Top 10 mobile phone... find the best out of ten

1. HTC One M8

What to say about the HTC One M8? They often say the second album is the hardest, but the follow up to the all-conquering HTC One takes the best of that phone and yet still re-invents things enough to make it a massive recommendation over the old model.

We love the speed of the camera, the Duo Camera is smart as a tack, the Boomsound upgrade is impressive and the design... well, you have to hold it.

The Snapdragon 801 processor has boosted battery dramatically compared to the 600 of last year, and that means that photos also process much more quickly as well - even the front-facing camera is much better.

Gaming, movies, photography, browsing all work really well, and in a phone that that's easily going to destroy whatever anyone else can design, unless Apple or LG have got some dark sorcery up their sleeves when the iPhone 6 or LG G3 appear later in the year.

2. Sony Xperia Z2

Sony has something of a slump last year, following up the impressive Xperia Z with the lacklustre Xperia Z1 just a few months later.

The camera, which was supposed to be the headline feature, didn't impress as much as we'd hoped, and the screen was still lacking the IPS clout that the Xperia Z Ultra managed - meaning muted colours and poor viewing angles.

Anyway, enough about last year - Sony's back in 2014 and comes with an excellent phone in the shape of the Xperia Z2. Tipped to be the third of the stellar smartphone triumverate, alongside the Samsung Galaxy S5 and HTC One (M8) we were intrigued to see how it shaped up.

And the good news is it's impressive. Really impressive. The industrial design is a little chunky but oozes premium quality in a way that Samsung's plastic shell doesn't, and it's a little more robust than its Galactical and Primary rivals thanks to being IP58 rated.

Great battery life, strong power and a good camera all are present and correct with our new top three phones, but Sony steals second simply by being a great all-rounder.

It doesn't have the polish of the HTC One M8, nor the more functional UI, but it does what's asked with top-end specs. That's what we like.

3. OnePlus One

You've probably never heard of OnePlus... but if you have, you'll know why this unknown brand is suddenly sitting at number three of our list of best smartphones in the world.

The reason is simple: it's a phone that has all the power, specs and functionality of the top dogs, adds in super-customisable software and does it at nearly half the price. We're talking big savings on cost (£229 for the 16GB version and £269 for the 64GB variant) without much in the way of compromise.

In fact, the only things it's really missing are a microSD slot and removable battery, and those are elements more for the purists that absolutely necessary.

If we're being super picky, it's not got the greatest camera set up and the design is a bit... efficient, but at this price point it really doesn't matter. And given the target audience is those that care about raw power over style, it makes sense that this is where the costs could be saved.

4. Samsung Galaxy S5

2014 is turning out to be a stellar year for the prospective smartphone user, as the HTC One (M8) was joined by the Samsung Galaxy S5 in our 'best smartphone' list, and now the Xperia Z2 enters the fray too.

There was a lot of hype around the new Galaxy, and rightly s it's by far the best phone Samsung has ever produced, with a blazing fast core, a strong result in the benchmarks and a larger 5.1-inch screen.

Then there's the fact that with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 CPU the Galaxy S5 is one of the best phones on the market when it comes to battery life, besting the already impressive One M8 in the power stakes.

Samsung has also dropped the 'innovation' of the air gestures from last year (well, they are in there but not the main focus) and improved the hardware with a better camera, fingerprint scanner and heart rate monitor too.

The last addition is pretty pointless... but hey, it's fun for down the pub.

5. LG G2

Wait, an LG phone in the top rankings? Believe it people; LG has made a phone that not only impressed us but ran the HTC One very, very close for the top spot in 2013 - and holds a strong place into 2014 too.

We don't know where to start in terms of extolling the virtues of this new handset from the South Korean firm: it's got an insanely good screen, quality camera, the best audio pumping out from its speakers and headphone jack... the list goes on.

We even came to tolerate, then love, the power and volume buttons being placed on the rear. These aren't ideal, but the ability to knock on the screen makes it really easy to interact with this impressive device.

The LG G3 is here now, and is going to blow this out of the water in terms of price and power (it's even got a next-gen QHD screen) but given the lower cost the G2 is still an excellent choice.

6. Google Nexus 5

So we've updated our review with the new phone software, and thankfully things are a lot better now. The battery is improved, the camera a little more stable, and the low cost is still in place.

You already know we like Android 4.4, the clever implementation and the £299 price tag. We love the high power CPU, the quality screen; even the rubberised outer shell.

You can get the LG G2 for around the same price now though, and that offers a far superior camera, better battery life and a huge slew of extra features - it really depends if you're a fan of the stripped-down experience.

7. Sony Xperia Z1 Compact

Hey Sony...what's this? A phone without a 1080p screen? A smaller battery? Are you MAD?

Wait, we get it. This is the mildly-nonplussing Xperia Z1 shoved into a smaller frame, with almost nothing compromised (the above two points aside).

With a 4.3-inch screen it's one of the most easy to use devices in the hand, coming in next to the iPhone 5S, but it does it with a much lower cost and a great battery life to boot.

On top of that it's waterproof and has expandable memory, plus a superb screen. It's been usurped in some ways by the Xperia Z2 insofar that if you want that Bravia-powered IPS screen, the G Lens camera or just general access to Sony's tight band of media apps, this is no longer the best Sony phone on the market and has dropped a few places as a result.

However, if you're more about size then this is still the best of the mid-range players... check it out if you want to save a bit of cash over the bigger brother flagship too.

8. iPhone 5S

Did you see this one coming? The iPhone 5S behind lots of other Android phones in our rankings? Some think it should be higher, some think lower - it depends on your level of Apple love.

Never has a company polarised opinion in the smartphone world like Apple - and with the iPhone 5S, so many are quick to decry it while others know it to be the smartphone they've been waiting for.

And let's make no bones about it: this is a stunning phone, with a gorgeous two-tone finish, a high-res screen with good colour reproduction, a 64-bit chip and that all-powerful TouchID sensor that lets you unlock your phone with a simple fingerprint.

The iOS 7 update is one that we sorely, sorely needed and does bring a lot more power and control - as shown by the impressive and pervasive Control Center.

We really like TouchID, the 64-bit processor might be a little useless now but definitely brings a touch more zip to things, and the M7 chip gives developers something to play with in terms of fitness, with the likes of FitBit taking advantage already.

The issue of price is starting to diminish somewhat - but many vendors are still charging the same for this older phone as the likes of the HTC One M8 despite being a few months older.

9. HTC One

It's quite a tumble from the top spot for the HTC One, especially given it was our top smartphone for so long. However unless you're desperate to pay a little less per month, the newer One M8 does everything the original did, but so much better.

It's nothing to do with the quality of the One - which is still one of the outstanding phones on the market - but more the fact that if you like Boomsound, and Ultrapixel camera, a sharp and bright screen or a powerful processor, the M8 has improved in every way there.

But let's not forget what made this phone so great: the supreme aluminium chassis, the Full HD screen and the simplified version of Sense 5.0 sitting now on top of Android KitKat means it's still a pleasure to use and recommend this handset - but again, only if price is your main driver and you simply must have a One.

The innovations are also more than just marketing gimmicks; Zoe functionality allows the creation of delightful video highlight reels, and the Ultrapixel camera means you've got a much wider range of shots available thanks to being stunning in low light - and none of that is diminished with time.

10. Motorola Moto G

Motorola's back, and it's kicking off its global smartphone revival with the keenly priced Moto G handset. A mid-range handset with a low-end price tag - we're talking around £100 in some stores.

On paper the Moto G looks like an excellent handset for the price, and in practice it lives up to the billing.

As the Nexus 4 did with the mid-range market, the Moto G has turned the budget end on its head with features found on handsets double its cost.

It exceeds its rivals in several key areas, from the well defined 4.5-inch display to its 1.2GHz quad-core processor and the early Android 4.4 KitKat update. There's a lot to love about the Moto G for its price.

And now the Moto G has been given a 4G variant, and it comes with a microSD slot now - all for the price of just £149. It might not have the power or precision of its smartphone compatriots, but it's still a good phone indeed.