Mobile

10 smartphones for 2014 holiday gift giving

Hottest smartphones of the year

Tomohiro Ohsumi | Bloomberg | Getty Images

This past year has brought a slew of creative smartphones to the market, from Amazon's 3-D display on the Fire Phone to LG's curved screen on the LG Flex.

But for day-to-day use, these are the devices that experts recommend. CNBC boiled down analysts' top picks into 10 go-to categories for your discerning smartphone user.

—By CNBC's Evelyn Cheng
Posted 14 Nov. 2014

For the screen-lover

Samsung Galaxy Mega
SeongJoon Cho | Bloomberg | CNBC

Samsung Galaxy Mega

Price: $99.99 (with contract from AT&T); $429.99 (no contract)

Want something that beats the iPhone in size but isn't quite a tablet? The Samsung Galaxy Mega has a 6.3-inch screen—nearly an inch larger than that of the iPhone 6 plus—and packs 18 hours of talk time, an 8-megapixel camera and 16 GB of memory into a black frame. The megasized phone also features app multitasking.

For the sapphire lover

Brigadier by Kyocera
Source: Kyocera

Kyocera Brigadier

Price: $99.99 (from Verizon with contract); $399.99 (no contract)

If the lack of a sapphire screen on the iPhone 6 disappointed you and the $10,800 sapphire-screened phones from Vertu would break your wallet, there are still affordable options in the United States. IHS highlights the Kyocera Brigadier as a rugged device with a sapphire display, which only diamond can scratch. The 4.5-inch Android phone also meets the U.S. Department of Defense Military Standard 810G and is waterproof for 30 minutes in up to 6 feet of water.

For the typist

Patrick T. Fallon | Bloomberg | Getty Images

BlackBerry Q10

Price: $49.99 (with contract from major carriers); $227.97 (unlocked from Amazon)

Sliders are now pretty much a thing of the past, but phone users who prefer a physical keyboard still have a few alternatives. Although BlackBerry's flagship, the rectangular Passport, does have tactile keys, IHS found the more traditionally shaped Q10 model a bit more user friendly.

For the music-lover

HTC One M8
Source: HTC

HTC One M8

Price: $99.99 (with contract from Verizon); $585.60 (no contract)

Hands down across the board, HTC wins the audiophiles again this year with its One M8. Dual front-facing speakers powered by a built-in amp offer a great music experience. The aluminum-bodied phone's two cameras combine with a dual LED flash to create quality photos. ABI Research also liked this phone for its stunning design and would even put it as best overall.

For the power user

Hyawei Ascend Mate 2 4G
Joe Klamar | AFP | Getty Images

Huawei Ascend Mate 2

Price: $299.99 (unlocked from Amazon)

You might not have heard of Huawei, but the Chinese phonemaker's Ascend Mate 2 packs nearly 15 hours of use into a 6.1-inch display and is the top pick for ABI Research and LAPTOP Magazine for battery life. However, LAPTOP noted the resolution is only 720 pixels rather than HD, as most other large-screened devices are.

For the commuter

Sony Xperia Z3
Getty Images

Sony Xperia Z3

Price: $586.88 (unlocked from Amazon)

More and more phones from Japanese manufacturers can now be carried in the rain with no fear, IHS noted. Sony's flagship can withstand 30 minutes of submersion in fresh water up to about 5 feet deep. But the Sony Xperia Z3 topped analysts' recommendations for its strong battery performance, 4K video capture with a 20.7-megapixel camera and best-in-class video stabilization.

For those with small hands

Sony Xperia Z3 compact
Source: Sony

Sony Xperia Z3 compact

Price: $699.00 (unlocked from Amazon)

Yes, the trend is for bigger and bigger screens, but that doesn't mean our hands are growing. If you find those phablet-sized devices too hard to grasp, try Sony's flagship in a compact size. Analysts from ABI Research and IHS recommended the Xperia Z3 Compact for its ability to fit almost all the features of the stellar Z3 into a 4.6-inch phone.

For the budget-conscious

Motorola's Moto G
Source: Motorola

Motorola Moto G

Price: 99 cents (with contract from AT&T); $179.99 (unlocked)

The latest version of Android, 4G LTE speeds, a 4.5-inch HD display, a quad core processor and a 5-megapixel camera with flash for less than $200 unlocked makes Motorola's latest phone a bargain, analysts said. But if that price sounds too good, you'll need to live with three hours of talk time and 8GB of internal memory.

For the overall experience

Shoppers looking at new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus models at an Apple store in New York.
Scott Mlyn | CNBC

Apple iPhone 6

Price: $299.99 (with contract from AT&T); $749.99 (no contract)

Apple wins again with the iPhone 6. Analysts from ABI Research and IHS noted versatility in all basic components of functionality, as well as offering a solid video, camera and audio experience. And for die-hard Apple fans, now there's finally a large-screen option that isn't an Android.