Four great phones to consider when buying a new handset

Four phones for you to consider

The smartphone market is a bustling scene right now and it can be difficult to narrow down the best phones for you with so much choice on offer.
Before you part with your cash you need to consider a few things. Ask yourself what you'll be using your smartphone phone.
Do you want to take lots of pictures? Will you be surfing the web, downloading apps or streaming video? Are you looking for a laptop/tablet replacement that can fit in your pocket?

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To get you pointing in the right direction we've selected four top handsets to help you with your buying choice.

LG G2

LG has been rather quiet on the smartphone scene in the past year and you may have overlooked its handsets in recent times, but with the G2 it's back with a bang.
The LG G2 offers up something different right from the off - buttons on the back of the device. These consist of the power/lock key and volume controls, leaving the sides smooth and uninterrupted.
We found the power/lock key is a little tricky to find at times, but LG has provided a workaround for this on the G2 - a simple double tap of the screen will wake it or put it to sleep. It's so easy, and after a while you'll wonder why no one else offers this.
Look deeper at the LG G2 and you'll notice it's very well equipped with a powerful 2.26GHz quad-core processor, stunning full HD 5.2-inch display and a strong 13MP camera.
The LG G2 is the complete mobile package, and while the plastic casing may not feel overly premium, the sturdy design, lean design and impressive feature list more than makes up for it.

Sony Xperia Z1

The Sony Xperia Z1 is the latest in a line of top quality handsets to come out of the Japanese firm and with a 20.7MP camera and waterproof body it's one well worth considering.
Finished in a premium metal and glass clad body the Xperia Z1 feels every inch a premium device and the technology built in follows suit with a 2.2GHz quad-core processor, 5-inch full HD display and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system.
As well as the pleasing build quality and impressive line up of features you can pick the Xperia Z1 up in a range of colours including black, white and purple, to ensure your new smartphone matches your personality.
The Sony Xperia Z1 manages to combine all these great features to create a real powerhouse of a phone with a slick interface and wealth of additional entertainment options.
The beautiful screen coupled with Sony's multiple entertainment apps and 4G connectivity means the Xperia Z1 is great for watching movies, listening to music and playing games.

Nokia Lumia 1020

Smartphones these days are becoming more and more alike, but with the Nokia Lumia 1020 we're greeted with a handset which comes at us from a completely different direction.
From the front the Lumia 1020 looks similar to a few of Nokia's other Windows Phone 8 handsets, flip it over however and there's a whopping great 41MP camera slapped on its rear.
That makes the Nokia Lumia 1020 the most powerful camera phone on the market and it's the stand out candidate if you want a high powered snapper and smartphone in one.
Windows Phone won't be everyone's cup of tea, and there's a noticeable absence of a few top apps on the platform, but it is particularly functional, intuitive and clean. If you're new to smartphones the Lumia 1020 is very easy to use.
For the professional photographers out there the Nokia Pro Cam app on the Lumia 1020 offers up a wealth of settings, allowing you to fine tune the camera for the perfect shot.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3

Phones are now fully fledged computers in our pockets, but with one obvious drawback - the screen size. Well allow us to introduce you to the Samsung Galaxy Note 3.
Currently the world's most powerful smartphone with a 2.3GHz quad-core processor and 3GB RAM, the Note 3 will make mincemeat of anything you throw at it, be it a graphically intensive game or a serious amount of multi-tasking.
It's 5.7-inch full HD display is truly something to behold. Colours pop, text is exceptionally well defined and video looks outstanding - although the sheer size of the handset won't be for everyone.
The addition of the S Pen stylus - housed within the Galaxy Note 3 chassis - allows you to handwrite notes on the handset and it will even convert your scrawls into text. Now that's clever.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is stuffed full of tricks and tech to keep even the most avid technology fan on their toes. It's big, it's brash, and it's brilliant.