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This story is part of Gift Guide, our year-round collection of the best gift ideas.
James Martin/CNET
Two things can make smartphones fast: the speed of their data transfer, and the pure performance power of their processor. The former varies from carrier to carrier, market to market, and even quite possibly from building to building; but internal clock speed is a measure we can compare across phones.
Chipmakers constantly push the boundaries, which translates into liquid gameplay and buttery-smooth video playback, among other finessed touches of a faster phone. These top contenders (in no particular order) will leave rivals in the dust.
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and Note Edge
As the first two smartphones to use Qualcomm’s bigger, better Snapdragon 805 chipset, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note Edge use the 2.7GHz quad-core powerhouse processor to help make multitasking and writing with their styluses smoother. Some markets may use Samsung’s own 1.9GHz octa-core Exynos 5433 instead, but all variants get 3GB of RAM to help them along.
Read the full Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and Samsung Galaxy Note Edge reviews.
Google Nexus 6
Huge and high-end, the Google Nexus 6 (made by Motorola) carries the same 2.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon 805 processor as the Note 4 and Edge. As the showcase device for Android 5.0 Lollipop, the Nexus 6 also has its own character, and a huge 6-inch, ultra-HD display. It’s the first of the fast phones — and any phone — to use the new OS, and will be among the first to receive any and all updates.
Read the full Google Nexus 6 review.
Motorola Droid Turbo
The fourth phone with the exact same 805 processor, Verizon’s Turbo stands out for fast recharging (like the others listed above) and for a huge 3,900mAh battery store. Although the custom Android 4.4 layer is leaner than on other phones, it does include Motorola’s signature touches, like always-listening commands that let you order the phone around, even when it’s locked.
Read the full Motorola Droid Turbo review.
iPhone 6 and 6 Plus
Apple enjoys keeping the chipset information on its iPhones shrouded in mystery, perhaps to steer clear of the processor rat race. Its latest, the A8 processor, promises to run between 10 and 20 percent faster than the iPhone 5S that came before it. The benchmarking tool Geekbench reveals clock speed between 1.35GHz and 1.39GHz for both iPhones. While neither phone is quite a nimble as those above, performance was still terrific in both diagnostic tests and in real life.
Read the full iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus reviews.
Samsung Galaxy S5
On pure numbers alone, the Samsung Galaxy S5‘ Snapdragon 801 CPU isn’t quite as zippy as the 805, but trust us, its 2.5GHz quad-core chipset still leaves plenty of other phones in the dust. Best yet for mainstreamers, the 5.1-inch model isn’t as dominating as some other, larger phones.
Read the full Samsung Galaxy S5 review.
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Five S Kneading Massager
$35 at Amazon
Hydro Flask
$35 at Hyrdo Flask
Nintendo eShop Gift Card
$50 at Amazon
Fox in the Forest
$12 at Amazon
SteelSeries Arctis 1
$50 at Amazon
Jacques Torres bonbons
$55 at Jacque Torres
A bouquet of exotic meats
$90 at Man Crates
Sarah Chloe diamond locket
$145 at Sarah Chloe
The Bouqs Co. Pixie bouquet
$99 at The Bouqs Co.
Sweet heart bamboo
$35 at Plants.com
Max Brenner chocolates
$37 at Max Brenner
Ingarden microgreens garden
$100 at Amazon
Shun Sora Japanese petty knife
$70 at Amazon
Wolf Circus Toni gold bracelet
$95 at Wolf Circus
Champagne Gummy Bears
$9 at Sugarfina
MakiMaki sushi roll kit for 2
$125 at MakiMaki
Cote des Roses rosé
$16 at Wine.com
Flavored Truffle Gift Box
$38 at La Maison du Chocolat
Barrel Aged Hot Hive Honey and Reaper Salt Series
$40 at Fuego Box
Carrie Hoffman X studs earrings
$290 at Carrie Hoffman
Wanna Date? sweet date spread
$12 at Uncommon Goods
Italian olivewood serving board
$17 at Sur la table
Three-piece cheese knife set
$20 at CB2
A delivery of fresh pasta
$25 at Goldbelly
Maison Miru heart nap earrings
$75 at Maison
Bokksu Japanese snack box
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State cashmere blanket throw blanket
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HyperChiller
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Nixplay smart digital photo frame
$20 at CB2
Online cooking classes
See at Online Cooking School
Washable Silk Tee & Shorts
See at Quince
Ouai Chill Pill Bath Bombs
See at Ulta
60 Hour Candle
See at TheraBox
Dyson Supersonic hair dryer
See at Dyson
Mint & Lily Mama necklace
See at Mint & Lily
Sephora gift card
See at Sephora
Google Nest Hub
See at Google
Theragun Prime
See at Therabody
Matador NanoDry Towel
See at REI
Mixbook
See at Mixbook
Tiki fire pit
See at Amazon
Mario Badescu face spray set
See at Ulta
Flower delivery from BloomsyBox
See at BloomsyBox
Slip silk pillowcase
See at Amazon
Aarke water carbonator
$230 at Bed Bath & Beyond
Disney Plus Gift Subscription
$80 at Disney
DJI Minin 2 Fly More Combo
$600 at Amazon
Fujifilm Instax Mini 11 Instant Camera
$69 at Amazon
ThisWorx Portable Car Vacuum Cleaner
$36 at Amazon
Perfect Pot
$165 at Our Place
Letterfolk Customizable Tile Mat
$75 at West Elm
Parks Project Candle
$36 at Parks Project
iPad Mini 2021
$500 at Best Buy
Crown & Paw Pet Canvas
$50 at Crown & Paw
Coravin Wine Preservation System
$150 at Target
Botley 2.0
$47 at Amazon
Arcade1Up Arcade Machine
$600 at Best Buy
Biolite TraveLight 135
$40 at Biolite
Blockaroo Blocks
$40 at Amazon
Gloomhaven: Jaws of The Lion Board Game
$32 at Amazon
JBL Go 3
$50 at Amazon
Illy Y3.3 Espresso and Coffee Machine
$149 at Amazon
Lenovo Smart Clock
$35 at Best Buy
Keurig K-Slim Coffee Maker
$79 at Amazon
Lego Speed Champions Corvette
$30 at Amazon
Madewell Transport Tote
$178 at Madewell
Lunya Silk Sleep Mask
$48 at Lunya
Lite-Brite
$13 at Target
Lodge Cast-Iron Grill Pan
$20 at Amazon
Wyze Cam v3
$36 at Amazon
Apple AirPods 3
$169 at Amazon
EarFun Air Pro 2
$80 at Amazon
Sony WF-1000XM4
$250 at Walmart
Sony PlayStation 5
$499 at Amazon
Roku Express 4K Plus
$39 at Amazon
Apple iPad 2021 (9th generation)
$280 at Amazon
Acer Chromebook Spin 713
$530 at Amazon
MacBook Air M1
$1,000 at Best Buy
Bose SoundLink Flex
$150 at Best Buy
Dell G15
$1,100 at Best Buy
HP Pavilion Aero 13
$1,000 at HP
Lenovo Yoga 7i (2-in-1)
$850 at Best Buy
Mosaic Plant-Based Meal Delivery
$70 at Mosaic
Trade Coffee Subscription
$40 at Trade
Vizio MQ7 65-inch
$1,000 at Amazon
Apple Watch SE
$269 at Amazon
Apple Watch Series 7
$399 at Best Buy
Atlas Tea Club
$199 at Atlas Tea Club
iPhone 11
$499 at Apple
iPhone 13
$799 at Apple
Fitbit Charge 5
$179 at Amazon
Google Pixel 6
$599 at Amazon
iPhone 13 Pro
$999 at Apple
LG C1 OLED 65-inch
$1,797 at Amazon
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
$1,166 at Amazon
TCL Series 4 TV 65-inch
$529 at Amazon
TCL Series 6 TV 65-inch
$999 at Amazon
Theragun Mini
$199 at Amazon
Best of Dylan’s Candy Bar Gift Basket
$100 at Dylan’s Candy Bar
The Mirror
$1,495 at Mirror
Echo Dot with Clock
$60 at Amazon
Croissant Light
$19 at Amazon
Spanish-style Wine Glasses
$20 at Amazon
Nintendo Switch OLED
$350 at Target
Xbox Series X
$499 at Amazon
