Best top smartphones - the ten best mobiles 2013

Sony Xperia Z

Sony’s comeback phone is a top device – it’s got a gorgeous, HD screen and a waterproof design that makes a real, minimalist statement. It is big, with a 5” screen, and it feels big in the hand thanks to the square corners, but it is also positioned to capitalise on its size: that screen really comes into its own playing films, the 13MP camera looks almost as good as many standalone cameras and yet it all comes in a package less than 8mm thin.

Add in Android apps that make Sony’s entertainment network useful and there’s a lot to like. It’s also got a decent range of accessories available, from cases by third parties to the excellent companion tablet, the Tablet Z.

Screen: 5”, 1920x1080; Processor: 1.5GHz quadcore; Storage: 16GB, MicroSD; Camera: 12MP, 1080p; Size: 139x71x7.9mm, 146g

Samsung Galaxy S3

The Samsung Galaxy S3 is the dominant Android phone on the market – that’s thanks to its excellent performance, a design that while plastic still feels premium, and clever features such as Smart Stay, that keep the screen on if you’re looking at it by tracking your eyes, Smart Call that automatically calls contacts if you’re looking at their details and lift the phone to your face. There’s also the computer-type possibility to split the screen between two apps. Samsung’s track record of innovation is remarkable within the Android arena, and add to this the fact that it’s the only Android device with a real ecosystem of accessories, including bespoke charging packs to supplement the already decent battery. It’s a device that really offers additions to the bare Google OS.

Screen: 4.8”, 1280x720; Processor: 1.4GHz quadcore; Storage:16/32GB, MicroSD; Camera: 8MP, 1080p; Size: 137x71x8.6mm, 133g

Google LG Nexus 4

LG’s Nexus device is a pure Google experience, with no embellishments but those made by Google themselves. As such it takes some customising but at £239 without a contract many consumers have been totally convinced that it is an excellent device. They’re right, and running the latest Android OS it also features updates direct from Google and additional features that haven’t made it to many other handsets yet, including the Photo Sphere technology that means you can take immersive panoramas, as well as wireless charging. The screen isn’t as big as rivals, the design isn’t as conspicuous and – silly as it sounds – the back is ludicrously slippery. But this is Google’s best bargain yet.

Screen: 4.7”, 768x1280; Processor: 1.5GHz quadcore; Storage:8/16GB; Camera: 8MP, 1080p; Size: 134x69x9.1mm, 139g

HTC One

The latest phone from struggling giant HTC is in a sense a return to form – the new camera is dubbed ultrapixel because of its remarkable low-light performance, and called Zoe after the zoetrope. There’s also a new interface that adds to Android and seeks to aggregate all your social media and news feeds into a single place, great sound and a screen as good as the Xperia Z. HTC knows that much of this is to try to fill idle moments when you’d be fiddling with your phone anyway but the effect is to nudge towards a very different kind of feel for software. It’s user-friendly and design-wise there’s also a lot to like in the solid aluminium unibody construction and a lovely screen. HTC deserves to do well with this device, and may yet recapture its glory days.

Screen: 4.7”, 1920x1080; Processor: 1.7GHz quadcore; Storage:16/32GB; Camera: 4MP Ultrapixel, 2688x1520; Size: 137x68x9.3mm, 143g

Apple iPhone 5

Apple’s iPhone 5 is by far the best iPhone the company has ever made and as a piece of design it is a perfect combination of form and function. Users of the iPhone tend to use significantly more data than others, thanks to downloading apps and surfing the web, so it makes sense to get the new device on Britain’s fastest network, the new EE. That means the iPhone’s fast processor is not being held back by creaking infrastructure and you can enjoy iOS6’s latest features, including updates to voice control Siri and, unfortunately, some terrible maps. If you download Google Maps, however, that problem’s solved. Apple remains the simplest operating system to use and this lovely light iPhone’s still the UK’s best selling handset by miles.

Screen: 4”, 1280x720; Processor: A6; Storage: 16/32/64GB; Camera:8MP, 1080p; Size: 124x59x7.6mm, 112g

Samsung Galaxy Note 2

At 5.5”, the Galaxy Note 2 is both a phone and a tablet - hence the ‘phablet’ moniker. But as much of the appeal comes the unique S-Pen technology. This stylus allows you to garner extra information about what’s on the device’s screen simply by hovering above it, and the superfast processor means that this is a device that is as comfortable as a media consumption device as it is as a work unit. For some that means the Note 2 is neither one thing nor the other, but many people still use this it as their main, sole device. It may look like an over-sized phone, but its advantages are considerable. Large screen and impressive capabilities aside, it’s also blazing a new trail.

Screen: 5.5”, 1280x720; Processor: 1.6GHz quadcore; Storage:16/32/64GB, MicroSD; Camera: 8MP, 1080p; Size: 151x81x9.4mm, 183g

BlackBerry Z10

Blackberry’s new handset is one on which the failing Canadian giant is pinning a lot of hope – and there are new features that make it stand out. Key to this is a keyboard that aims to use a touchscreen to deliver the kind of performance that many had come to love from a physical version, and it works pretty well. But there’s also the ‘Peak and flow’ way of using it, which means your inbox, combining everything from email to Facebook and LinkedIn or Twitter, is all in a single hub, from which you’re a single swipe away to whatever you need as a result. BlackBerry Balance, too, lets you split work and home if you’re using the BlackBerry Enterprise Service. A lot to like, then, but not the library of apps necessary to make a modern smartphone great.

Screen: 4.2”, 1280x768; Processor: 1.5GHz dualcore; Storage: 16GB, MicroSD; Camera: 8MP, 1080p; Size: 130x66x9mm, 138g

Samsung Galaxy S2

This is a past master of mobile phone technology – today the S2 makes this list because it’s simply such a cheap, excellent device. It’s available free on bargain contracts and yet it still offers almost everything you could want from a smartphone. An excellent version of Android, augmented with clever touches from Samsung that enhance the calendar and a host of other little details. Good enough to run the Chrome mobile browser, it raises questions only really about whether the pace of innovation is so fast that almost everybody can justify saving their money and buying this, last year’s model. On a similar note, you may also wish to consider the newer S3 Mini, a stripped back version of the S3 with a smaller screen, a less powerful processor and arguably a more comfortable look in smaller hands.

Screen: 4.3”, 480x800; Processor: 1.2GHz dualcore; Storage: 16GB, MicroSD; Camera: 8MP, 1080p; Size: 125x66x8.5mm, 116g

Nokia Lumia 920

Nokia’s Lumia range remains the one that does best by Microsoft’s new Windows Phone operating system, in large part because they augment it with features such as Here Maps and music services that mean you’ve always got a bit of freely accessible music to hand. But the Windows Phone operating system remains the key focus: it uses live tiles rather than icons meaning that your home screen gives useful nuggets of information, whether that’s from Facebook or your own email. It’s a new, simpler way to use a smartphone that should be welcoming to new users and integrates with Windows 8 in a way that will only provide more useful ‘synergies’ in the future. The problem, though is the lack of apps – Microsoft is getting there, with the iPlayer arriving shortly. Nokia’s design, at least, makes the Lumias lovely to hold, although the Lumia 920 pays for its big screen with heavy weight.

Screen: 4.5”, 1280x768; Processor: 1.5GHz dualcore; Storage: 32GB;Camera: 8.7MP, 1080p; Size: 130x71x10.7mm, 185g

Apple iPhone 4S

Apple’s previous model iPhone hardly lacks any of the features of the latest version. It has one row fewer on its home screen, meaning you can’t fit quite the same number of icons on in one go, but in terms of whether you can use the voice assistant Siri or whether you can run all the same apps, the 4S is practically as good as the 5. And it has the crucial advantage of being substantially cheaper. It may not quite have the slimline appeal or the light feel of the 5, but in the face of decent savings, Apple fans may struggle to resist this old classic, even with its small screen.