10 best mobile phones in the world today

With so many to choose from, we've spent hours whittling them down to a top ten, taking into account the power, specs, design and most importantly: value for money, although we'll always point you in the direction of the latest handsets - after all, nobody wants to be carting around a phone that doesn't get any updates in a year's time, right?

So whether it's one of the many slick Android handsets, the latest iPhone or one from a range of other cool operating systems, we've extensively tested them all so you don't have to!

Here are our rankings for the best smartphones around, currently available in the UK.

10. OnePlus 2

The 'flagship killer' with a fantastic price sneaks into the top ten again

The OnePlus One was a brilliant phone in 2014, offering a great price for top end specs - it truly was a bargain phone.

The good news is the One Plus 2 has repeated that trick, upgrading the internals while (mostly) keeping the same low price. Its clever overlay still impresses and the little tweaks (such as audio improvement) work quite nicely.

We would have liked to see some upgrades on the screen front, or NFC for mobile payments, but on the whole the brand has managed to avoid stumbling over the 'tricky second album'.

9. Nexus 6

Google's best ever phone is also its biggest ever

Google's latest Nexus is a phone that moves away from the usual 'super cheap superphone' and into phablet territory with its latest offering. The good news is the screen is also supercharged: massive at 6 inches, it's also got a stunning QHD resolution.

You'll always be getting the latest updates to Google's Android OS with this one, and while it's certainly something you'd have to use two handed (make sure you're fine with that before buying, as it's put a lot of people off that we've shown it to) it's tremendous display, premium specs and great use of Android 5.0 Lollipop make one of the best phablets to date - and Android Marshmallowisn't far from landing.

It's not cheap, but it's the best Nexus ever made - and it's coming down in price. It's about to be replaced by the impressive Nexus 6P in fairness, so if you're thinking of getting your hands on this one maybe take a few weeks to see if the price drops even further.

8. HTC One M9

Not quite up the 5 star standard, but HTC still has the most beautiful phone around

HTC's been used to living at the top of our charts for the last couple of years, and while it's not quite managed it in 2015, it's still a phone with the best build quality out there.

None of the old favourites are missing, so BoomSound enhancement still really turbocharges the audio and the Sense overlay remains one of our favourites, thanks to being sophisticated and really powerful.

The camera has been boosted to 20.7MP, although doesn't have the impressive snapping power of some of the other phones on the market, and the design language still means this is one of our favourite phones to stick in the pocket.

It's a touch more expensive than before, and doesn't take a huge leap forward from last year's model - but then again, that was nearly perfect, so where was HTC to go?

7. Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+

A phablet that's ahead of the curve

The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is one of our favourite phones around at the moment, so when we got our hands on the supersized version we were almost giddy.

And we had good reason to be: the S6 Edge+ is a phone that takes all the great camera prowess, amazing screen and beautiful lines and adds another 20% into the mix.

If you're after a phablet that looks different from the rest (and still lets you do everything you want to on the go) then this is a winner - it's almost perfect.

6. iPhone 6S Plus

Apple's second big screen phone is another stunner

On one hand, this is just a larger iPhone 6S. That's no bad thing, as that phone is one of the best around at the moment. But this second Apple phablet has a number of elements that make it a great phone in its own right.

The screen is Full HD and really packs some stunning colour reproduction. The camera on the back features optical image stabilisation, which means better low light video and photography.

The iPhone 6S Plus once again has something that's eluded iPhone fans for years: a really good battery, with Apple using that extra space to cram in a few more mAh units.

It's one of the most expensive phones around, and is bettered on spec by a few other phablets - but if you're an Apple fan looking for a 'bigger' experience, this is the phone for you.

5. Sony Xperia Z5

Waterproof, sleek and packed with big features

Sony doesn't half like bringing out new phones, doesn't it? The paint's barely dried before a new one is shooting onto shop shelves - but we don't mind when they offer fancy new features.

The Xperia Z5 is a big update compared to the Xperia Z3+ from earlier in the year though. It features a fingerprint sensor and has a much nicer design with a frosted glass back.

It still features the latest Snapdragon 810 processor with 3GB of RAM, but there are no overheating issues like before. There are less open than on previous Sony phones – but it still manages to keep its water resistant design. You can drop this in the toilet without fear, basically.

The large 5.2-inch screen looks great thanks to Bravia technology, and the camera has undergone some big changes with a 23MP sensor and new autofocus technology.

4. iPhone 6S

Bigger, better, sleeker and faster than the iPhone 6

What can you say about any new iPhone? Most people are already decided about whether they're going to buy the new model before it's even announced - but that hasn't stopped us giving it a thoroughly good going over.

The good points are the same as usual: a hugely powerful phone, a great camera and the new 3D Touch interface is genuinely useful, and will only continue to get better as time goes on.

The chassis is identical to the previous iPhone 6, which will irk some and might force them to wait for the iPhone 7, but it's still well-designed. The battery life is actually a little shorter (to fit in the motor for the 3D Touch method) and is the the biggest issue with the phone.

That said, it's still a brilliant iPhone, the phone that loads of users are desperate to get their hands on, and Apple's not done any harm at all with this upgraded model.

3. Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge

Curving into the future with impressive specs

The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge has all the power and features of the table-topping S6 (amazing camera, stunning power, absorbing screen), but does it with a little extra too, thanks to the curved edges on each side.

They're pretty much aesthetics, as they don't add a huge amount of functionality, but if you're going on looks alone, the S6 Edge has them in spades.

If you're after a phone that's wildly different from anything else with a great feature set and tip-top camera, this is your choice - and even better, it's now dropped in price, so you're getting all the design at an incredibly decent price.

2. LG G4

Luxury leather on a smartphone that tries to please everyone

LG has tried to focus on what everyone actually wants out of a smartphone, a great looking design, colour rich display and the great camera for photos.

Don't let that put you off though. There's a lot going on with the LG G4, and for the most part it's rather positive indeed. The leather back is much nicer than the plastic option, and it will make your phone stand out among the swath of glass and metal offerings.

Its large, expansive screen is one of the best on the market, the 16MP laser auto-focus camera takes some cracking shots and the rear buttons are easier to hit on a handset this size.

As usual, LG has offered us a phone that's got a brilliant spec list at a phenomenally low price - and as that price has dropped even further, this phone is well, well worthy of being front and centre of a place in your pocket.

1. Samsung Galaxy S6

A brilliant phone that shows Samsung still has what it takes

While last year's Galaxy S5 was nothing special, this year Samsung's started from the ground up to make a truly wonderful smartphone.

The camera is superb, the audio and video quality brilliant and the QHD display crammed into the 5.1-inch screen is the sharpest on the market - although it does suck down the battery rather a lot.

The design is finally something we're pleased to hold in our hand, rather than the plastic cheapness of last year, and the refined TouchWiz overlay is a lot nicer to use.

It's actually extended its lead at the top thanks to some amazing price drops - so you can now get the best phone on the market for an incredibly low price these days. A no-brainer.

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