Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (AT&T)

Armed with an incredible Quad HD AMOLED display, cutting-edge Snapdragon 805, and Samsung's newfound premium design language, the Galaxy Note 4 ($299 with contract) is easily one of the most impressive smartphones of the year.

The Note series continues to lead the charge on stylus features. Air Command is back, offering instant access to the most useful stylus features whenever you unsheathe the pen or press the button while hovering over the display. S Note is as robust as ever, easily letting you create quick hand-written, text, or voice memos.

Along with the Galaxy Alpha, the Note 4 represents a new, premium breed of Samsung devices. The back is still plastic with a leather-like texture, but the cringe-worthy stitching and faux-chrome band are gone.

In its place is a handsome metal band, complete with blingy chamfered edges and subtly pronounced corners.

The 16-megapixel, rear-facing camera is one of the best we've seen. In good light, the Note 4 captures pictures that are incredibly rich in detail, with accurate exposure and reliably instant focus.

The tip of the stylus has been reworked to better mimic the feel of pen on paper, but I couldn't feel any significant difference. Latency does appear to have been improved, though, which could be thanks to the new GPU onboard. The stylus is more responsive and fluid than ever.

The density and rigidity evoke a sense of luxury and craftsmanship that eluded Galaxy devices past. It's a beautiful device to behold, but still not comfortable to actually hold.

The back peels off to reveal the SIM and microSD card slots, as well as a removable 3,220mAh battery, all must-haves for long-time Samsung loyalists.

The Note 4 (left), the iPhone 6 Plus (middle), and Galaxy S5 (right).