Best smartphones of 2015: The 27 best phones you can buy right now

Discover the very best smartphones of 2015 - here you'll find links to our in-depth reviews and all you need to know

This is Alphr's pick of the best smartphones in the UK. From budget bargains to the finest flagship smartphones, here's where you'll find something that hits the spot.

If you want the full lowdown on any of the individual handsets, you can click through to our in-depth reviews, and if you're not sure what kind of smartphone is right for you, then help is at hand: use the dropdown menu above to click through to our detailed buyer's guide.

Know what you're looking for? Great. Scroll down to check out all the best flagship phones both new and old, or if you're after a more affordable option, click here to peruse the best budget handsets.

Whatever it is you're looking for, we research and update the prices regularly so you can get a good idea of how much they're selling for right now. Go on, get stuck in.

Best mobile phones of 2015

1. Google Nexus 6P

Price when reviewed: £449 inc VAT, 16GB; from free on a £27.50/mth, 24mth contract

A stylish, speedy phone with a pair of superb cameras, great software, impressive battery life and a big, sharp, colourful display, the Google Nexus 6P is our new favourite smartphone, knocking the Samsung Galaxy S6 off its perch after more than six months at the top. Why is it so good? Simple because this 5.7in handset gets pretty much everything right, and wraps it up in a picture perfect package that doesn't cost a huge amount of money. It's a recipe its rivals are going to find it very hard to beat.

Screen	Camera	Processor	Storage	Battery
5.7in 1,440 x 2,560	12MP 8MP	Snapdragon 810 3GB RAM	32/64/128GB No microSD	3,450mAh Non-removable

2. Samsung Galaxy S6

Price: 32GB, around £410 inc VAT

Samsung finally ditched the plastic for its most recent smartphone design and, aside from a few reservations, the result is a real triumph. The S6 looks glorious with Gorilla Glass 4 at the front and rear and coloured metal beneath it to give it a glitzy, shimmering look. It isn't only the exterior of the handset that sees improvements, however: Samsung has improved performance and battery life. The highlight, however, is the phone's improved camera it's superb. The S6's sibling the Galaxy S6 Edge – is just as good and arguably the more attractive device, but its higher price means we'd recommend going with the standard S6.

Screen	Camera	Processor	Storage	Battery
5.1in 1,440 x 2,560	16MP 5MP	Exynos 7420 3G RAM	32/64/128GB No microSD	2550mAh Non-removable

3. LG G4

Price: 32GB, around £340 inc VAT (for the plastic-backed edition)

Last year's LG G3 was a top smartphone and still is but the LG G4 is a different beast entirely: it has a camera to match the Samsung Galaxy S6, fast internals and a fantastic 5.5in Quad HD display. It isn't as slim, sleek or outright delicious as the Samsung Galaxy S6, but the leather-backed options are surprisingly attractive. Unlike Samsung's leading light, the G4 boasts a removable 3,000mAh battery, so you can carry a spare for emergencies or replace a failing battery a year or two down the track; and it also has a microSD slot, so you're not stuck with the 32GB stock storage allocation. Plus, it's a touch cheaper than the S6. It isn't quite as quick as the Samsung Galaxy S6 and battery life isn't as good, but it's a very, very close-run thing.

Screen	Camera	Processor	Storage	Battery
5.5in 1,440 x 2,560	16MP 8MP	Snapdragon 808 3GB RAM	32GB microSD	3,000mAh Removable

4. Google Nexus 5X

Price when reviewed: £329 inc VAT, 16GB SIM free; £379, 32GB

Google’s 2015 Nexus 5X may not be able to compete with the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact for looks (see below), but it’s a bigger bargain for those looking to save a bit on their next smartphone purchase. For your money, you get one of the best mobile phone cameras in the business, slick performance and - most important of all - pure Android 6.0 Marshmallow. It’s a class act.

Screen	Camera	Processor	Storage	Battery
5.2in 1,080 x 1,920	12MP 5MP	Snapdragon 808 2GB RAM	16/32GB No microSD	2,700mAh Non-removable

5. Sony Xperia Z5 Compact

Price: 32GB, around £400 inc VAT

Bigger isn't necessarily better. If you’re against the trend towards giant handsets and almost-tablet-sized screens, then the Xperia Z5 Compact is going to set you fumbling for a credit card. Its 4.6in screen is lovely and bright; the 20-megapixel camera is fantastic; and battery life is excellent for such a compact handset. Factor in the reasonable price, reassuringly sturdy build and IP68 water resistance, and the Z5 Compact is something of a pint-sized superstar.

Screen	Camera	Processor	Storage	Battery
4.6in 720 x 1,280	23MP 5.1MP	Snapdragon 810 2GB RAM	32GB microSD	2,700mAh Non-removable

6. Apple iPhone 6s

Price: 16GB, £539 inc VAT

The iPhone 6s is a great smartphone fast, reliable and with an excellent camera and with its new 3D Touch (Force Touch) display, 12-megapixel camera and faster A9 processor it's the best iPhone yet. Battery life hasn't made great strides forward, but it's all-round a better phone than the iPhone 6 and as such replaces it in our list of best smartphones.

7. Apple iPhone 6s Plus

Price: £619 inc VAT, 16GB; £699, 64GB; £789, 128GB

If you like your phones big, you’re going to love the iPhone 6s Plus. Equipped with a huge 5.5in Full HD display and ingenious pressure-sensitive touchscreen tech, it’s Apple’s biggest and fastest smartphone yet. Although it’s largely identical internally to the 4.7in iPhone 6s, it is superior in some respects: it has longer battery life and the camera’s optical image stabilisation (OIS) gives it the edge for low-light photography. Its high price will put many off, but make no mistake, the iPhone 6s Plus is one fabulous smartphone.

8. OnePlus 2

Price: 16GB, £239 inc VAT; 64GB, £289 inc VAT (purchase by invite only)

You can only buy a OnePlus 2 if an existing owner invites you, or you sign up and participate in OnePlus' various online promotion activities, but it might just be worth the effort. The company's second-generation smartphone packs in high-end smartphone design, a very good camera, decent screen quality and a top-end Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor; it has all the hallmarks of a flagship smartphone and yet the 16GB model costs a mere £239. It's a bargain of epic proportions; the only reason it isn't higher up this list is it's so darned hard to buy.

9. OnePlus X

Price: £199 inc VAT (invite-only)

Oh, OnePlus, why do you tease us so? The OnePlus X shrinks the screen-size down to a (relatively) compact 5 inches, and combines high-end hardware from 2014 with a lovely AMOLED display. For £199, this is probably all most people need to know. The only tricky bit, as ever, is actually buying the darn thing. If you can put up with a bigger phone in your pocket, then we'd still lean towards spending the extra £40 on the OnePlus 2 it's a much better all-rounder but if it's a more compact smartphone you're after, the X is a great buy.

10. Sony Xperia Z5

Price: around £510 inc VAT

Well, hello you handsome 5.2in handset, you. We've been eagerly awaiting the Xperia Z5, and Sony has done a cracking job of bringing the big-screened Xperia bang up to date. The camera has received an impressive upgrade, and performance and battery life are excellent. The only problem is that the competition has got that much tougher the Apple iPhone 6s and Samsung Galaxy S6 have markedly superior hardware, and the LG G4 is nearly as good while costing almost half the price. It's still a lovely, lovely phone, though.

11. Samsung Galaxy Note 5

Price when reviewed: around £430 inc VAT

It isn't officially available in the UK, so we can't give it the full double thumbs-up, but if you're willing to forgo the official manufacturer warranty it is an amazing smartphone. It's as fast as the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge+, has a glorious 5.7in AMOLED display, looks gorgeous, and best of all, has a pressure sensitive stylus built in, so you can jot down notes onscreen and sketch away to your heart's content. It's an all-round good egg, and great value, too. Click here to read our Samsung Galaxy Note 5 review.

12. Samsung Galaxy Note 4

Price: around £285 inc VAT

Samsung has produced the finest phablet yet; almost a year after its initial launch the 5.7in Note 4 is still a fantastic handset. The Quad HD display is just fabulous, the battery life brilliant, and Samsung has upped the ante just about everywhere else, with a great camera and a huge range of features. Its replacement the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 has been announced, but Samsung hasn't confirmed it will make its way to the UK and Europe. For now, the Note 4 remains the big-screened smartphone of choice.

13. Nexus 6

Price: around £330 inc VAT

The Nexus 6 is currently out of stock on Google Play, presumable because it's soon to be discontinued. If Google does resurrect it, though, it's still a decent smartphone - if you want a phone with a really big screen, that is. Battery life is good, the camera is excellent, and the build and design quality remain second to none. Although its rivals hold an edge over it in many areas, the attraction of pure Android and a sub-£400 price make it still worth considering.

14. Sony Xperia Z3

Price: around £350 inc VAT

Looking for a 5.1in phone that doesn't cost a fortune? Then you might want to consider the Xperia Z3. It's still a good-looking handset with good performance across the board not to mention a very competent camera and now that prices have dipped to just over £200 it offers a hell of a lot of phone for the money. If you love the Sony design and can't stretch to the lovely, and oh-so-expensive Xperia Z5, then there's no shame in opting for the Xperia Z3.

15. HTC One M9

Price: around £420 inc VAT

HTC took the One M8's design and refined it for 2015, creating a truly stunning smartphone. The internals have been upgraded as well: Qualcomm's octa-core Snapdragon 810 SoC; the camera goes from the M8's 4-megapixel snapper to 20 megapixels; and HTC has added a host of features to its Sense Android launcher software. It's a beautifully crafted and highly competent smartphone, just like last year's HTC One M8. But it's only a small improvement on its predecessor.

16. Motorola Moto X Play

Price: 16GB, around £260 inc VAT

Squeezed between the Moto G and the Moto X Style, the Motorola Moto X Play is a more-than-decent mid-range smartphone with excellent battery life; if you can’t get an invite for the OnePlus 2, it’s an excellent alternative.

17. Nokia Lumia 930

Price: around £300 inc VAT

The Lumia 930 is a knockout from the first moment you pick it up. It's a Windows Phone device, so it can't compete on apps, but the design of Nokia's flagship is sumptuous and right up there with the best around.

18. Samsung Galaxy S5

Price: around £320 inc VAT

There's much to like about the Samsung Galaxy S5: it's fast, tough and feature-rich, and we love the user-replaceable battery and memory expansion. It's a great smartphone in every way, and now that the S6 has arrived, the price is more reasonable than ever. If you're not precious about the way your phone looks, the Samsung Galaxy S5 is a great buy.

19. LG G3

Price: around £250 inc VAT

A thoroughly pleasant surprise from LG last year the G3 is powerful, and packs a ridiculously high-resolution screen and superfast camera. The newer LG G4 is a big improvement, particularly when it comes to battery life, but the G3 is now ridiculously cheap, and worth considering for that fact alone.

20. Motorola Moto G 3rd Gen (2015)

Price: 8GB, around £155 inc VAT

Motorola claims top spot in the race for best budget smartphone for the third year in a row with the third generation Moto G. It sports a new look, Moto Maker customisation and faster internals, alongside beefed up waterproofing and an excellent 13-megapixel rear camera. All-in-all, the Moto G 3 is the best budget smartphone money can buy. If you can't stretch your budget to a flagship phone, this is the next best thing.

21. Motorola Moto E 2nd Gen

Price: 8GB, around £100 inc VAT

Motorola has a knack for creating impressive budget phones, and the second-generation Motorola Moto E is no different. With a faster processor and the welcome arrival of 4G support, Motorola is onto another budget winner in 2015.

22. Huawei Honor Holly

Price: 16GB, around £90 inc VAT

While the Holly falls short in terms of performance and its Android 4.4 reskin, Emotion UI, is rather uninspiring, it’s incredibly low price point redeems it. It also has the largest storage of all our budget phones, with 16GB coming as standard. If price is really an issue, the Holly is the sub-£100 handset we’d recommend.

23. Sony Xperia M4 Aqua

Price: 8GB, around £180

Sony’s mid-range smartphone may be at the higher end of the budget price range, but its slim, stylish, metal-and-glass design makes it look a lot more attractive than most of its slightly cheaper rivals. Combine this with the same level of water resistance as the Xperia Z3+, an HD display, a 13-megapixel camera and an octa-core processor and you have a powerful handset at a reasonable price.

24. Wileyfox Swift

Price: 16GB, around £125 inc VAT

British smartphone manufacturer Wileyfox has ambitions similar to those of the hugely successful Chinese startup OnePlus. Its debut handset squeezes style out of a rather simplistic design and crams a load of features into a phone that costs very little. The biggest plus, however, is that it comes loaded with the flexible and frequently updated Cyanogen OS Android-based OS.

25. Microsoft Lumia 640 XL

Price: 8GB, around £180

If you’re in the market for a budget phablet, you won’t go too far wrong with the Lumia 640 XL and its 5.7in display. It’s a Windows phone, which means you don’t get access to the same choice of apps as you would with an Android handset, but as a starter smartphone it’s a good choice. As an extra tempter, it comes with a year’s free subscription to Office 365.

26. Microsoft Lumia 640

Price: 8GB, around £130 inc VAT

The Lumia 640 is a huge step up from its predecessor, the Lumia 630, and a great small-screened alternative to the larger Lumia 640 XL. It has a great-looking screen, snappy performance and 4G. For those who enjoy having Windows 8.1 on their phone, you’d struggle to find better at this super-low price.

27. Honor 4X

Price: 8GB, around £145 inc VAT

The 4X has good battery life, a decent camera and reasonable performance. Add a large, bright 5.5in display and a price lower than £150 and you have a winning recipe. Some might not get on with the Huawei Emotion UI Android overlay, or the lack of Android Lollipop, but if that doesn't bother you, the 4x offers a lot for very little cash.