10 best smartphones 2015: our pick of the very best phones you can buy today

Welcome to T3 Elite's roundup 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 geting the very latest cutting edge tech.

The T3.com 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

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 and S6 Edge for the title of 'best smartphone in the world.' The S6 Edge is certainly more futuristic, but its added expense (especially since the S6's price drop) means it's squeezed into second. Whether it's the improved camera, the metal-and-futuristic ass 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.

2. Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge

Curving into the future with impressive specs

• 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.

3. Apple iPhone 6

Bigger, better, sleeker and faster than the iPhone 5S

• Stylish design
• Slick hardware and software
• Screen not full HD
• Expensive

In at number 2, the iPhone 6 is the best smartphone Apple has ever created and certainly worth the extra money over an iPhone 5S. The larger screen, better keyboard and improved battery life make it a much more useable device than ever before. For our money, the Galaxy S6 Edge above is a better phone, but if your heart is set on an iPhone, this is the one to buy.

4. HTC One M9

Not quite up to the 5 star standard, but HTC still has the most 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.

5. iPhone 6 Plus

Apple's first bigscreen phone is a stunner

• Gorgeous phablet design
• Biggest iPhone ever
• It's hyper expensive
• Specs don't match up to Note 4 

In at number 8 we have the iPhone 6 Plus - probably the best-looking phablet around. Its specs don't match the Android powerhouses above it in this list, and 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 Note 4 above.

6. 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.

7. Samsung Galaxy Note 4

Samsung's latest phablet is the best bigscreen phone available

• Beautiful screen
• Loads of power
• S Pen is questionable
• It's really expensive

The Galaxy Note is the phone that made big screens fashionable and it's still the best phablet available today. The Note 4's 5.7-inch screen is simply gorgeous, extending almost to the edge of the handset and with amazing colour reproduction. That's crucial because it means the chassis is as small as possible to accomodate that large display, so you can still hold it on one hand comfortably. With extremely powerful internal components, a great camera and boat loads of other features, the Galaxy Note 4 is an exceptional phone for those who crave a big screen.

8. Google Nexus 6

Google's best ever phone is also its biggest ever

• Powerful components
• Fast charging
• Will prove too big for some
• Battery life isn't amazing 

Google chooses a different hardware partner for each yearly refresh of its Nexus flagship smartphone, and the Nexus 6 is built expertly by Motorola. It's certainly not a small phone: its near 6-inch display is about as big as it gets when it comes to smartphones and for that reason it's somewhat of an acquired taste, some will find it far too big, others will be absolutely besotted by it. Aside from its sheer size, it's a superpowered phone with all the mod cons, and because it's a Google device it's guaranteed regular and timely Android updates throughout its lifespan.

9. Sony Xperia Z3

The best of Sony in a smartphone

• Powerful hardware
• Good battery life
• Camera could be better
• Can get rather warm

The Xperia Z3 is a very strong contender in the smartphone battle. The improvements are subtle, but significant, and the PS4 functionality is a massive selling point for gamers. Sony has built an excellent smartphone with some truly superb specifications and a premium design that makes the Z3 one of the most desirable smartphones on the market.

10. HTC One M8

Last year's best phone, the M8 is still a fantastic phone

• Stunning build quality
• Nice camera features
• Dot View case is frustrating
•  Not the latest generation 

The biggest problem with the HTC One M9 at number 5 in our list is that it really isn't a big step forward from this phone, the M8. The M8 was 2014's best smartphone, and things don't change much in a year so it's still a brilliant phone and one we'd highly recommend to anyone. With industry-leading build quality and solid features all-round, you'll save money by opting for this phone over the M9 and you won't be missing out on much performance either.