Update: The Lenovo P2 the latest addition to the list, with the low-cost, massive-battery wonder mixing it with phones three times the cost.
There's one key way in which Android is massively different from its Apple-branded smartphone competition - the number of phones out there running Google 's hot mobile OS.
The big names are all here; Samsung, Sony, HTC and LG are all right at the fore. On top of that, there's a glut of other names in the mix, with the likes of Lenovo, Huawei and OnePlus all offering cheap smartphones - and Google's gone high end with the new Pixel range.
The many variations in screen size, processor power, software features and design makes finding the best Android phone for you extremely tough.
- Best smartphone : the 10 top phones we've tested
To help find the most fitting Android phone for you, we've rounded up the best Android handsets out there today, rating the phones on hardware performance, OS upgrade potential and, of course, how shiny and nice they are to have and boast about to work colleagues.
So here they are - the best Android phones money can buy today. For many, many different reasons.
Sony has taken everything great about its last few smartphones and put them into one package for the Xperia XZ.
It's waterproof, has a premium design, a beautiful display, incredible camera tech and the best battery life we've seen on a flagship Sony phone in some time.
The 23MP sensor from the Xperia Z5 is still at play here, but it comes with a number of superior upgrades. The new autofocus means you can grab some incredible action shots that you'd struggle to recreate on any other smartphone.
It's a pricey choice for your next smartphone, but the Xperia XZ is one of the best on the market right now so it may be worth spending a little to get your hands on it.
There's one reason to buy this phone: a genuine, actual, real two day battery life. Not in optimum conditions or if you're a light user... it'll just keep going and going for two whole nights.
The phone itself is very cheap as well, making it our top budget buy, and while some of the specs are downgraded to hit that price point (the chipset won't please everyone and the camera isn't the best) we think it's worth it.
Not the best out-and-out Android phone on the market right now, and it is heavy thanks to the larger battery - but it's kind on the wallet and will mean you spend far less time tethered to a charger.
Motorola's Moto Z Play is now out in the UK, and has knocked the Sony Xperia Z5 Premium out of this best Android phone list.
The biggest highlight is the innovative magnetic clip-on accessories that can give you a new camera, a speaker system or even a projector. It's so smart and may well be the best way of doing modular phones we've seen so far.
It's a low price compared to many other phones on the list and without the accessories on the back it's a really thin phone.
Buy the Moto Z Play if you're looking for something a little bit cheaper and it's genuinely different to almost everything else on the market.
If you're looking for the ultimate Android experience without any over-complicated features the Google Pixel is the phone for you.
It takes the latest version of Google's software - Android 7 .1 Nougat - in its natural form. There's no annoying third-party manufacturer overlay, it's Android as Google intended.
Add to that its premium design (although the glass patch on the rear is a little questionable), excellent camera and huge amount of power under the hood and you've got yourself a rather special smartphone.
The main reason you'd buy this phone is for the camera though - it's one of the best, if not the best, around at the moment and excels in low light specifically.
The battery life is the weak point for the Pixel, and we'd recommend carrying a charger if you're out all day.
OnePlus 3
For some, the OnePlus 3T is the best Android phone around - and to be fair, they have a point.
The Chinese firm has improved on the still-new OnePlus 3 to deliver a bigger battery, better processor and improved front-facing camera.
The design is the same (which is no bad thing), the AMOLED display is bright and vibrant and the fingerprint scanner is fast.
The lack of a microSD card, and a battery which doesn't last more than a day may put some off, but considering the price you're paying the OnePlus is fantastic value for money.
If you're desperate for a high-end Android phone, but don't have the money to stretch to the Samsungs or HTC, the OnePlus 3T will make you very, very happy.
HTC 10
HTC takes third place on our best Android phone list with the gorgeous HTC 10. The HTC 10 has a new design with but if you're a fan of the HTC look don't worry, it shares a lot of its design language with past HTC handsets.
It has a 5.2-inch 2K display, which makes watching video gorgeous, as well as some strong spec under-the-hood including 4GB of RAM and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset.
The camera technology is a big focus for HTC though. A 12MP sensor may not sound like much, but it makes some gorgeous images on the back and there's a 5MP front-facing camera to capture your selfies too.
If you're looking for the ultimate Android experience without any over-complicated features the Google Pixel is the phone for you.
It takes the latest version of Google's software - Android 7.1 Nougat - in its natural form. There's no annoying third-party manufacturer overlay, it's Android as Google intended.
Add to that its premium design (although the glass patch on the rear is a little questionable), excellent camera and huge amount of power under the hood and you've got yourself a rather special smartphone.
The battery life is the weak point for the Pixel, and we'd recommend carrying a charger with you if you're out all day.
The Moto Z is modular like the LG G5, but it's far better with extra add-ons and a much easier to use snap-on design.
It's powerful and the modular design means you'll be able to switch out elements for future accessories and could mean you can keep this phone for much longer than other devices that will date quicker.
Usually when we talk about mid-cycle upgrades, we're strictly talking about new software. Moto Z could take on new form at any time.
It may be the world's thinnest phone, but that comes at a cost with a reduction in battery size and the loss of the headphone jack - potential issues for some users. If you can overlook these shortcomings though you'll have a truly innovative device in your hands.
LG G5
LG is trying something quite different with the LG G5. It's a modular phone meaning you can swap out certain features and plug in another when you need something else.
Here this means you can grab the bottom of the phone and pull it out to put in another module that either offers higher audio quality or an easier to grip camera - although since launch, it's not provided any new modules to play with.
It also features a 5.3-inch 2K display as well as 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. You won't be disappointed with the spec here as well as the 16MP rear facing camera you have to play with.
The design of the LG G5 isn't to everyone's taste, but recent price drops have seen it rise up our rankings. So if you like the look of this phone and aren't bothered about a lack of modularity, then the G5 offers a good phone at a strong price.
Galaxy S7
Second place goes to the Samsung Galaxy S7. The Galaxy S6 was our favorite Android phone of 2015, but now the Galaxy S7 has improved on it in almost every way.
There's a brand new waterproof design with a variety of little changes that make it much more comfortable to hold.
It doesn't look as innovative as the Galaxy S7 Edge with its curved display, but this version is much more compact than the Galaxy S6 Edge+.
The issues come in the high price and the fact there's only one storage version. But you can always buy a microSD card, up to 200GB, and get a bit of extra room.
If you're looking for one of the best, high-end phones in the world right now - this Android is a great choice.
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
It has finally happened - the Edge version of a Samsung phone is now actually the best Android phone in the world.
Samsung's Galaxy S7 Edge expands on what the curved display from the Galaxy S6 Edge can do. It has found a happy medium at the 5.5-inch size as well as adding in a lot of new functionality for the most innovative screen tech in phones.
The camera may look like it has dropped when you see it on the spec sheet - but in fact bringing it down to 12MP and updating the sensor technology has meant this is one of the best phone cameras out there.
All in all, the Galaxy S7 Edge is an improvement on everything that went before it. Finally, Samsung has nailed the most interesting version of its phone and made the Galaxy S7 Edge the reigning champion of the phone game.
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