The top 17 smartphones out now

10. Nexus 6

Price when reviewed: $869

The Nexus 6 has taken us by surprise in the short time we’ve had it. Once you sidle past the unavoidable fact of its gargantuan size, there’s an awful lot it does right. Battery life is good, the camera is excellent, and the build and design quality are second to none. And although its rivals hold an edge over it in many areas, the differences aren’t huge.

9. Samsung Galaxy Note 4

Price when reviewed: $949

Samsung has produced the finest phablet yet. In addition to a new Quad HD display and a smart new look, Samsung has bumped up the speed, battery life, camera quality and range of features - big-screened phones don't get any better.

8. Samsung Galaxy Note 3

Price when reviewed: $799

It's been superseded by the Note 4, but the Note 3 remains a stupendous smartphone – Samsung’s huge, 5.7in handset supplies oodles of features and a refined all-round performance.

7. LG G3

Price when reviewed: $729

LG rustles up a classy, top-rung smartphone, with a ridiculously high resolution screen and super fast camera; but that display takes its toll on battery life.

6. HTC One M8

Price when reviewed: $849

A beautiful crafted, highly competent smartphone, packed with clever features. Its superb display and battery life make it the best smartphone we've seen from HTC.

5. Motorola Moto G

Price when reviewed: $250

A high-quality budget Android handset with an excellent screen and decent battery life. There's now a 4G version as well, for those hankering after faster mobile data.

4. iPhone 6

Price when reviewed: $869

It's a brave new world for Apple's larger iPhone, and it's much the better for it.

3. Samsung Galaxy S5

Price when reviewed: $850

There's an awful lot to like about the Samsung Galaxy S5, it's good looking, tough, big, feature rich and we love the user-replaceable battery and memory expansion. It's a great smartphone in every way.

2. Nexus 5

Price when reviewed: $399

The Nexus 5 is getting on but it's still a superb smartphone and the price is significantly lower than most flagship devices, which is why it's still one of our favourite smartphones . The design is impressive, it's as powerful as you need and the screen is great.

1. Sony Xperia Z3 Compact

Price when reviewed: $699