A guide to finding your perfect phone

Buying the best mobile is not just about following the crowd, but about finding what suits you best. The market is overflowing with devices to cater to all manner of priorities, from high-quality media playback to seamless media production, with options of all prices. To make things a little simpler, we have broken it down into some of the key elements you might be looking out for, and the models which come out on top.

Photography

When it comes to taking photos, the Huawei P30 Pro stands out as an obvious choice. The phone has unparalleled 5x optical zoom and impressive all-around specs, with no less than 4 rear cameras, meaning incredible depth perception. With great manual control, it’s not a matter of all the gear and no idea: you can have both. The model also has great low-light capabilities for capturing that awkward nighttime shots or countering the ever-present British clouds. On top of this, there’s still a substantial 32MP front-facing camera for the Insta-famous selfie generation.

Gaming

Though the latest mainstream offerings from Apple and Samsung offer great gaming specs, if you’re looking for something more specialised, the Razor Phone 2 undoubtedly comes top of this field. Custom-made for power and performance, the latest upgrade runs on a Snapdragon 845 chip, with 8GB RAM, great speakers, an 120hz refresh rate for the screen and 4,000mAh battery to get you through your gaming sessions. There are also wireless charging capabilities and a built-in vapour chamber to help cool your device. If you are willing to sacrifice camera quality this is certainly worth a look, however it doesn’t require high specs to run all apps, so more casual gamers may want to look elsewhere.

Size

For those who are keen on a bigger screen, there are many phablets available on the market. We believe the Google Pixel 3 XL is a solid choice, with a generous 6.3 inch screen and 18.5:9 aspect ratio. As well as featuring Google software perfectly optimised for the brand’s own top-end hardware, and a great camera to boot, it also offers reliable battery life, important when considering a phone of this size. The display allows for excellent media playback, great colour calibration and decent viewing angles. On top of this, if you’re also into photography it offers the best of both worlds, with astonishing camera specs.

Durability

Whether you’re a thrill-seeker looking to take your phone with you on all your adrenaline-fuelled adventures, or you work in extreme conditions, there are options tailor-made for you. The Cat s61 rugged smartphone is our top pick: designed for toughness, the model boasts MIL Spec 810G and IP69 certifications which guarantee your phone can withstand high-pressure water jets. Plenty of polycarbonate and rubber help to absorb shock, while a metal frame improves the overall structure, making the tech suitable for even the most unforgiving work environments. It’s not cheap, but if you are into extreme sports or work in an accident-prone or physically intensive industry, this phone is a safer bet.

The editorial unit