Best smartphones of IFA 2015

With no further ado, let's jump right into it.

Smartphones

Sony Xperia Z5 family and the first phone with a 4K screen

Sony brought the big guns at IFA 2015 and after a few generations of largely evolutional Xperia Z series updates, this time it erupts with not one, not two, but three new phones with a revised design, a fancy side-positioned fingerprint scanner, water-protection, top-grade silicon, a new super fast camera with one of the largest sensors on a phone, and more.

The three new Sony Xperia Z5 phones - the Xperia Z5 Premium, the Xperia Z5, and the Xperia Z5 Compact - can be compared to an S/M/L sizing we're used to seeing in clothing, since they are largely the same in terms of specs and style, with the difference coming mostly in size. There's one more thing, though.

Sony Xperia Z5 Premium

That one more thing is without a doubt the Xperia Z5 Premium and its 5.5-inch screen that boasts a 4K Ultra HD (3840 x 2160 pixel) resolution, the first ever on a smartphone. This results in a mind-boggling pixel density of over 800ppi, and naturally everything on it looks razor sharp. The phone is powered by the Snapdragon 810 system chip, features a new, 23-megapixel 1/2.3" camera with fast, phase-detection auto-focusing, and the speedy and light Sony skin on top of Android 5.1 Lollipop.

The Xperia Z5 is a 5.2-inch thin and elegant slab with a metal frame and glass on the back and front. Equipped with the same top-notch Snapdragon 810 system chip and 23-megapixel camera, it's a great overall performer for those who prefer a smaller-than-phablet phone that is easier to operate with a single hand and fits better in pockets.

The Xperia Z5 Compact, on its part, is a device that is quite the rarity on Android: it features a small 4.6" display, but unlike most other devices of its size on Google's ecosystem, it is not underpowered - in fact, it sports the same Snadpragon 810 system chip and 23-megapixel camera as the rest in the Z5 family.

Huawei Mate S enters the flagship arena

The Huawei Mate S marks the official arrival of Chinese giant Huawei to the flagship battle arena. Sure, Huawei has had the P8 and other top-tier devices, but they have always carried a slightly lower price than that of iPhones and Galaxies. The Huawei Mate S is nothing like that: it's aims squarely at the highest end of the market and is not afraid to enter direct confrontation with all those Apples and Samsung out there.

What's it got? How about the first Force Touch display ever on a smartphone - and yes, before the iPhone 6s family, which is also rumored to have the feature as one of its signature elements. Not only this, you have a fingeprint scanner on the back that doubles as a handy Android navigation button. The Mate S features a 5.5-inch 1080p display put in a very compact for this size body, it is powered by Huawei's own top chip - the octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 935 with 3GB of RAM - and features a capable 13-megapixel main camera with optical image stabilization.

Lenovo’s army of new phones: Lenovo Phab Plus

Weird and simply gigantic! Well, that's your initial reaction to the Lenovo Phab Plus, a 6.8-inch monster of a phone (or is it really a phone?) that sports an IPS LCD 1080p resolution screen, a Snapdragon 615 SoC with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable internal storage. This being a huge phone it gets a big 3500mAh battery unit, while in terms of photography, you get a 13MP/5MP camera combo and Dolby Atmos 3D sound.

Lenovo Vibe P1 and Vibe P1m

The Lenovo Vibe P1 is a midranger with a 5.5-inch 1080p IPS-LCD display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor, 13 MP rear camera with PDAF, 2 GB RAM, 32 GB internal storage, and up to 128GB microSD card. Lenovo has also included a fingerprint scanner and a rapid charger in the package.

The Lenovo Vibe P1m is the smaller sibling, with a 5" HD display, 64-bit MediaTek MT6735P quad-core processor, 2 GB RAM, 16 GB storage plus a memory card slot, 8 MP camera, and a 4000 mAh battery. It sports an intriguing advanced nano-coating technology by P2i for protection against accidental splashes and spills, too, and is fairly compact for the battery size, at 141 x 71.8 x 9.3mm.

Lenovo Vibe S1: the first phone with two front facing cameras for fancy selfies

The Lenovo Vibe S1 has just been officially unveiled as the first phone with a dual front-facing camera setup that will make it possible to adorn your selfies with some cool effects.

The Vibe S1 features an 8-megapixel and a 2-megapixel camera, both facing to the front and shooting in concert when you take selfies. So while the 8-megapixel cam is the main driver for your image, the secondary 2MP shooter is used to get a sense of depth and this can be used to add a ‘bokeh’ blurred background effect to images, but also get rid of a photo bomber or altogether replace the background of a selfie and make it appear as if it’s taken near, say, the Eiffel Tower.