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.
Samsung makes loads of them. Sony's releasing three every second. HTC is producing award-winning handsets, and LG is bringing up the super-cheap superphone brigade.
On top of that, there's a glut of other names in the mix, with the likes of Acer, ZTE, Huawei and OnePlus all offering cheap smartphones - and Google's gone high end with the Nexus range.
The many variations in screen size, processor power, software features and design makes finding the best Android phone for you extremely tough.
To help find the best 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.
10. HTC One M8The One M8 has been superseded by the M9 and as such it's tumbled down our list, but it's still a hugely impressive phone. We love the speed of the camera, the Duo Camera is sharp as a tack and the design... well, you have to hold it. The HTC One M8 is an excellent package
Gaming, movies, photography, browsing all work really well and HTC is committed to its baby too, as it was one of the first phones to get Android Lollipop.
The only way to know how good the HTC One M8 is, is to go into a store, pick it up and hold it for a few minutes. Take in the design, listen to the BoomSound speakers and glide around the Sense UI. The M9 of course offers better versions of the same things, but you'll pay a lot more for it.
9. HTC One Mini 2The HTC One Mini 2 inherits a lot from the M8, with a similarly stylish metal build and the same BoomSound speakers, but in a smaller, more affordable package.
The innards have changed, with a lesser but still quad-core processor and there's a 13MP camera on the back in place of the HTC One M8's UltraPixel snapper, but the key thing is that the HTC One Mini 2 is designed for those who'd prefer a more pocketable 4.5-inch display without sacrificing a premium design. On that front it passes with flying colours.
The HTC One Mini 2 looks great. In fact until the inevitable One Mini 3 arrives it's the most stylish small-screen Android phone around. It doesn't have flagship specs but then nor does it have a flagship price tag.
8. Google Nexus 6The Google Nexus 6 is a super-sized version of the 2014 Moto X. The phone that everyone expected to be a super-cheap device is now firmly in the 'Hmmm... I wonder how much can I get for my kidney?' category - but that's thanks to the high-end chipset, the crisply sharp QHD screen and a massive battery.
At six inches, this is very, very much a phablet - but then again, it offers so much that you'll really start to warm to it quickly. Plus the edge-to-edge design means it's nowhere near as large as it should be - if you can get over the price, it's a must have.
There's a lot to like about Nexus 6. Android Lollipop looks great on this bright, 6-inch AMOLED display and the 13-megapixel camera is more true-to-life than 2013's Nexus 5 and Motorola's other smartphones combined, even if it doesn't quite measure up to what Samsung's doing.
This is the best Nexus Google has ever crafted. And, when you think about it, you're not going to need to hold onto your money, as you'll require both hands to grab onto this two-handed monster.
7. Sony Xperia Z3The Sony Xperia Z3 manages to improve on the already excellent Xperia Z2 in some key areas. The screen is a large 5.2-inches with a full 1080p resolution and the technology behind the screen gives a boost to the overall brightness of the display, which makes it look fantastic.
The Xperia Z3 also packs some impressive specs with a quad-core 2.5GHz processor, Adreno 330 GPU and 3GB of RAM. These improved specs are all housed in a slimmer and more stylishly designed chassis, giving the Xperia Z3 a truly premium feel. It's also water and dust resistant.
It does a lot of things right, with some excellent hardware specs and a stylish design. If you own a PlayStation 4 then the Remote Play feature that lets you stream PS4 games to the handset could be of real interest - and if it's not, it should be.
It's a great phone, but the experience isn't quite flawless enough to get it any higher in our charts, with a disappointing camera and buggy software being chief among its problems.
6. Samsung Galaxy Note 4Four years after the original Galaxy Note kick started the phablet craze, the Galaxy Note 4 arrives to show that Samsung still has what it takes to make excellent super-sized smartphones.
It has a fantastic 5.7-inch QHD Super AMOLED screen along with a 2.7GHz quad-core processor and 3GB of RAM. With these specs it easily outperforms its closest rivals such as the iPhone 6 Plus,
The Galaxy Note 4 certainly isn't cheap, but a fantastic screen, brilliant specs and a great camera all help justify the hefty asking price. If you're in the market for a large smartphone then you'll definitely want to seriously consider the Note 4.
5. Sony Xperia Z3 CompactSony has done such a good job of shrinking down the Xperia Z3 into a smaller handset with only a few minor cuts to the specifications that it has, perhaps by accident, created a more desirable phone.
It has the same 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor as the Z3, along with an Adreno 330 GPU and very good 20.7MP camera. The smaller 4.6-inch screen gives the Z3 Compact a better battery life than the full size Z3, as well as being more comfortable to hold. The price has also been cut, making the Z3 Compact a more compelling purchase.
Easily the best compact Android phone on the market today. Sony has worked hard to fit some excellent features into this handset despite its smaller stature and it has paid off. This is great work from Sony, and doubly brilliant if you own a PS4 too thanks to the Remote Play feature.
4. LG G3The big selling point for the LG G3 was its display, with a QHD resolution making it pin sharp, but it's no longer the only phone packing such a screen.
Away from the screen and things are still good for the G3 with a punchy 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor, 3GB of RAM and an Adreno 330 GPU ensuring the interface, widgets, apps and games all speed along at a rate of knots. It's also now got Android 5.0 Lollipop in most places.
The LG G3 has a great screen and high end specs, but the whole package isn't quite there. It's a strong handset that's more phablet than phone, but it's slightly let down by a lacklustre faux-metal design.
3. Samsung Galaxy S6 EdgeIf money is no object then the Galaxy S6 Edge arguably has the standard S6 beat, as it offers the same compelling specs with the addition of an eye-catching curved display. But for most people money is an object and the S6 Edge is both more expensive and not much better in use, as the curves are more about form than function.
Still, its 5.1-inch QHD screen is glorious, its 16MP camera impresses and it's got a powerful octa-core processor and all the nifty features of the S6, like a fingerprint scanner and fast charging.
The curved screen feels like a missed opportunity but it's undeniably stylish and if you can stomach the price tag this is a powerful, futuristic phone which is sure to inspire admiration and jealousy in everyone who sees it.
2. HTC One M9For all the work Samsung's done on improving the design of its flagship HTC still has it beat. The One M9 is easily the best looking Android phone around and arguably the best looking handset running any OS.
Not only does it look incredible but it's got lots of power and a decent 20.7MP camera on the back, with its UltraPixel snapper relegated to selfie duties. Plus its slick Sense interface and impressive BoomSound audio make it a joy to use.
The HTC One M9 isn't a big upgrade over the One M8, but that phone was our favourite for a long time so any improvements guaranteed this a place near the top of our chart. Compared to the Galaxy S6 this feels lacking in specs and features, but it's as close to a work of art as a phone has come.
1. Samsung Galaxy S6After the disappointing Galaxy S5 Samsung has turned it all around with the Galaxy S6. That's obvious as soon as you set eyes on it, with its luxurious metal and glass build and brilliantly impressive 5.1-inch QHD screen.
It's got an incredible camera too and even the TouchWiz overlay, something which is traditionally bloated and clunky, has been polished into something far slicker.
Packed full of extras like fast charging and a fingerprint scanner, the Samsung Galaxy S6 really is the complete package and its octa-core Exynos processor leaves rivals in the dust. All that power is hard on the battery, but otherwise this is a near perfect phone.
Power, performance, a premium design and heaps of extras, the Samsung Galaxy S6 has it all. It's not cheap and the average battery and lack of a microSD card slot might put you off, but in most other ways this is the best Android phone we've ever used.
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