows you to save articles, news stories, blog posts, videos and much more, letting you read and watch them offline.

You can also synchronise your saved articles across every device you’ve installed Pocket on, allowing you to pick up where you left off and continue reading.

Listed for app of the year at the TechRadar Phone Awards.

Pushbullet

Free

If you spend a lot of time at a computer and don’t want to dig your phone out every time it vibrates thenPushbullet could be the app for you. Download it to your phone and get the extension for your browser and any notifications that appear on your handset will also appear on your computer screen.

So not only will your calendar reminders pop up but you’ll also be able to see who’s texting or calling and decide whether it’s worth replying before you ever look at your phone. You can even reply to texts from your computer and you can easily mute notifications from apps which you’re not interested in seeing.

But Pushbullet is a two way street, because you can also use it to easily send files and links from your computer to your phone. Just tap the icon in your browser, attach the relevant file or information and push it.

Listed for app of the year at the TechRadar Phone Awards.

Periscope

Free

Periscope, Twitter’s live video streaming app, has made its way to Android and it’s an essential download for anyone who likes the immediacy of Twitter but craves something more visual.

You can easily create your own live streams or watch other people’s, send comments and hearts in real time and if you miss the action there’s a 24 hour window with which to replay streams. In short it’s simple enough to dive straight into but has enough to it that you’ll keep coming back, whether you’re more creator or viewer.

Listed for app of the year at the TechRadar Phone Awards.

WhatsApp

Free (for the first year)

The instant messaging behemoth WhatsApp is an essential Android install, especially if you can convince the people you message most frequently to use it too.

The concept is simple — it takes over text messaging on your mobile, routing messages through any Wi-Fi connection instead. Which means no more SMS allowances, no size restrictions, plus images are sent at a decent resolution.

Winner of app of the year at the TechRadar Phone Awards.

Timehop

Free

For the most part, social media is fleeting, but Timehop is all about digging up precious memories from the past. You link it to whatever social media services you frequent (and your on-device photos) and it shows you what was happening years ago on today’s date.

Listed for app of the year at the TechRadar Phone Awards.

Instagram

Free

Instagram is the go-to app for quickly taking photos, adding quirky filters to them and sharing them with the world. Over 300 million people use Instagram and thanks to the social aspects and effortless interface it’s easy to see why it’s such a hit.

You’re not limited to sharing your snaps on Instagram either, as you can easily add your photos to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and more with just a few taps.

Listed for app of the year at the TechRadar Phone Awards.

Snapseed

Free

Google’s free photo editing app Snapseed is one of the best tools you can get for your Android device to edit your photos and make them look better than ever before.

You can manually tweak your images or let Snapseed do all of the hard work with settings such as Auto Correct as well as a number of ready to use filters and effects.

Listed for app of the year at the TechRadar Phone Awards.

Google Photos

Free

There are probably hundreds of photo apps around, but Google Photos stands out as it gives you unlimited storage for photos and videos, all for free.

That’s reason enough to jump on board, especially as it works not just on Android but on iOS and computers too.

But with basic editing tools and the ability to make collages and albums this is more than just photo and video storage, it aims to be your first and last stop after taking a picture. To achieve that it will need a few more features, but it’s well on its way.

Listed for app of the year at the TechRadar Phone Awards.

Uber

Free

Uber is transforming the way we travel. You can quickly and easily request a taxi using the app and get picked up within minutes and you can compare rates and get quotes, as well as paying with Google Wallet, PayPal or by adding your credit card to a secure Uber account.

The Uber service is available in over 50 countries, and it’s rapidly growing. Give it a try and you’ll never want to hail a taxi the old fashioned way again.

Listed for app of the year at the TechRadar Phone Awards.

Google Maps

Free

Google Maps is probably already on your phone, but as the best free mapping option around it’s well worth highlighting.

Transit directions, live traffic updates, voice-guided GPS navigation, Street View and more are all included, making this more feature-packed than even most paid options. Importantly it’s detailed and accurate too, so you’ll never get lost again.

Listed for app of the year at the TechRadar Phone Awards.

Citymapper — Bus, Tube, Rail

Free

Arriving in a brand new city is always exciting but it can also be a little daunting, especially if you need to get around using public transport. Citymapper — Bus, Tube, Rail is a brilliant app that brings you real-time information on public transport for cities around the world.

You can easily plan your route using all kinds of transport and you can be kept up to date with any disruptions or cancellations. An essential app for any city-bound traveller.

Listed for app of the year at the TechRadar Phone Awards.

CloudPlayer

Free (premium version costs £4.99/$4.99)

CloudPlayer, as the name suggests, lets you stream music you have stored in the cloud. This of course is something Google Play Music has been successfully doing for years, but with CloudPlayer you can link up your OneDrive, Dropbox and Google Drive accounts and access all of them in one place.

It also has both Chromecast and AirPlay support and lets you stream files in lossless quality, on top of which it’s got all the basics you’d expect from a music player, like a 10-band equalizer and playlists. Some features are free but others require a one-time payment to upgrade to premium.

Pocket Casts

£2.49/$3.99/AU$4.99

There are any number of podcast apps for Android but Pocket Casts is easily one of the best. Its slick, colourful interface helps it stand out from the drab designs of many competitors and it’s feature packed, with Chromecast support, auto downloads, sleep timers and more.

There are even tools to improve the listening experience of podcasts, such as the ability to remove silent sections to speed them up or toggle video podcasts to audio only. There are cheaper and even free alternatives to Pocket Casts, but you more than get your money’s worth with it.

VLC for Android

Free

VLC for Android is an incredibly versatile media player that can handle pretty much any file that you can chuck at it, so if you’ve ever struggled to open and play a media file, then make sure this is installed.

It’s recently got a major update which brings bug fixes and new features, such as support for DVD menus from ISO files.

Dash Radio

Free

There are a number of streaming radio apps available for Android but where Dash Radio differs from most of them is that it includes over 60 original stations, with real DJ’s, no adverts and 24/7 content.

It’s not FM so you can listen with or without headphones and there are radio stations covering numerous genres, so it’s easy to find ones you’ll like. It also has daily competitions and supports Bluetooth streaming to external speakers. The overwhelmingly blue interface could use a bit of work but we can’t fault the content.

Plex

£3.30/$4.99/AU$5.50

The idea behind Plex is that it assimilates your existing media collection and serves it up, through one standard interface, via the cloud. It’s a bit of a struggle to get going as you need a free account on Plex’s servers to access your stuff, but once it’s all up and running it offers streaming and transcoding of files, meaning everything ought to play everywhere.

It also supports Chromecast too, so if you’ve bought into Google’s own media-managing dream, then you’re going to get a lot of use out of this app.

Zombies, Run!

£2.99/$4.61/AU$5.90

Running is a great way to get fit but it can also be a bit boring, which makes building up the enthusiasm to run a struggle in itself. The unique Zombies, Run! app manages to make running fun by creating an audio adventure game where you run away from zombies in a bid to rescue survivors.

As you run the story unfolds with missions asking you to reach certain distances to bring supplies for your base. Not only is the story entertaining but it makes running fun again, and you’ll be getting fit without even noticing it.

Runtastic PRO

£4.99/$4.99/$AU9.25

A hefty price, but can you put a price on not dying of obesity at age 52? That fitness promise is what you pay for with the RunTastic Pro. It is able to map you, track you, automatically cheer you on, generate live feedback and more, also covering interval training and letting users create their own regular routes to attack again and again. Serious stuff for competitive people.

S Health

Free

S Health has been around for a while, but until recently this Samsung-built app was only available for Galaxy devices.

There are any number of other health and fitness apps around, but few as jam-packed full of features as S Health. You can track everything from running, walking and cycling, to food, water and caffeine intake and even things like blood pressure and sleep.

There’s also the ability to set goals and undertake training programmes to run 5K or 10K. So whether you’re gearing up for a marathon or just want to watch what you eat, S Health could help you out.

Hexlock

Free

You can lock your whole Android smartphone with a PIN or pattern, but out of the box you can’t lock specific apps. That’s where Hexlock comes in. It lets you set a PIN or password and apply it to apps of your choice, so even if someone borrows your phone you can control what they see and access.

Maybe you want to keep your messages private for example, or stop a child accessing the browser or Google Play. To make things even easier you can set up multiple profiles which lock down different apps and switch between them with a tap.

If you want to make things really secure you can even keep Hexlock itself from being uninstalled by unauthorised users.

SwiftKey Keyboard

Free

This one pioneered the concept of the alternative keyboard, with SwiftKey the first to offer to ‘learn’ your writing style and attempt to predict your next word. The hope being that, with practice, it’ll know what phrases you commonly use and might save you quite a bit of fuss in typing a simple message to a friend.

You used to have to pay for the app, but now you don’t have to spend a penny to give your keyboard a big boost.

Action Launcher 3

Free

If you want complete control over the way your Android device looks and behaves, then Action Launcher 3 is a must have app.

Android Widgets can be given a new lease of life with this app, which has been revamped with support for Android 5.0 Lollipop‘s Material Design look. If you’ve set up home screens in other interfaces such as Nova, Google Now Launcher and TouchWiz, as well as the default Android interface, you can import all your settings so all of your favourite apps and shortcuts are exactly where you want them.

Dropbox

Free

Pretty much essential for anyone juggling a work PC, home PC, laptop, tablet, phone and internet fridge, Dropbox‘s key power lies in letting you access any files anywhere.

It can also automatically upload photos taken on your phone to your account, meaning that, after a bit of uploading and downloading, all your shots are *right there* on your desktop without any tedious cable connecting.

Yahoo Livetext

Free

Yahoo Livetext is somewhat impressive in that it manages to put a new spin on instant messaging. Because rather than just sending messages out to a blank screen the person you’re talking to can see a live video feed of you and you of them.

So it feels more like you’re face to face and you can instantly see their reactions to your messages, yet you’re still typing, there’s no sound here, which means you can easily use it when out and about where it might either be noisy or you don’t have enough privacy for an audible conversation.

In most other ways it’s a fairly standard messaging app. If there’s a downside it’s that you’ll need to convince people to get the app, which could be hard given the huge number of communication apps most people are already using, but it’s a novel experience.

IF

Free

IF was formerly known as IFTTT, which stands for «if this then that», concisely summing up what this app does. It’s a simple ethos that gives you a huge amount of options for making your Android device do some pretty cool things.

You can create simple statements such as «if any photo is taken then add them to Dropbox», or «if my location is home, send a text message to my partner saying «I’m home!»» which can also be shared with other IF users. You’ll be amazed how much you can do with such a simple premise.

Skype

Free

Skype is an excellent app for keeping in contact with friends and family throughout the world via instant messages, voice and video calls. If you’re connected to a Wi-Fi network you can make calls to other Skype members absolutely free.

You can also buy Skype credit to make calls to landlines and mobile phones, and it’s far cheaper to use Skype than make long distance calls on your mobile network.

Hopper

Free

Booking flights can be a minefield, with so many different airlines offering them and prices changing all the time. Flight comparison sites can help a bit but they usually only tell you what the prices are at any given time.

Hopper goes a step further and tells you whether prices are likely to get more or less expensive if you wait to book, as well as giving you a snapshot of which days have the cheapest flights, so you can predict the best time to buy. You can ‘watch’ specific trips too, getting alerts for price drops and warnings before a price is likely to rise.

So if you’re planning a trip it never hurts to stick it into Hopper and see if you can’t save yourself some money.

Vine

Free

Vine is the movie-making sensation took a little while to appear on Android, then took a while for the numerous bugs to disappear – but now it’s all good. It’s a simple recording/stop-motion/animation tool, letting you shoot live video on your phone and share it via social networks.

The app is also the best way of browsing Vines from others, as the categories and pages mean you can leaf through it like telly, favouriting users.

YouTube Gaming

Free

If you enjoy watching games as much as playing them you might want to check out YouTube Gaming. The app includes videos and livestreams, covering reviews, speed runs, let’s plays, trailers and more, from both gamers and publishers.

You can chat and comment while watching videos and the app is easy to navigate, with dedicated pages for every game, plus various video categories and the ability to save your favourite games and channels.

Javvy

Free + £7.18/$9.99 IAP

Java is the most popular programming language in the world, so it’s a useful skill to have and if you’ve been put off in the past by the thick books and dry websites which typically teach it Javvy could be for you.

It features over 150 interactive bite-sized tutorials, to take you from the basics to more advanced things like HashMaps and classes. Not only does Javvy make it easy to learn at your own pace, but it’s written in a light, engaging way.

You get the first two chapters for free, covering basics and variables, but if you want a more comprehensive Java education you can shell out for the other chapters, either a bit at a time or with a single £7.18/$9.99 in-app purchase.

Polarr Pro Photo Editor

Free

Considering the basic app costs absolutely nothing Polarr puts a lot of photo editing power in your hands. From cleaning images up with sharpening and noise removal tools to tweaking the exposure, temperature and contrast and adding one of a number of filters.

There are other apps with similar tools, but few which have quite the wealth of options this does and with an in-app purchase of $4.99 / £3.84 you can unlock even more features, giving you the ability to make fine-tuned edits to just certain sections of a photo.

Adblock Browser

Free

No-one likes adverts and they can be especially annoying on a smartphone, where they consume both data and battery. Adblock Browser is built expressly to combat them, automatically blocking all intrusive adverts.

As well as saving data and battery life this can also lead pages to load faster and reduce the risk of malware infection, not to mention removing the annoyance of pop-ups. If you want you can set it to block all adverts, but it defaults to allowing non-intrusive ones, so websites can still make their money.

Snowball

Free

If like us you’ve filled your phone up with hundreds of apps you may find that you’re getting an almost endless stream of notifications, many of which you have little to no interest in. Sure, Android has its own notification management, but Snowball arguably does it faster and better.

With it you can make sure important notifications are always shown at the top, while less important ones are listed below or hidden completely.

Better yet it learns and makes predictions over time and it allows you to reply to many notifications, such as WhatsApp and SMS messages, straight from the notification itself.

Google Drive

Free

You’re likely to already have the Google Drive app installed on your Android device, but if you don’t make sure you download it as it’s an incredibly useful tool.

It allows you to view all the files you’ve saved to the Google Drive cloud storage service, and you can share them all with friends and co-workers as well.

Boxer Calendar

Free

Standing out as a calendar app is pretty hard, since there are so many and they all do essentially the same thing. But Boxer Calendar just gets it right. For one thing it works with other calendars, such as Google, Facebook, Outlook and Twitter and you can easily choose which ones to sync if you don’t want all of them displayed.

It’s also got an attractive Material Design inspired interface, offers pop-up notifications, multiple calendar views, a widget and if you couple it with Boxer email you can even view and send your availability to someone without jumping between apps.

It could soon be a pretty big deal too, as it’s set to replace Google Calendar as the default calendar for Cyanogenmod OS 12.1, but you can get it for other Android devices as well.

Hooks — Alerts for Everything

Free

Want to be alerted when your favourite band has a new album out or a new gig in your area? Or how about when a certain Twitter account tweets, or when a new episode of Game of Thrones airs? Perhaps you want to be alerted every time a critically acclaimed game launches for the PS4? Or when there’s a weather warning in your area?

Hooks – Alerts for Everything can do all that and more. Despite the name it doesn’t quite cover everything, but it has options for things as niche as being alerted of when a particular website goes down or when a well-regarded restaurant opens nearby and new alert types are being added all the time.

So just set up alerts for everything you care about and never again worry about missing something or having to hunt for it.

Airbnb

Free

A posh B&B listings service designed specifically around mobile app use, the selling point of Airbnb is that it personalises the hosts, so if you really want to stay in Glasgow with a cheery looking alternative lifestyle man called Dave snoring in the next room, it’s ideal.

It’s also a fantastic way to travel the world and save money with over 450,000 listings in 34,000 cities.

Duolingo: Learn Languages Free

Free

Although for many English speakers it’s easy enough for us to communicate with the locals when we’re travelling by pointing at things and speaking LOUDLY AND SLOWLY, it’s also quite nice to learn a bit of the local lingo before you leave as well, which is where Duolingo: Learn Languages Free comes in.

This excellent app makes learning a second language easy, fun and convenient, with a number of daily challenges and tests to help you learn.

Microsoft Translator

Free

Microsoft Translator ensures you’ll always be understood, no matter where you go. You can get a written and spoken translation for any word or short sentence in dozens of languages and it supports both text and speech input.

There are other similar apps, but Microsoft Translator has a slick interface, Android Wear support and most importantly it works well, almost always understanding what you’re saying to it.

TRACKR: Next Bus & Train Times

£2.99

There are any number of transport apps, but few as comprehensive as TRACKR. If provides live train information, bus routes and timings for all 370,000 bus stops in the UK, plus departure boards for the London Underground, Glasgow SPT Subway and every other underground, tram and light rail service.

It also offers route maps, journey planning and even proximity alarms to let you know when you’re approaching your stop. In other words TRACKR has all the tools you need to make efficient use of public transport in the UK.

Calibre Companion

£2.50/$3.86/AU$4.97

If you’ve got a huge collection of ebooks, then Calibre Companion is definitely worth the asking price. It helps you organise your digital library and displays all of your ebooks in an attractive interface that makes it easy to find what you’re looking for.

You can add and remove ebooks via Wi-Fi to ensure you have all the books you need on your portable device. A free version is also available, but it is limited to just 20 books.

Google Now

Free

Exclusive to Nexus devices since launch, Google Now has been opened up to owners of any Android phone running version 4.1 of the OS or higher.

Install it and you get the experience that is having Google Now fill an entire Home screen, providing a permanent collection of the cards to the left of the existing Home screen setup. These useful cards include weather information, the time it will take to get home, news stories you’re interested in and even where you parked your car. The more you use Google Now, the better it gets to know you and the more useful it becomes.

LastPass Password Mgr Premium

£7.77/$12/AU$15.43 a year

If you’ve got different passwords for different online accounts (and you should) it can sometimes be a difficult and frustrating experience to remember them all when you want to log in. One way of beating this is to have the same password for every account, but that is far from secure.

A much better way is to use LastPass Password Mgr Premium to manage all of your passwords. It makes signing in a piece of cake, while also remaining completely secure. You can also quickly populate forms automatically and check just how secure your passwords are with the LastPass Security Challenge.

MoneyWiz 2

£2.29/$2.99 (around AU$4.20)

Managing finances isn’t exciting, but it is important and tools like MoneyWiz 2 make it easier than ever.

You can add all your accounts, balances and scheduled bills to it so you can see the ins and outs of your finances all in one place, as well as getting bill reminders so you’re never late on a payment and forecasts to show you a prediction of how much you’re likely to have to spend before your next pay cheque.

Set up a subscription and you can even connect your bank accounts directly to the app, so you can see all your transactions and balance changes without having to add them manually.

ClickMe — Reminder in a click

Free

The idea behind ClickMe is simple- set up any reminder in just one or two taps, or clicks. You simply tap a contact or select a general reminder, optionally add a picture or text and tap a time that you want to be reminded.

To make things as fast as possible you can even set it to automatically launch after calls end or screenshots are taken, instantly letting you set a related reminder. Once you’ve set a reminder the app automatically closes, saving you another tap and you won’t hear from it again until the appointed time.

When a reminder appears it will also display shortcuts to call or message the relevant contact, keeping the number of taps down yet again. If you find yourself needing a lot of reminders this is faster than most calendar apps or to-do lists.

Shuttle+ Music Player

£1.10/$1.75/Around AU$2.50

There’s an enormous number of music players to choose from on Android, but Shuttle+ is one of the best.

With an attractive and intuitive Material design-inspired interface and most of the options you’d hope for from a premium player, including gapless playback, a sleep timer, lots of themes, automatic album artwork downloads, a 6-band equalizer, widgets, Chromecast support and a lot more besides it’s a joy to use.

There’s a free version, but the premium one is only £1.10/$1.75 and has far more features, so it’s worth the investment.

Bitdefender Mobile Security & Antivirus

£9.70/$14.95/AU$19.22 a year

Unfortunately viruses and other malware often target Android owners, and considering we use our devices for important task such as online banking, it’s a good idea to make sure your device is free from any nasty programs, which is where the Bitdefender Mobile Security & Antivirus comes in.

It’s one of the best tools for keeping your Android handset or tablet free from viruses. However a much bigger threat to your device is it getting lost or stolen, and this is where the app really proves to be worth the money thanks to a suite of anti-theft tools that can help you lock and track your device.

It could help you get it back, but if that fails you can remotely wipe your data to make sure your information doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.

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Best 2-in-1 laptops

Hybrid laptops, or 2-in-1s, are devices that are able to serve as both a laptop and a tablet, either in a detachable design that sees the touchscreen doubling as a tablet, or a convertible approach in which the notebook’s hinge rotates 360 degrees for a similar effect.

Hybrid laptops are generally priced in a range between $700 (about £450, AU$800) and $2,000 (around £1,169, AU$2,131). However, some manufacturers, like Acer, make budget hybrids, and there are even 2-in-1s designed specifically for the business user, like the Dell Venue 7000 series.

These are sleek, powerful devices that look good and serve multiple use cases. Now that Microsoft has released Windows 10 , expect an even greater selection of these devices to pop up, like the HP Elite x2 1011, which runs on the new operating system.

With that, here are the best 2-in-1 laptops that we’ve reviewed:

1. Microsoft Surface Pro 3

CPU: 1.9GHz Intel Core i5-4300U (dual-core, 3MB cache, up to 2.9GHz with Turbo Boost) | Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4400 | RAM: 8GB LPDDR3 | Screen: 12-inch, 2160 x 1440 multi-touch (ClearType, 3:2 aspect ratio) | Storage: 256GB SSD | Optical drive: none | Connectivity: 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 | Camera: Two 5MP webcams (1080p HD video) | Weight: 1.76 pounds Dimensions: 7.93 x 11.5 x 0.36 inches (W x D x H)

This is not only Microsoft’s most striking and versatile device to date, but the most convincing poster child for the hybrid category yet. And this ringing endorsement comes from a long-time skeptic of such devices.

This version of the tablet comes in cheaper than the most affordable iPad Air and 13-inch MacBook Air combined, even with the Type Cover, and that’s the point. On paper, this slate is more powerful than either Apple device, not to mention most other comparably priced laptops and tablets. The Surface Pro 3 might not be perfect, but it’s far and wide the brightest shining example of a potential tablet takeover. If you’re not concerned about a downgraded performance, consider the new Surface 3, which doesn’t provide as much kick as the Pro, but is lighter and a lot cheaper.

Read the full review: Microsoft Surface Pro 3

2. HP Spectre x360

CPU: 2.2GHz Intel Core i5-5200 (dual-core, 3MB cache, up to 2.7GHz with Turbo Boost) | Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 5500 | RAM: 8GB DDR3 (1600Mhz) | Screen: 13.3-inch, 1,920 x 1,080 FHD Radiance LED-backlit touchscreen | Storage: 256GB SSD | Connectivity: 802.11ac (2×2) and Bluetooth 4.0 combo | Camera: HP TrueVision Full HD WVA Webcam (front-facing) | Weight: 3.26 pounds | Dimensions: 12.79 x 8.6 x 0.63 inches (W x D x H)

Buy the HP Spectre x360. It easily comes as one of my most recommended machines, with an excellent 1080p screen, solid performance, good battery life, and sturdy build quality; all for an excellent deal at $999 (£899, AU$1,899).

If it weren’t for a few missteps with the trackpad and being too hefty for tablet use, this laptop would have easily stood amongst the most highly rated laptops TechRadar has ever reviewed. Despite its flaws, though, the Spectre x360 is one of the best-looking and powerful devices HP has ever produced and well worth a look over many, many other 2-in-1 laptops.

Read the full review: HP Spectre x360

3. Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 12

CPU: Intel Core i5-5300U (2C, 2.30/2.90GHz, 3.0MB, 1600Mhz) | Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 5500 | RAM: 8GB | Screen: 1920×1080 | Storage: 180GB SSD OPAL2 | Optical drive: None | Connectivity: Intel Dual-Band Wireless – AC 7265 + Bluetooth 4.0 | Camera: HD 720p | Weight: 3.48 pounds (1.5kg) Dimensions: 12..44″ x 8.70″ x 0.74″ (31 x 22 x 1.8 cm)

The Yoga 12 is a versatile bulldog of a device. You can use it as your work laptop. You can use it for play. It won’t be the best pick for either of these tasks, but it won’t stray too far from the upper tier either. At 3.4 pounds and 0.74 inches thick, it’s just light and slim enough to claim portability. With more than seven hours of video playback, its battery is good enough to get through a workday, and it’s affordably priced starting at just $845.

Packing a full HD display that can bend into four different modes, you’ll enjoy this device’s flexibility, even though it isn’t the lightest or sexiest device on the planet. With that being said, it performs on par or better than any of the devices on this list. If you need a larger screen, the Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 15 is also a great option.

Read the full review: Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 12

4. Dell Inspiron 13 7000

CPU: 2.4GHz Intel Core i7-5500 (dual-core, 4MB cache, up to 2.9GHz with Turbo Boost) | Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 5500 | RAM: 8GB DDR3L (1,600MHz) | Screen: 13.3-inch, 1,920 x 1,080 FHD IPS touchscreen | Storage: 256GB SSD | Connectivity: 802.11ac (2×2) and Bluetooth 4.0 | Camera: 720p front-facing webcam; built-in dual digital microphones | Weight: 3.68 pounds (1.67kg) | Dimensions: 12.99 x 8.74 x 0.75 inches (W x D x H; 330 x 222 x 19mm)

This notebook features excellent build quality and overall system performance. It’s fast, it’s slick, and it is ideal for students who need to bang out papers and general users who want a fast, compact notebook to tote around.

Read the full review: Dell Inspiron 13 7000

5. Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro

CPU: 1.6GHz Core i5 4200U | Graphics: Intel HD 4400 | RAM: 4GB of DDR3 | Screen: 3,200 x 1,800 IPS multi-touch display | Storage: 128GB SSD | Optical drive: None | Connectivity: Intel Wireless-N 7260 Wi-Fi | Camera: 720P front-facing camera | Weight: 3.06 pounds Dimensions: 13 x 8.66 x 0.61 inches

With the Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro (starting at $1,099, £999, AU$1,599), we can now confirm that 3,200 x 1,800 pixels is delicious indeed. On top of the winning Yoga form factor, we loved the solid performance, backlit keyboard, and the snappy SSD, creating mobile device-like response times.

At the $1,000 price point, you could put the Yoga 2 Pro in just about anyone’s hands and make them quite pleased.

For those of you who crave portability more than anything, Lenovo recently unveiled the new LaVie Z, which the company claims is the lightest convertible on the market. For those who want more power and don’t mind a little heft, you could also check out the Lenovo Yoga 3 2014.

Read the full review: Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro

6. Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S

CPU: 1.5 GHz Intel Core i7-3689Y | Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000 (integrated) | RAM: 8GB PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM 1600 MHz SODIMM | Screen: 11.6″ HD LED Multitouch 1366×768 | Storage: 128GB DDR SSD | Optical drive: none | Connectivity: Lenovo 802.11 b/g/n wireless, Bluetooth 4.0 | Camera: 1.0MP 720p HD integrated webcam | Weight: 3.10 lbs Dimensions: 11.73″ x 8.03″ x 0.67″

Yes, another Lenovo hybrid! The 11.6-inch Lenovo Yoga 11S (starting at around $799, £599, AU$1,299) laptop is a flexible machine that can fold over from a typical laptop stance to a stand position, to a position with the keyboard behind the screen, ready for delivering presentations.

It comes with HDMI, SD card and USB ports, and boasts a surprisingly impressive Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD for storage. The screen is sharp and bright, though not full HD, and works well with Windows 8. It’s also nicely light and small for portability. You can easily use the Yoga 11S as you would any other laptop, replete with a full QWERTY keyboard.

Read the full review: Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S

7. Toshiba Satellite Click Mini

CPU: 1.33GHz Intel Atom Z3735F with Burst Technology 2.0
 | Graphics: Intel HD Graphics
 | RAM: 2GB DDR3 SDRAM 
 | Screen: 8.9-inch, 1920 x 1200 IPS LCD, 16:10 aspect ratio, 10 points multi-touch screen
 | Storage: 32GB eMMC Flash Memory
 | Connectivity: Wireless LAN 802.11b/g/n (up to 150 Mbps) | Camera: 5 MP Full HD rear camera with auto focus (back) and 2 MP Full HD web camera (front)
 | Weight: Tablet 1.04 pounds (472g); Tablet with keyboard 2.16 pounds (978g)
 | Dimensions: Tablet 9.25 x 0.385 x 6.34-inches (235 x 161 x 9.8mm) (W x D x H); Tablet with keyboard 9.25 x 6.72 x 0.78-inches (235 x 170.6 x 19.9mm)


Toshiba has created an incredible value full HD laptop that doubles as a tablet. It’s perfect for frequent travelers, students taking notes in lectures, workers in meetings and people on a budget. This machine is well built and it runs smoothly and fast.

Read the full review: Toshiba Satellite Click Mini

8. Asus Transformer Book T200

CPU: 1.46GHz Intel® Bay Trail-T Quad Core Z3775 | Graphics: Integrated Intel HD Graphics | RAM: 2 GB LPDDR3 | Screen: 11.-inch 16:9 IPS HD (1366 x 768) with multi-touch screen | Storage: 32GB eMMC With 500 GB HDD | Optical drive: None | Connectivity: Integrated 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth V4.0 | Camera: Front 2 Mp and rear 5 MP | Weight: 1.71 pounds Dimensions: 12 x 7.6 x 0.47 inches (W x D x H)

If you are looking for a combination of Windows laptop and tablet, the Asus Transformer Book T200 is a very appealing option that offers a fair amount for only $539 (£349, or AU$690).

The T200 is quiet, light, well built and feels responsive during normal usage. Battery life is excellent, so you won’t find yourself hunting obsessively for charging points throughout the day. Its «smart» hard drive bay adds plenty of storage space alongside the speedy 32GB SSD, and despite having a disappointing resolution, the IPS display is at least vibrant with good viewing angles. Good connectivity in the form of USB 3.0 and RJ45 ports are welcome additions, with a reasonable pre-loaded software set finishing off the package nicely.

Read the full review: Asus Transformer Book T200

9. Dell Venue 11 Pro 7000

CPU: Intel Core M-5Y71 vPro | Graphics: Intel Gen7 graphics | RAM: 8 GB | Screen: 10.8-inch FHD 1920 X 1080 IPS display | Storage: 128 GB SSD | Optical drive: None | Connectivity: Intel 7265 dual-band 2X2 802.11 ac WiFi & Bluetooth 4.0 | Camera: 2-megapixel webcam; 8-megapixel rear camera | Weight: 1.6 pounds (0.72kg) Dimensions: 11.01 x 6.95 x .42 inches (27.97 X 17.65 X 1.07 cm)

At the $700 (£437 and AU$800) entry price, the Venue Pro 7000 offers a nice balance of performance and portability in a travel-friendly size. However, unless you find yourself accessing CPU and GPU taxing apps, you might find more value in an Atom-based convertible. Going with Atom will lower your cost and give you better battery life.

For those who need power and performance, the confines of a 10.8-inch display may be too rigid to maximize productivity. Opening more than a few tabs or windows on the small display will trigger claustrophobia. If you need to be more productive, there are bigger convertible options, like the Surface Pro 3, to choose from that may fit that need better. Or, if you prefer Android OS, and you don’t mind a little less kick, you can go with the Dell Venue 10 7000.

Read the full review: Dell Venue 11 Pro 7000

10. Asus Transformer Book T300 Chi

CPU: 1.2GHz Intel Core M 5Y71 processor (dual-core, 4MB cache, up to 2.9GHz with turbo boost) | Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 5300 | RAM: 8GB DDR3L (1600MHz) | Screen: 12.5-inch, 2,560 x 1,440 (WQHD) capacitive multi-touch IPS display | Storage: 128GB SSD | Optical drive: None | Connectivity: Intel Dual Band Wireless-N 7265 + Bluetooth 4.0 LE | Camera: 2MP 720p webcam | Weight: 3.14 pounds Dimensions: 12.5 x 7.5 x 0.65 inches (W x D x H)

The Asus Transformer Book T300 Chi is one of the first laptops to finally get the hybrid form factor right. Thanks to the use of a magnet latching system and Intel’s fanless Core M processor, Asus has been able to produce a lighter tablet-laptop hybrid that’s thin to boot.

The detachable Bluetooth keyboard also opens up a few alternative ways to use the device. Over the last few weeks, I propped up the screen while I used the keyboard as a remote for Netflix and stood the screen on its side, using it as a makeshift vertical screen. The best thing about all this is it’s entirely seamless, letting you easily switch between tablet and laptop modes with ease.

Read the full review: Asus Transformer Book T300 Chi

11. Lenovo ThinkPad Helix (2015)

CPU: Intel Core M-5Y71 | Graphics: Intel HD5300 | RAM: 8GB | Screen: 11.6-inch 1920 x 1080 Multitouch | Storage: 128GB SSD | Connectivity: Dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 | Camera: 5MP front, 2MP rear | Weight: 1.75 lbs. | Dimensions: 11.85″ x 7.57″ x 0.37″

One more Lenovo! With a well-built dock featuring physical buttons and a large trackpad, very good performance, superb battery life and lashings of storage, memory and connectivity options, the Helix goes a long way towards justifying its considerable price.

Read the full review: Lenovo ThinkPad Helix (2015)

Joe Osborne and Kevin Lee contributed to this article

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