Best UK smartphones of 2017

The best mobile phones you can buy now.

It's always hard to know when to jump on the technology treadmill, and harder still with smartphones. They're upgraded every year, and assuming you go with the standard two-year contract lifespan, you're likely to spend at least half of that time looking enviously on at the latest phones and wondering why your pride-and-joy from 12 months ago isn't as magical as it seemed then.

In some ways, the start of 2017 is the best time to buy a smartphone. All the previous years' options are laid out, and you can clearly see which are best and why. The problem is that they likely won't be the best for very long, with the latest upcoming smartphones of 2017 just around the corner. Should you buy now or wait a little longer?

That's a choice for you to make. All we can do is keep updating the best smartphones of 2017 list below, keeping you informed as to how the rankings change as we review newer models. Make no mistake, you'll be very pleased with any handset on the list below – it's just that what's around the corner might be even better.

This is the only guide you need to uncover the best mobile phones of 2017. From budget marvels to the finest flagship smartphones, you're guaranteed to find the device you've been searching for – at a price you can afford, and with all the features you need.

If you just want to start shopping right now, scroll down to read the review of our current favourite smartphone, and below you'll find links to all the other top-notch smartphones that have made the cut. On each page, you'll find quick summaries of our in-depth reviews, as well as all the key specifications you need to help you make a buying decision.

Best smartphones of 2017:

Coming soon: Apple iPhone X, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus

It's a fair assumption to make that one or more of the newly announced iPhone X, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus will make it onto our list of best smartphones for 2017 once we've tested and written our reviews of the phones. For now, though, our early thoughts are that the iPhone X is great but far too expensive and that the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus aren't different enough from previous models to justify the high prices.

Still, they ought to be good smartphones and the iPhone X, with its edge-to-edge AMOLED screen, glass rear and vertically arranged camera looks to be Apple's most attractive and most powerful smartphone to date.

1. Samsung Galaxy S8
   

Price when reviewed: 64GB SIM-free, £689 inc VAT

The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus sweep all before them in 2017: there's no argument – these are the best smartphones on the market. They look gorgeous, with the most notable upgrade this year the taller, slimmer shape enabled by the new 18.5:9 aspect ratio.

That means, although the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus have 5.8in and 6.2in screens, they're not as big and bulky in the hand as you might expect, and with the home button moving off the bezel and onto the lower portion of the display, there's barely any screen border left in place on the front.

These are the best-looking phones we've come across, and are faster than last year’s S7 models. And although the price was originally very high, with the 64GB Samsung Galaxy S8 costing £689 and the 64GB Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus going for a shudderingly high £779, both phones have recently dropped dramatically in price to around £590 and £650 respectively.

That means the Samsung Galaxy S8 in both guises is the phone to beat. Not only is it fast, packed full of features, with one of the best cameras you can get in a smartphone, but it's also better looking and better value than many of its key rivals as well. What are you waiting for? Get out and buy one.

1. OnePlus 5
   

When it comes to reasonably priced phones OnePlus is king and its latest handset – the OnePlus 5 – is mid-range mobile royalty. For £449, it packs in the sort of core componentry we're more used to seeing in top-end, £600+ flagships such as the Samsung Galaxy S8, the Sony Xperia XZ Premium and the HTC U11 and it combines this with sleek good looks and a range of high-end features.

Its dual-20-megapixel and 16-megapixel rear camera offers users wide angle shots and the ability to zoom in, it runs Android 7 and all-round performance is fabulous: the AMOLED screen looks great, battery life is top notch and, as you'd expect, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor ensures the phone feels incredibly fast.

The one fly in the ointment is that, this year, the higher cost of components means the price has risen from £399 for the OnePlus 3T to £450 for the "basic" 64GB OnePlus 5 model. Since there's still no phone that can match it at this price, however, it replaces the OnePlus 3T as our favourite mid-range smartphone. In fact, for most people, the OnePlus 5 is all the smartphone they'll ever need.

1. HTC U11
   

HTC has spent the last couple of years in the smartphone doldrums, but this year's flagship – the HTC U11 is a triumph. The new, curvaceous glass design and two-tone colour finishes look sublime, and it couples its supermodel looks with incredibly fast performance, a camera that very nearly matches the Google Pixel phones for quality in all conditions, and solid battery life that will comfortably get you through a day of use ... and a little bit more.

If you prefer your smartphones to have the shorter squatter profile of a 16:9 screen instead of the tall, thin Samsung Galaxy S8, this is the phone for you. It's also, in our opinion, the best-looking phone on the market right now, although you'll need to carry a cleaning cloth around with you to keep it looking its very best.

And, if you like your smartphones to be different, the HTC U11 has a clever trick up its sleeve, too: you can squeeze the bottom half of the phone to launch apps and carry out actions, even from the lockscreen.

The only trouble with the HTC U11 is that, at currently just shy of £650, it's already at a disadvantage compared with the Samsung Galaxy S8, a phone that started out costing £690 SIM-free but that has fallen in price to a much-cheaper (and unbeatable) £590 in recent times.

1. Google Pixel phone and Google Pixel XL
   

Price: £599 inc VAT, 32GB (Pixel); £719, 32GB (Pixel XL)

The Google Pixel phones set a new standard in the Android smartphone space when they launched in October 2016. Replacing the much-loved Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X, both phones are incredibly quick, well designed, offer decent battery life and – most important of all – an incredible camera. The Pixel phones' 12-megapixel camera is, in fact, the best smartphone snapper we've ever tested.

The only reason the Pixel and Pixel XL haven't shot right to the top of our chart, though, is we're not too keen on the price. Where Google's Nexus phones used to combine top performance with mid-market prices, the new Pixels are going toe-to-toe with the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus on price, costing £599 for the 32GB, 5in Google Pixel; and £719 for the 32GB 5.5in Google Pixel XL.

That leaves the OnePlus 3 as our best all-round smartphone buy, and the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge as the top all-round premium handsets, since they're available to purchase for slightly less and have better battery life.

Still, if you have the money to spend, you certainly won't be disappointed with either of Google's latest smartphones. They're a cracking pair of phones.

1. Apple iPhone 7
   

Price: 32GB SIM-free, £599 inc VAT

The iPhone 7 is a great smartphone and, despite the controversy surrounding the removal of the 3.5mm headphone jack, it's an improvement all-round over the iPhone 6s.

Our favourite feature is the Force Touch home button, which mimics the feel of a physical button, without the inherent unreliability of a mechanical buttons. It feels brilliant, and in conjunction with Apple's 3D Touch display, lends the iPhone 7 a futuristic feel that no other smartphone can match.

The camera is also an improvement over last year's model, with a wider, brighter aperture of f/1.8, an improved lens and quad-LED flash, and better performance in low light.

Everything else about the iPhone 7 screams quality. The luxurious feel and design will be enough to loosen most wallets, but that's just part of the phone's appeal.

The Apple A10 Fusion processor is incredibly fast, and this year it's more efficient than ever, gaining extra battery life by running less-demanding tasks with its lower power cores. The battery life still isn't up there with the Android competition, but it's getting better, and that can only be a good thing.

Nevertheless, the iPhone 7 is all round a better phone than the iPhone 6s – and if you buy one, you're very unlikely to come away disappointed.

1. Sony Xperia XZ Premium
   

Price: 32GB SIM-free, around £650 inc VAT

Sony is back with another 4K screen handset, and this one is very good indeed. The problem is that its brilliance is despite the 4K screen rather than because of it. You don't need a 2,160x3,840 resolution on a 5.5in display – it's silly and your eyes can't tell the difference.

But it's not quite as silly as the last time Sony pulled this stunt: it's actually an improvement on the regular XZ (where the Z5 Premium was not compared to the cheaper Z5) and it's at a price point that's similar to its competitors the Samsung Galaxy S8 and the HTC U11. It's just a shame that Sony didn't save some of that money from the pointless screen to undercut them...

1. Honor 9
   

Price: £380 SIM-free

If last year's Honor 9 was a surprise hit, this year's version – the Honor 9 – is an outright winner. It's a proper rival for the OnePlus 5 in the mid-price smartphone race, looks much nicer and undercuts it on price.

It can't quite compete with the OnePlus 5 for outright performance. Battery life isn't nearly as good and neither is the camera. However, if £450 is still a bit too rich for you and you fancy a phone that looks almost as nice as a Samsung Galaxy S8, the Honor 9 could be just your cup of tea.

1. Apple iPhone SE
   

Price: 32GB SIM-free, £379 inc VAT; 12GB SIM-free, £479 inc VAT

If you're one of those people who bemoans the lack of compact phones on the market, then the iPhone SE is for you. Apple's tiny phone may not contain the latest bits and pieces, but it's still fast, it still has a great camera, and it'll slip into your pocket and you'll barely notice it's there.

The iPhone SE is millimetre-identical to the iPhone 5s but it contains all the power of the iPhone 6s and its rear-facing camera, plus the storage options are have been increased to 32GB and 128GB since launch.

The 4in screen might look like it's lacking in pixels compared to today's giant-sized handsets, but since those pixels are crammed into such a tiny space, it's just as sharp as the iPhone 7. Of course, the tinier screen means that web pages are far more cramped than on those larger handsets – but many people will be willing to suffer such minor inconveniences in the name of compactness.

There are some downgrades compared to the larger, newer iPhones, but this remains one of the best compact smartphones out there still. Oh, and did we mention that the battery life is amazing? Well, it is.

1. Samsung Galaxy J5
   

Price: 8GB SIM-free, £160 inc VAT

It's taken years, but Samsung has finally nailed the budget formula – the Galaxy J5 gives a hint of Samsung's flagship phone brilliance for a fraction of the cost of the Galaxy S7.

If you weren't paying attention, it would be easy to mistake the J5 for Samsung's not-so-elderly S5 flagship. The design looks nigh-on identical, and that is to say, quite lovely – there aren't many £160 phones that look this good.

Crucially, though, the Galaxy J5 is actually a pretty great smartphone. There are, of course, limitations: the Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor is modest, so you shouldn't expect a mind-boggling turn of speed in games, and the 720p display isn't up to the standards of the very best.

Should any of this bother you, though? No, it shouldn't. The Galaxy J5's AMOLED display might lack for pixels, but it doesn't lack for quality, serving up bold, vibrant images that IPS-equipped rivals can only dream of.

Battery life is top-notch, too, and the replaceable battery guarantees that the J5 won't be set for the scrapheap once the battery begins to lose its potency. For a budget phone, that's a big attraction.

The camera could be better, but who cares – at £160, this is a veritable bargain of a phone.