Hindsight vs Foresight
Past Wishlist (Feb 2013)
1. HTC One
I remember reading about this phone nearly one year ago and thinking to myself this would be my next phone. It did by May and it has lived up to most of hype during the last 9 months except the UltraPixel camera. The best smartphone since the iPhone 4. My last two upgrade years in 2010 & 2013 was with the Apple iPhone 4 and HTC One. Both not only were the best designed smartphone of their respective years with fresh new software and hardware festures, they both ended up winning the Global Mobile Award for best smartphone of the year with enough solid and useful hardware and software features. In 2011, Apple won for best smartphone and HTC won for best manufacturer of 2010.
2. Motorola X phone
This turned out as the Moto X and the Nexus 5 would be made by LG again. By initial impressions, I thought it was another boring Motorola phone with gimmicky features with midrange specs. It became one of the best Android phones of last year with MotoMaker, Active Display, Quick Capture Gesture, and Moto Assist. If I didn't have #1, this phone would be my daily driver.
3. Sony Xperia Z
So hyped initially from this phone. Then I thought about that glass back. First time I saw one was early May and it didn't wow me like it should. The ZR actually stayed on my wishlist longer because of the removable battery. After the recent Z2 announcement, I'm generally not excited from Xperia Z-series phones. The design got played out and not a fan of a power button in the center of the right side. Eventually this phone fell off my wishlist very quickly as its luster didn't last long but this was the 2nd most beautiful phone announced a year ago by that point.
4. Google Nexus 4
This was my #1 phone on my wishlist by the end of 2012 and it stayed on my wishlist for many more months because of price. I actually like the design more than the Nexus 5 even though it seems more fragile on the back. But now Nexus phones don't excite me so much. Android is fairly bland stock. Rather get a subsidized phone like a Moto X, Note 3, or iPhone 5s vs a $350-$400 off-contract Nexus phone with weaker camera or battery that doesn't add anything fresh except a decent price point for certain countries with a top SoC that G3 or Note 4 may generally get anyway. Its price has always been the #1 and maybe ONLY appeal for me.
5. Samsung Galaxy S4
This turned out to be the biggest blockbuster hit of 2013 like the S III did in 2012 as Samsung continues to eat up into Apple's mobile profits. And while I like the specs and how Samsung continues to give us a removable battery and expandable memory, its plastic generic design always turned me off as Samsung continues to NOT differentiate its S-line with its lower-end phones. You get a flagship phone with flagship specs covered in cheaper materials and same boring design language.
Current Wishlist (Feb 2014)
1. Motorola Moto X2
I felt the Moto X was the 2nd or 3rd best Android phone behind the One and even G2 last year. Perhaps wasn't on the level of design as the One but it brought out some fresh new software ideas like Active Display or an "always listening" feature that were actually useful and worked and not purely for gimmicks. It was also probably the best ergonomically designed phone of last year. If I didn't pick up the One last year, I probably would have picked up the Moto X. If I don't plan to get the All-New One for this year, then I will get the latest Moto X phone. Motorola is one of the best in build quality and battery life.
2. Samsung Galaxy Note 4
Year after year, the Galaxy S is the most popular Samsung phone but the Note series always surpasses it with better specs and features later in the year. The best smartphone may finally be won by a phablet as the phablet segment is the fastest growing right now. This year could be the year of the phablets both critically acclaimed and more commercially successful. The only Samsung line I ever had any interest in.
3. LG G3
2k screen, bigger stepped battery, excellent camera options, Knock-On feature, and hopefully a few surprises like a revamped LG custom skin, better materials used, and wrap-around or bezel-less edge-to-edge screen may just live up to its rumored moniker of an S5-killer. LG has been quietly been one of the best manufacturers during the past few years. The G2 had 2mm bezels. I'm hoping zero bezels this time around.
4. Google Nexus 6
Still the best bang of your buck flagship series even it has a ton of compromises and doesn't bring anything fresh from a hardware perspective unless wireless charging counts. I'm curious to see which OEM Google plans to partner up this year.
5. Apple iPhone 6
After initially thinking of possibilities of the iPhone 6, I came to realize I probably will still be reluctant to go back to iOS anytime soon. Too many restrictions or proprietary nonsense. I do believe the iPhone 6 could be the best gens since the iPhone 4/4s. The iPhone 5/5s was the most skippable gen since the 3G/3Gs. They weren't the ugliest per se. But it felt cheap and hollow because it was so light. And I was no fan of iOS6 or iOS7 update. The former didn't bring anything new and the latter made it uglier and more inconsistent. Makes my eyes bleed. I LOVE Apple's hardware and design. I'm just not in love with their philosophy, restrictions, and the recent iOS as of late. Still Apple has deep enough pockets that may just surprise me worthy enough this year to make me overlook the flaws.
