Best Rated Smartphones of 2014

If you are someone looking to get the best smartphones on the market this list should give you 
some very good ideas. So these is how I would rate the smartphones organized in a top 5 format. (published: 4/22/14)
5. OnePlus One

This year this company was showing off their very first smartphone. With much speculation they unveiled a very high-end smartphone but with a price tag starting off at only $299! They released two different slightly different versions: $299 for 16 GB and $349 for 64 GB. The OnePlus One comes with many of the same high-end specs as the Samsung Galaxy S5 or the HTC One M8 meaning it has 3gb of ram, adreno 330 graphics, a snapdragon 801 2.5 GHz quad core processor, and a large 3,100 mAh battery. One obvious flaw I could find was the phone did not include a micro USB slot which may not be so important to everyone. It also comes with a 13 megapixel back camera and a 5 megapixel front facing camera and the ability to record 4k. They also did a few unique things such as having the ability and choice to use either onscreen or capacitive buttons, you can also switch out the back of the phone to other colors or materials such as wood, bamboo, and different cloth backs. This is a great phone for the price and is even cheaper than the already affordable Nexus 5 from last year. But it does have one problem that might make it undesirable to some people, and that is its large 5.5 inch display putting the phone somewhere in between a regular smartphone and a phablet. Click here for full specification.
4. Oppo Find 7

This is another Chinese OEM like OnePlus but Oppo has already built credibility for having high quality smartphones. Being one of the first manufacturers in the world to release a smartphone with a 1080p display, this year they took it a step further and released the first 1440 x 2560 pixel display, (that's even higher then 1080p) and it puts the phone at an incredible 538 ppi (pixels per square inch). Just like the OnePlus it comes with a 13 megapixel back camera and a 5 megapixel front facing camera, which is pretty common in china and it can of course record 4k. Before it was released there was some speculation about it having a 50 megapixel camera and though this didn't exactly happen Oppo has added software which can create large 50 megapixel shots claiming it will add extra detail. Not to waste any more time it has the same super high-end specs as the OnePlus with an edition of including a micro SD slot. As a company that loves to always try something new Oppo also created their own special charger that should be able to recharge the battery from 0 to 75% in only 30 minutes! Just like any other phone it has a few things that need to be taken into consideration; that is that it also has a quite large 5.5 inch display and that because of its unique fast charging it won't be compatible with the standard micro USB charger. Click here for full specification.
3. HTC One M8

This is another amazing new phone by HTC for 2014 and has made some nice improvements. If compared to last year's model which was just named the HTC One (M7) they have now added a 5 inch display, a micro USB slot, and put all the latest chips such as the snapdragon 801, a 2.3 GHz processor, Adreno 330 graphics card, micro SD slot, and a 2600 mAh battery. It comes in a metal uni-body design which is something HTC really prides itself in and some of the loudest, most crisp, best front facing speakers which are also 25% louder than its predecessor. Another way in which the One differs from its competitor is their unique approach to their camera. They decided to keep a back-facing 4 mega pixel (which they call the ultra-pixel) camera claiming that they don't need more pixels and instead want to improve low-light performance. This leads to a weird situation this year after they upgraded the front facing camera to be 5 megapixels (that's higher than the back-facing camera) so it may be a great option for taking selfies. With everything it has to offer it may be a great alternative to an iPhone and a good competitor to Samsung. Click here for full specification.
2. Sony Xperia Z2

Sony is a company that is popular in many parts of the world but has not yet had very much success in the U.S market. To start off it will only be available exclusively to T-Mobile but you can also buy the international unlocked version if you are on AT&T (if you live in the U.S). Anyway, Sony was one of the first large companies to start introducing waterproofing features to their flagship phones and to no surprise the Xperia Z2 includes IP 58 certification. Sony also went with a huge 20.7 megapixel camera on the back and a somewhat standard 2.2 megapixel camera on the front. It comes with a glass front and back making it feel solid and premium, it's not hard to tell that Sony tried to create a premium looking phone while still trying to maintain the ruggedness of it. They also included a large 3300 mAh battery and like the s5 added 4k recording, 3 GB of ram, a micro SD slot, and lots of new powerful chip-sets. If you're someone who wants a somewhat unique device that not much people have yet adopted, this can be a very great pick. Click here for full specification.
1. Samsung Galaxy S5

The S5 is Samsung's flagship phone for the year 2014 and it has a lot to offer. It once again increased its screen to a slightly larger 5.2 inch display and it comes with a 16 megapixel camera (doubling the Apple iPhone) a 2.5 GHz quad-core snapdragon 801 and basically all the best specs you would expect from such a new phone. Some other new things it has over the previous model is that it now has the ability to record 4k resolution as well as a slightly larger and longer lasting battery; plus, a fingerprint scanner, and a heartbeat monitor. This year they went all out and even made their phone IP 68 certified meaning its water and dust resistant. Now to some people all these features like heartbeat monitors, finger print scanners, and being water resistant might seem unnecessary and may come with just a few noticeable drawbacks such as having a larger bezel and a bigger phone. However, if you like all these cool new little features and want a phone you can depend on this may just be a perfect choice. Click here for full specification.

^^Above you can buy or check out any of these smartphones from Amazon.^^ (unless you're on mobile version)
I hope that after looking and reviewing all these smartphones you can find one that you will want more the rest. I also have another list for Top Phablets of 2014 if you are into larger phones with more 5.5+ inch displays.