CES 2015 smartphone roundup

Most of the big guns in the phone world may be holding fire for Mobile World Congress next month, but CES 2015 still brought no shortage of fresh phones. Chinese giants Lenovo, ZTE, and Alcatel were very busy, LG took the wraps off the G Flex 2, and there were lots of lesser-known names showing off their wares.

Overwhelmed? We’ve compiled a complete list of every CES 2015 smartphone for your perusal. Looking for all the latest? You’ll find it here.

LG G Flex 2

Honestly, this is as close as CES 2015 gets to a genuine flagship release from a major Android player. LG’s curved smartphone improves on last year’s G Flex in every way. From the top-of-the-line Snapdragon 810 processor to the 5.5-inch 1080p screen, this is a classy release. Throw in a stunning, feature-packed 13-megapixel camera, a huge, fast-charging 3,000mAh battery, and Android 5.0 Lollipop, and you have yourself the first irresistible Android of the year. It’s also definitely landing in the States with AT&T.

Asus Zenfone 2

Here’s a beast in the power stakes offered in two varieties, with a 64-bit Intel Atom processor clocked at 1.8GHz or 2.3GHz. It also boasts 4GB of RAM and a whopping 3,000mAh battery. There’s an impressive-sounding 13-megapixel camera with a f/2.0 aperture lens and a 5-megapixel selfie-cam. It runs the latest Android 5.0 with a fully customizable Asus skin on top.

Asus Zenfone Zoom

If the camera is what you look for first on your smartphone then this one might interest you. It features a 13-megapixel sensor with 3x optical zoom, a 10-element lens, laser auto-focus, and optical image stabilization. It also has a 5.5-inch 1080p display and runs Android 5.0. At $400, it could prove tempting for budding photographers.

Briggs & Spriggs Boss Phone

A 7-inch display on a phone is guaranteed to catch your eye, and the Boss Phone caught ours, but it’s still a long way off its Indiegogo goal. The huge 1080p display isn’t the real draw, however. That’s probably the Tor certification, which promises genuinely secure communication.

Inside, there’s an octa-core processor courtesy of Mediatek, 16GB of storage, an 8-megapixel camera, a 2-megapixel front-facing camera for selfies, and a 3,000mAh battery. It also runs Android 5.0 Lollipop. Early birds can snag one for $329 on Indiegogo, but you won’t get it until October.

Kodak IM5

Brought to you by Bullitt, makers of Caterpillar’s rugged smartphones, the Kodak IM5 is unsurprisingly focused on photography. It combines a 13-megapixel main camera with a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. Bullitt has a customized interface over Android 4.4, aiming to make something that’s easy to use and then share or print photos from. It’s not trying to be the biggest and best camera phone around, and that’s reflected in the $250 price tag.

Acer Liquid Jade S

It’s unlikely to land in the States, but the Liquid Jade S will be going on sale in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa this month at around $360. That buys you a 5-inch display (1,280 x 720 pixels), 64-bit octa-core Mediatek processor clocked at 1.5GHz, 2GB of RAM, a 13-megapixel main camera, 5-megapixel selfie-cam, and support for 4G LTE. It’s a dual-SIM in some markets and it runs Android 4.4 out the box, although Acer promises a Lollipop update.

Acer Liquid Z410

This one has a 64-bit quad-core processor, a 4.5-inch display with a 960 x 540 resolution, and a 5-megapixel main camera, backed up by a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. This is a budget release at around $150. Its claim to fame is the DTS Studio Sound. Acer also offers customizable gestures to launch apps and trigger phone functions.

Alcatel OneTouch Pixi 3

This series of four phones from Alcatel OneTouch comes in a choice of display sizes, ranging from 3.5 to 5 inches. A further bid by Alcatel to hedge its bets is evidenced by the trio of operating systems – there are Android, Firefox, and Windows Phone versions.

There was some excitement at the idea you may be able to boot into the OS of your choice, but it turns out the platform choice is just for carriers and each individual phone only runs one platform. They’re budget LTE phones that will be offered at low prices, but the specs aren’t going to impress.

Archos 50 Diamond

Considering it’s coming from a budget manufacturer, you’d be forgiven for thinking Archos has changed direction with the 50 Diamond. It sports a 5-inch 1080p display, an octa-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, and a 16-megapixel main camera with an 8-megapixel front-facing camera. A hefty 2,700mAh battery rounds out the spec sheet and it all comes in at under $200. Still budget after all.

Blu Vivo Air

The impossibly slim Vivo Air is the headline release from budget smartphone manufacturer Blu. It is just 5.1mm thick and feather-light at under 100g. Specs-wise, there’s a 4.8-inch Super AMOLED with a 1,280 x 720 pixel resolution, a 1.7GHz octa-core processor, an 8-megapixel main camera, and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. Sounds like a lot of phone for $200.

There were another six Blu phones released at the show, all under $200 unlocked and offering impressive specs (on paper at least).

HTC Desire 320

This is an update to replace 2014’s Desire 310, and it’s a basic budget smartphone. There’s a 4.5-inch display, a 1.3GHz quad-core processor, and a 5-megapixel camera. It ships with Android 4.4 and it also has an FM radio built in. Expect budget pricing.

HTC Desire 826

Whether it gets a wider release beyond Asia is unknown right now, but the Desire 826 takes the mid-range to new heights with a 5.5-inch 1080p display, a 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 chipset, Boomsound speakers, a 13-megapixel camera, and a UltraPixel selfie-cam on the front.

It’s a sleek design wrapped around some decent hardware and it comes with the latest and greatest Android 5.0 Lollipop. If the price is right, it’s going to spark a lot of interest.

Lenovo Vibe X2 Pro

Here’s a svelte mid-ranger that takes the selfie-cam trend to new heights. The Vibe X2 Pro is packing a 5.3-inch 1080p display, 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, and matching 13-megapixel cameras front and back. It runs Android 5.0 Lollipop and only costs $400. It may not break China’s borders, though, especially now that Lenovo owns Motorola.

Lenovo P90

The P90 combines Intel’s 64-bit 1.8Ghz quad-core Atom chip with 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, and a 13-megapixel camera. It also supports the latest LTE-Advanced for lightning speeds where the network supports them (which isn’t many places right now).

The front-facing camera drops to 5-megapixels, but there’s also an enormous 4,000mAh battery. It’s the first phone to sport this Intel processor and that might account for the extra big battery. This one costs $500, but it won’t be sold in the US.

Tonino Lamborghini 88 Tauri

No amount of calfskin leather, gold, and Lamborghini glass is going to justify the $6,000 price tag on this one, but it’s for people with more money than sense. You might expect cutting edge specs, but you’d be disappointed. There’s a 5-inch 1080p display, 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor, 3GB of RAM, and a 3,400mAh battery. The cameras are rated at 20 megapixels for the back and 8 megapixels for the front. That’s good, but not $6K good. It is impressively ugly, though.

Saygus V2

If your major bugaboo about modern smartphones is a lack of storage then get ready to be very excited. The Saygus V2 offers a maximum of 320GB of storage, via 64GB of internal storage and two microSD card slots that support up to 128GB each. Beyond that, it has a 5-inch 1080p display, a Snapdragon 801 processor clocked at 2.5GHz, 3GB of RAM, and an impressive 21-megapixel back camera and 13-megapixel front camera combo.

Are you impressed yet? What if we told you it was waterproof, lined with Kevlar, and has a fingerprint scanner? There’s also a 3,100mAh battery that supports wireless charging and front-facing Harman Kardon speakers. Not to mention the 60Ghz Wi-Fi. You may emit a slight sigh of disappointment when you discover it runs Android 4.4.4, but there’s plenty to be impressed about. We expect a flagship price tag to match the specs.

ZTE Grand X Max+

As you may have guessed from the subtle moniker, this is a big smartphone, but the price tag is a modest $200. The 6-inch display is 1,280 x 720 pixels and there’s only a 1.2Ghz Snapdragon 400 inside with 2GB of RAM. You also get 16GB of storage, a 13-megapixel main camera, and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. This one is going on sale through Cricket Wireless starting January 9.

ZTE Star 2

Our final entry is the ZTE Star 2. It has solid specs, including a Snapdragon 801 processor, 13-megapixel main camera, and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera, but the big selling point is top-quality voice controls that work without an Internet connection. Unfortunately there are no concrete plans to release it outside China.

That’s your lot, all the smartphones of CES 2015 so far! Feel free to harangue us in the comments about anything we missed.