One of the biggest things you need to decide when choosing a smartphone is which operating system to use. Although there are others around, it's best to stick with the big names including iOS, Android, Windows Phone and potentially BlackBerry. There are no Windows Phones in the chart at the moment but this might change in the future. See: Best Windows Phones 2016.
If you're already using one then it might be best to stay in that camp – especially if you've invested time and money in its apps. However, it's not difficult to switch so you should consider them all. Note there aren't any BlackBerry devices on the market at the moment which we think are good enough to make this list but check out our BlackBerry Classic review and BlackBerry Priv review to see what we think of the latest choices.
Design
Design will come down to personal taste and most of the top smartphones now have a very thin and light chassis. The best smartphones typically use premium materials like glass, aluminium or even steel and on this front you're best off trying a phone out in the flesh to see whether it feels good for the size of your hand. Some even come with the option of wood, leather or other materials.
It's worth pointing out that only a handful of the best phones on the market come with a waterproof design. It's mostly Sony offering this feature across its Xperia Z and Xperia M ranges.
Screen
The screen size of a high-end phone is typically 5in or above with a key exception being the Xperia Z5 Compact. You're looking at a Full HD (1080 x 1920) resolution typically or even higher at Quad HD (1440 x 2560). Only one phone goes higher than this with a 4K screen (3840 x 2160) and that's the Sony Xperia Z5 Premiumbut we think the resolution isn't needed on a phone so it doesn't appear in this chart.
Processor, memory and storage
These days, all the best phones have decent processors and plenty of memory. Some may be quad-core with 2GB of RAM but most are now octa-core with 3GB of RAM or more. Despite benchmark scores, you're typically going to get great performance from these devices - you tend to get what you pay for.
What is more important to look at is storage as once you run out, that's it. If you want to store lots of apps, photos, videos and music then look for a phone with plenty of internal storage – 64- or even 128GB. Less is ok but check for a Micro-SD card slot meaning you can add more by buying and inserting a memory card.
Cameras
When it comes to cameras, more megapixels is a good sign but isn't the be and end all so make sure you click through to our full review of each phone for our thoughts as well as sample photos and
Other hardware
Whether you care about it or not, the best phones will typically come with some additional hardware. Many phones have fingerprint scanners now, and Samsung's Galaxy phones also often have heart rate monitors and even UV sensors. Lots of top phones have an IR blaster so you can control other gadgets around your home such as your TV, although it's a feature which is disappearing. Audio fans will enjoy the stereo speakers of the HTC One M8 and M9 while Sony's Xperia Z range and some other phones offers High-Res playback support. Also see: Best sounding phone 2016.
Battery life
Battery life will no doubt be important to you and there are still only a handful of phones which come with wireless charging built-in making it easier to keep your handset topped up. Also look out for features such as USB Type-C which is reversible and offers faster charging, plus Quick Charge 3.0. Battery life varies from device to device, so click through to our reviews to see how they got on in our tests.
