Top 10 best smartphones of 2015: our pick of the very best phones

Welcome to 2015 of the very best smartphones money can buy. We only include the best phones in this list, so you can be sure you're always getting the very latest cutting edge tech.

our team has tested every handset under the sun, and this page is designed to provide you with all the key info you need so you can choose the best smartphone for you. And we've listed in order of preference too, so there's no confusion. The first is the best. 

So whether you're after the best Android smartphone money can buy, an iPhone upgrade or a new Windows 10 mobile to pair with your laptop, we've seen and extensively tested them all so you don't have to.

Take a look and we guarantee you'll find the best smartphone for you, beginning with the very best phone currently available...

1. Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge

+ Premium design
+ Fast and powerful interface
- Very expensive
- Battery life disappointing

The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is so close to being best smartphone in the world right now. It boasts the world's first dual curved display, with the screen bending around on both sides so it looks like no other phone ever made. Yep, this futuristic smartphone is a looker, and it'll have your friends begging for a chance to play with it. That combined with industry leading power, an amazing display, decent battery life, an excellent camera and amazing performance make it not only the best-looking smartphone, but one of the top two smartphones in the universe.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge detailed specifications

GENERAL
Form factor
Touchscreen
Dimensions (mm)
142.10 x 70.10 x 7.00
Weight (g)
132.00
Battery capacity (mAh)
2600
Removable battery
No
Colours
White, Gold, Blue, Green
SAR value
NA

DISPLAY
Screen size (inches)
5.10
Touchscreen
Yes
Resolution
1440x2560 pixels
Pixels per inch (PPI)
577

HARDWARE
Processor
1.5GHz  octa-core
Processor make
Samsung Exynos 7420
RAM
3GB
Internal storage
32GB

CAMERA
Rear camera
16-megapixel
Flash
Yes
Front camera
5-megapixel

SOFTWARE
Operating System
Android 5.0
Skin
TouchWiz

CONNECTIVITY
Wi-Fi
Yes
Wi-Fi standards supported
802.11 a/ b/ g/ n/ ac
GPS
Yes
Bluetooth
Yes, v 4.10
NFC
Yes
Infrared
Yes
Wi-Fi Direct
Yes
MHL Out
No
HDMI
No
Headphones
3.5mm
FM
No
SIM Type
Nano-SIM
GSM/ CDMA
GSM
3G
Yes
4G/ LTE
Yes
Supports 4G in India (Band 40)
Yes

SENSORS
Compass/ Magnetometer
Yes
Proximity sensor
Yes
Accelerometer
Yes
Ambient light sensor
Yes
Gyroscope
Yes
Barometer
Yes
Temperature sensor
No

2. iPhone 6S Plus

Apple's second big screen phone is a stunner 

+ Gorgeous phablet design
+ Biggest iPhone ever
- It's hyper expensive
- Could be too big for some

In at number 2 we have the iPhone 6S Plus probably the best-looking phablet around. Some feel its sheer size does make it tricky to hold, but there's no denying Apple's beautiful 5.5 incher is a winner. If you're an iPhone user and you fancy picking up a much bigger phone, this could be for you. But beware it's super expensive! If the price doesn't suit, the obvious alternatives are the standard iPhone 6 or the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+.

Apple iPhone 6s Plus detailed specifications

GENERAL
Form factor
Touchscreen
Dimensions (mm)
158.20 x 77.90 x 7.30
Weight (g)
192.00
Battery capacity (mAh)
2750
Removable battery
No
Colours
Silver, Gold, Space Gray, Rose Gold
SAR value
0.00

DISPLAY
Screen size (inches)
5.50
Touchscreen
Yes
Resolution
1080x1920 pixels
Pixels per inch (PPI)
401

HARDWARE
Processor make
A9
RAM
2GB
Internal storage
16GB

CAMERA
Rear camera
12-megapixel
Flash
Yes
Front camera
5-megapixel

SOFTWARE
Operating System
iOS 9

CONNECTIVITY
Wi-Fi
Yes
Wi-Fi standards supported
802.11 a/ b/ g/ n/ ac
GPS
Yes
Bluetooth
Yes, v 4.20
NFC
Yes
Infrared
No
Wi-Fi Direct
No
MHL Out
No
HDMI
No
Headphones
3.5mm
FM
No
SIM Type
Nano-SIM
GSM/ CDMA
GSM
3G
Yes
4G/ LTE
Yes
Supports 4G in India (Band 40)
Yes

SENSORS
Compass/ Magnetometer
Yes
Proximity sensor
Yes
Accelerometer
Yes
Ambient light sensor
Yes
Gyroscope
Yes
Barometer
Yes
Temperature sensor
No

3. Samsung Galaxy S6

A brilliant phone that shows Samsung still has what it takes

+ Great camera
+ Strong design
- A little pricey
- Battery not great

We can't tell you how close it is between the Galaxy S6, iPhone 6S Plus and S6 Edge for the title of 'best smartphone in the world.' All three are beautiful but the curved screen just won out for us. But this is still great. Whether it's the improved camera, the metal-and-glass chassis, the oodles of power involved (from Samsung’s own octa-core Exynos chipset) or just the fact that the TouchWiz software it runs on top of Android looks less childish these days, Samsung's got a lot right here and this is a brilliant phone. 

Samsung Galaxy S6 detailed specifications

GENERAL
Form factor
Touchscreen
Dimensions (mm)
143.40 x 70.50 x 6.80
Weight (g)
138.00
Battery capacity (mAh)
2550
Removable battery
No
SAR value
NA

DISPLAY
Screen size (inches)
5.10
Touchscreen
Yes
Resolution
1440x2560 pixels
Pixels per inch (PPI)
577

HARDWARE
Processor
1.5GHz  octa-core
Processor make
Samsung Exynos 7420
RAM
3GB
Internal storage
32GB

CAMERA
Rear camera
16-megapixel
Flash
Yes
Front camera
5-megapixel

SOFTWARE
Operating System
Android 5.0
Skin
TouchWiz

CONNECTIVITY
Wi-Fi
Yes
Wi-Fi standards supported
802.11 a/ b/ g/ n/ ac
GPS
Yes
Bluetooth
Yes, v 4.10
NFC
Yes
Infrared
Yes
Wi-Fi Direct
Yes
MHL Out
No
HDMI
No
Headphones
3.5mm
FM
No
SIM Type
Nano-SIM
GSM/ CDMA
GSM
3G
Yes
4G/ LTE
Yes
Supports 4G in India (Band 40)
Yes

SENSORS
Compass/ Magnetometer
Yes
Proximity sensor
Yes
Accelerometer
Yes
Ambient light sensor
Yes
Gyroscope
Yes
Barometer
Yes
Temperature sensor
No

4. Apple iPhone 6S

A similar design to the iPhone 6, but it's even better inside 

+ Stylish design
+ Slick hardware and software
- Screen not full HD
- Expensive

This is the main iPhone you can buy right now and it boasts a similar design to the iPhone 6 with the same 4.7-inch screen on the front. That said, it's a gorgeous little phone and there are lots of little changes under the hood that make this a much better choice. There's a new screen technology called 3D Touch that means the phone can tell how much pressure you're putting on it, and that's not even mentioning the new A9 processor.

Apple iPhone 6s detailed specifications

GENERAL
Form factor
Touchscreen
Dimensions (mm)
138.30 x 67.10 x 7.10
Weight (g)
143.00
Battery capacity (mAh)
1715
Removable battery
No
Colours
Silver, Gold, Space Grey, Rose Gold
SAR value
0.00

DISPLAY
Screen size (inches)
4.70
Touchscreen
Yes
Resolution
750x1334 pixels
Pixels per inch (PPI)
326

HARDWARE
Processor make
A9
RAM
2GB
Internal storage
16GB

CAMERA
Rear camera
12-megapixel
Flash
Yes
Front camera
5-megapixel

SOFTWARE
Operating System
iOS 9

CONNECTIVITY
Wi-Fi
Yes
Wi-Fi standards supported
802.11 a/ b/ g/ n/ ac
GPS
Yes
Bluetooth
Yes, v 4.20
NFC
Yes
Infrared
No
Wi-Fi Direct
No
MHL Out
No
HDMI
No
Headphones
3.5mm
FM
No
SIM Type
Nano-SIM
GSM/ CDMA
GSM
3G
Yes
4G/ LTE
Yes
Supports 4G in India (Band 40)
Yes

SENSORS
Compass/ Magnetometer
Yes
Proximity sensor
Yes
Accelerometer
Yes
Ambient light sensor
Yes
Gyroscope
Yes
Barometer
Yes
Temperature sensor
No

5. Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+

Samsung's latest phablet even has those gorgeous curved edges

+ Beautiful, innovative screen
+ Loads of power
- No S Pen like the Note
- It's really expensive

Sadly, the UK isn't getting the Galaxy Note 5, instead we've got the Galaxy S6 Edge+. If anything, it's more exciting to get this phone. Those curved screens of our favourite phone of the year are back again but this time on a much bigger phone. In fact, the setup is very similar to the Galaxy S6 Edge apart from the 5.7-inch screen. There's a slightly larger battery this time to power it, but otherwise it's much the same as our number 1 phone on this list. 

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ detailed specifications

GENERAL
Form factor
Touchscreen
Dimensions (mm)
154.40 x 75.80 x 6.90
Weight (g)
153.00
Battery capacity (mAh)
3000
Removable battery
No
Colours
Gold Platinum, Silver Titanium
SAR value
1.48

DISPLAY
Screen size (inches)
5.70
Touchscreen
Yes
Resolution
1440x2560 pixels
Pixels per inch (PPI)
518

HARDWARE
Processor
1.5GHz  octa-core
Processor make
Exynos 7420
RAM
4GB
Internal storage
32GB

CAMERA
Rear camera
16-megapixel
Flash
Yes
Front camera
5-megapixel

SOFTWARE
Operating System
Android 5.1.1

CONNECTIVITY
Wi-Fi
Yes
Wi-Fi standards supported
802.11 a/ b/ g/ n/ ac
GPS
Yes
Bluetooth
Yes, v 4.20
NFC
Yes
Infrared
No
Wi-Fi Direct
Yes
MHL Out
No
HDMI
No
Headphones
3.5mm
FM
No
SIM Type
Nano-SIM
GSM/ CDMA
GSM
3G
Yes
4G/ LTE
Yes
Supports 4G in India (Band 40)
Yes

SENSORS
Compass/ Magnetometer
Yes
Proximity sensor
Yes
Accelerometer
Yes
Ambient light sensor
Yes
Gyroscope
Yes
Barometer
Yes
Temperature sensor
No

6. Sony Xperia Z5

Sony has come back from the brink with a new design

+ Brand new design
+ Good battery life
- No wireless charging
- Can get rather warm

The Xperia Z3+ was a big issue for Sony as it overheated and proved to be an all-round boring phone. Sony has done some great work with the Xperia Z5 though including a new design with a frosted glass back and much better corners that don't jab you in the hand like previous Xperia phones. This time there's also a fingerprint sensor on the side of the phone, and it's one of the best we've seen so far on a phone. 

Sony Xperia Z5 Dual detailed specifications

GENERAL
Alternate names
E6683
Form factor
Touchscreen
Dimensions (mm)
146.00 x 72.00 x 7.30
Weight (g)
144.00
Battery capacity (mAh)
2900
Removable battery
No
Colours
White, Graphite Black, Gold, Green
SAR value
0.75

DISPLAY
Screen size (inches)
5.20
Touchscreen
Yes
Resolution
1080x1920 pixels
Pixels per inch (PPI)
424

HARDWARE
Processor make
Qualcomm Snapdragon 810
RAM
3GB
Internal storage
32GB
Expandable storage
Yes
Expandable storage type
microSD
Expandable storage up to (GB)
200

CAMERA
Rear camera
23-megapixel
Flash
Yes
Front camera
5-megapixel

SOFTWARE
Operating System
Android 5.1.1
Skin
Yes

CONNECTIVITY
Wi-Fi
Yes
Wi-Fi standards supported
802.11 b/ g/ n/ ac
GPS
Yes
Bluetooth
Yes, v 4.10
NFC
Yes
Infrared
No
Wi-Fi Direct
Yes
MHL Out
Yes
HDMI
No
Headphones
3.5mm
FM
Yes
Number of SIMs
2
SIM 1

SIM Type
Nano-SIM
GSM/ CDMA
GSM
3G
Yes
4G/ LTE
Yes
Supports 4G in India (Band 40)
Yes
SIM 2

SIM Type
Nano-SIM
GSM/ CDMA
GSM
3G
Yes
4G/ LTE
Yes
Supports 4G in India (Band 40)
Yes

SENSORS
Compass/ Magnetometer
Yes
Proximity sensor
Yes
Accelerometer
Yes
Ambient light sensor
Yes
Gyroscope
Yes
Barometer
Yes
Temperature sensor
No

7. HTC One M9

Not quite up to the 5-star standard, but HTC still has a beautiful phone 

+ Cool theme generator
+ Improved sound
- Battery isn’t great
- Camera rather average

The HTC One M9 is a phone that takes the design heritage, DNA and all the other good bits of last year’s One M8 and, well, does them again. It’s again shown the rest of the competition how to make a premium smartphone, and its camera and performance is right up there too. However, HTC has merely polished last year’s model without adding many new features so it's a very good phone, but not brilliant. And that's why in 2015 this is the fifth best smartphone and not the absolute best smartphone.

HTC One M9 detailed specifications

GENERAL
Form factor
Touchscreen
Dimensions (mm)
144.60 x 69.70 x 9.61
Weight (g)
157.00
Battery capacity (mAh)
2840
Removable battery
No
SAR value
NA

DISPLAY
Screen size (inches)
5.00
Touchscreen
Yes
Resolution
1080x1920 pixels

HARDWARE
Processor
1.5GHz  octa-core
Processor make
Qualcomm Snapdragon 810
RAM
3GB
Internal storage
32GB
Expandable storage
Yes
Expandable storage type
microSD
Expandable storage up to (GB)
128

CAMERA
Rear camera
20-megapixel
Flash
Yes
Front camera
4-Ultrapixel

SOFTWARE
Operating System
Android 5.0
Skin
Sense 7.0

CONNECTIVITY
Wi-Fi
Yes
Wi-Fi standards supported
802.11 a/ b/ g/ n/ ac
GPS
Yes
Bluetooth
Yes, v 4.10
NFC
Yes
Infrared
Yes
Wi-Fi Direct
No
MHL Out
Yes
HDMI
Yes
Headphones
3.5mm
FM
Yes
SIM Type
Nano-SIM
GSM/ CDMA
GSM
3G
Yes
4G/ LTE
Yes
Supports 4G in India (Band 40)
Yes

SENSORS
Compass/ Magnetometer
Yes
Proximity sensor
Yes
Accelerometer
Yes
Ambient light sensor
Yes
Gyroscope
Yes
Barometer
No
Temperature sensor
No

8. LG G4

LG's best ever phone has a leather back

+ Great screen
+ Lots of power
+ Plastic option feels cheap
+ Leather

This phone is aimed at the fashion conscious, and while it doesn't look as special as the Galaxy S6 Edge, it does have a kick-ass unique feature. This phone, you see, has a leather-clad rear. If leather really isn't your thing then LG also offers three plastic back colour options; gold, grey and white which feel decidedly cheap in the hand sop leather is the way to go with this one. And with leading specs, an excellent screen and the latest version of Android, this is definitely LG's best smartphone ever and comes highly recommended. 

LG G4 detailed specifications

GENERAL
Form factor
Touchscreen
Dimensions (mm)
148.90 x 76.10 x 9.80
Weight (g)
155.00
Battery capacity (mAh)
3000
Removable battery
Yes
Colours
Metallic Gray, Ceramic White, Shiny Gold, Black Leather, Brown Leather, Red Leather, Sky Blue Leather, Beige Leather, Yellow Leather
SAR value
0.00

DISPLAY
Screen size (inches)
5.50
Touchscreen
Yes
Resolution
1440x2560 pixels
Pixels per inch (PPI)
538

HARDWARE
Processor
1.8GHz  hexa-core
Processor make
Qualcomm Snapdragon 808
RAM
3GB
Internal storage
32GB
Expandable storage
Yes
Expandable storage type
microSD
Expandable storage up to (GB)
2000

CAMERA
Rear camera
16-megapixel
Flash
Yes
Front camera
8-megapixel

SOFTWARE
Operating System
Android 5.1
Skin
UX 4.0

CONNECTIVITY
Wi-Fi
Yes
Wi-Fi standards supported
802.11 a/ b/ g/ n/ ac
GPS
Yes
Bluetooth
Yes, v 4.10
NFC
Yes
Infrared
Yes
Wi-Fi Direct
No
MHL Out
No
HDMI
No
Headphones
3.5mm
FM
No
SIM Type
Micro-SIM
GSM/ CDMA
GSM
3G
Yes
4G/ LTE
Yes
Supports 4G in India (Band 40)
Yes

SENSORS
Compass/ Magnetometer
Yes
Proximity sensor
Yes
Accelerometer
Yes
Ambient light sensor
Yes
Gyroscope
Yes
Barometer
Yes
Temperature sensor
No

9. Sony Xperia Z5 Compact

+ Great battery life
+ Small but powerful
- Only a 720p screen
- Sony UI still proves ugly

Sony impressed us all with the Xperia Z3 Compact, and it has done it again with the Xperia Z5 Compact. Sony is the only major manufacturer who seems to want to design a phone for those who like a small design but still want top end hardware. The screen isn't perfect on the Xperia Z5 Compact but it does pack a much better set up under the hood than other small phones. 

Sony Xperia Z5 Compact detailed specifications

GENERAL
Form factor
Touchscreen
Dimensions (mm)
127.00 x 65.00 x 8.90
Weight (g)
138.00
Battery capacity (mAh)
2700
Removable battery
No
Colours
Graphite Black, White, Yellow, Coral
SAR value
0.00

DISPLAY
Screen size (inches)
4.60
Touchscreen
Yes
Resolution
720x1280 pixels

HARDWARE
Processor make
Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 (MSM8994)
RAM
2GB
Internal storage
32GB
Expandable storage
Yes
Expandable storage type
microSD
Expandable storage up to (GB)
200

CAMERA
Rear camera
23-megapixel
Flash
Yes
Front camera
5.1-megapixel

SOFTWARE
Operating System
Android 5.1

CONNECTIVITY
Wi-Fi
Yes
Wi-Fi standards supported
802.11 b/ g/ n
GPS
Yes
Bluetooth
Yes, v 4.10
NFC
Yes
Infrared
No
Wi-Fi Direct
No
MHL Out
No
HDMI
No
Headphones
3.5mm
FM
No
SIM Type
Nano-SIM
GSM/ CDMA
GSM
3G
Yes
4G/ LTE
Yes
Supports 4G in India (Band 40)
Yes

SENSORS
Compass/ Magnetometer
Yes
Proximity sensor
Yes
Accelerometer
Yes
Ambient light sensor
Yes
Gyroscope
Yes
Barometer
No
Temperature sensor
No

10. Moto X Style

+ Customisable design
+ Nice camera features
- Not the best battery life
- A little bit bulky

Our final entry in the best phones list is from Motorola. The Moto X Style is one of the best phones we've seen in a long time from Motorola and with a customisable design it means you can choose exactly how it looks. And the set up also includes an impressive 23MP camera and a stunning processor that we haven't ever seen on the X range before. 

Motorola Moto X Style detailed specifications

GENERAL
Alternate names
Moto X Pure Edition
Form factor
Touchscreen
Dimensions (mm)
153.90 x 76.20 x 11.06
Weight (g)
179.00
Battery capacity (mAh)
3000
Removable battery
No
SAR value
0.99

DISPLAY
Screen size (inches)
5.70
Touchscreen
Yes
Resolution
1440x2560 pixels
Pixels per inch (PPI)
520

HARDWARE
Processor
1.8GHz  hexa-core
Processor make
Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 MSM8992
RAM
3GB
Internal storage
16GB
Expandable storage
Yes
Expandable storage type
microSD
Expandable storage up to (GB)
128

CAMERA
Rear camera
21-megapixel
Flash
Yes
Front camera
5-megapixel

SOFTWARE
Operating System
Android 5.1.1

CONNECTIVITY
Wi-Fi
Yes
Wi-Fi standards supported
802.11 a/ b/ g/ n/ ac
GPS
Yes
Bluetooth
Yes, v 4.10
NFC
Yes
Infrared
No
Wi-Fi Direct
Yes
MHL Out
No
HDMI
No
Headphones
3.5mm
FM
No
Number of SIMs
2
SIM 1

SIM Type
Nano-SIM
GSM/ CDMA
GSM
3G
Yes
4G/ LTE
Yes
Supports 4G in India (Band 40)
Yes
SIM 2

SIM Type
Nano-SIM
GSM/ CDMA
GSM
3G
Yes
4G/ LTE
Yes
Supports 4G in India (Band 40)
Yes

SENSORS
Compass/ Magnetometer
Yes
Proximity sensor
Yes
Accelerometer
Yes
Ambient light sensor
Yes
Gyroscope
Yes
Barometer
No
Temperature sensor
No


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