Steve Kovach/Tech InsiderThe iPhone SE
With so many amazing smartphones with stunning cameras, gorgeous looks, and useful features available in all different shapes and sizes, it's an exciting time to be in the market for a smartphone!
It also means you have more choice than ever, which could complicate your final decision.
Here's our ranking of the best phones you can buy. But keep in mind that we're expecting one more big hitter to come out in April, so you may want to hold off on buying anything this second.
Note: All prices below indicate how much the phones typically cost without a carrier contract. Prices may vary depending on the retailer.
#20 BlackBerry Passport
The BlackBerry Passport may look strange, but a lot of BlackBerry fans seem to love it. It has a really nice physical keyboard, but the key feature is its unique square design.
Price: $490
#19 BlackBerry Classic
If you were a BlackBerry fan back in the company's heyday, you're going to love the BlackBerry Classic. It looks similar to older BlackBerry models, but features a sharp touchscreen and an excellent physical keyboard.
Price: $329
#18 Microsoft Lumia 950
If you must have a Windows phone, there's only one device to consider: Microsoft's Lumia 950. Although reviews were pretty bad, this phone does hold some promise for people who need Microsoft apps to do everything. It also has a really nice camera and can connect to a keyboard, mouse, and monitor and let you run a lightweight version of Windows.
Price: $489
#17 BlackBerry Priv
The BlackBerry Priv is a huge departure for BlackBerry. Instead of running BlackBerry's own operating system, the Priv runs Android. While it may look like a standard Android phone, the Priv actually has a slide-out keyboard. This could be a great device for those who want a physical keyboard but still have access to Google's apps and services that aren't available on other BlackBerry devices.
Price: $638
#16 Moto G
If you're looking for a decent Android phone at a rock-bottom price, you should check out the Moto G. It's not the most powerful phone, but it will be good enough for just about anything the average user can throw at it. And it's tough to beat that price tag.
Price: $177
#15 HTC One A9
It may look like an iPhone, but the HTC One A9 is totally different on the inside. The latest device from HTC sports a premium hardware design and minimal changes to Android. It's a great experience if you don't mind the fact that some may confuse it for an iPhone.
Price: $422
#14 HTC One M9
The HTC One M9 is the latest flagship phone from HTC. It has a nice, premium design, but it's nothing special other than that. It's also missing key premium features like a mobile payments system and fingerprint sensor.
Warning: We expect HTC to announce the One M10 sometime in April, so you might want to hold off getting the One M9 if you want HTC's latest and greatest.
Price: $424
#13 iPhone 6 Plus
The iPhone 6 Plus is still one of the best jumbo-sized phones you can buy today. And by buying last year's model, you can get nearly the same experience as the new iPhone 6s Plus while saving $100.
Price: $649
#12 iPhone 6
The iPhone 6 may be over a year old, but it's still a good option if you want to save some money on an iPhone. Plus, the iPhone 6 looks exactly like the iPhone 6s. No one will know you have last year's phone.
Price: $549
#11 OnePlus 2
The OnePlus 2 is an excellent choice if you're looking for a well-made phone with premium specs but don't want to spend too much. The device is made by a Chinese startup called OnePlus, and the only way to get one is by ordering through the company directly. But be patient. Supplies are extremely limited.
Price: $349
#10 Moto X Pure
The Moto X Pure Edition is one of the most surprising new phones to launch in the last year. It runs a nearly pure version of Android, although there are some Motorola-specific apps and features. (They're not intrusive at all though.)
Price: $350
#9 Samsung Galaxy Note 5
The Galaxy Note 5 is a killer big-screen phone. Like previous versions of the Note, it has a large, vibrant display and a stylus for taking notes. The new metal and glass design is great too.
Price: $560
#8 LG G5
LG's G5 smartphone has a gorgeous new all-metal design. It also has a removable bottom that lets you swap out a dead battery with a fresh one. The removable bottom can also be exchanged with "modules" that offer new functions, like a camera grip with a zoom dial and a shutter button for better control.
If that weren't enough, it's also got a dual-lens camera, which gives you unmatched versatility when it comes to taking pictures.
Price: About $650
#7 Samsung Galaxy S7
The Galaxy S7 sports the best camera we've seen on a smartphone, even beating the iPhone 6s Plus. It's also very powerful and it sports some great features, like water resistance and a MicroSD card slot for expandable storage.
You also get Samsung Pay, which works with almost any payment terminal in any store, which the iPhone's Apple Pay can't do.
Price: $640
#6 Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
The Galaxy S7 Edge has a bigger 5.5-inch display and larger battery than the regular Galaxy S7, while retaining the same features (water-resistance, a MicroSD card slot for expandable storage, and Samsung Pay).
Price: $747
#5 Nexus 5X
The Nexus 5X is one of Google's newest flagships, and it's one of the best phones you can buy today. The only true rivals it has are its big brother the Nexus 6p and the iPhone. If you don't want an iPhone and want to see the best of Android, then the Nexus 5X won't disappoint.
Price: $349
#4 Nexus 6P
The Nexus 6P is a slightly larger version of the new Nexus 5X. It's made by Huawei, a Chinese smartphone company with an excellent reputation for hardware. Like the 5X, you get timely updates straight from Google as soon as they're released, whereas other Android phones usually get updates several months later.
Price: $499
#3 iPhone SE
The iPhone SE with a 4-inch screen is the best small-form smartphone you can buy at the moment. You get all the best apps, ecosystem, support, and the same performance as the iPhone 6s for a relatively low $400 price tag.
It also comes with Apple Pay among other premium features, like Live Photos and a fingerprint sensor, not to mention the great battery life.
Price: $399
#2 iPhone 6S Plus
The new iPhone 6S Plus is the best of the big-screen phones. It may look the same as the previous model, but the new A9 chip inside makes the iPhone one of the most powerful smartphones you can buy.
It also has some new features like 3D Touch, which can detect how hard you press down on the screen and open up a new layer of controls for you apps. It also has an incredibly fast fingerprint sensor, as well as Live Photos, which captures a three second video with audio when you press the shutter button.
Price: $749
#1 iPhone 6S
The iPhone 6S is the best phone you can buy.
In addition to beautiful hardware, iPhone owners are guaranteed to always get the best apps first from third-party developers and reliable software updates with the latest and greatest features from Apple. No other device can offer that.
Price: $649
BONUS: The HTC One M10 could be announced in April.
HTC's next flagship phone, the One M10, is coming soon. (The phone you see here is the current M9.)
Rumors claim that HTC will finally add a fingerprint sensor to the One M10.
Surprisingly, we might see HTC's unique UltraPixel camera technology in the M10, too. Reports claim it'll be 12 UltraPixels compared to the One M8's 4-UltraPixel camera, which wasn't popular due to the lack of sharpness.
Expect to see the M10 in April.
