1. IPHONE X

Simply the best smartphone you can buy today

SPECIFICATIONS

Weight: 174g Dimensions: 143.6 x 70.9 x 7.7mm OS: iOS11 Screen size: 5.8-inches Resolution: 1125 x 2436 pixels CPU: Apple A11Bionic RAM: 3GB Storage: 64/256GB Battery: 2716mAh Rear camera: Dual 12MP Front camera: 7 MP f/2.2

REASONS TO BUY

+Incredibly desirable

+Future of the iPhone

REASONS TO AVOID

-Gestures take getting used to

-Fragile

Is the iPhone X the best phone this year? Yes. But only by a whisker. The Samsung Galaxy S9 is so close (especially if you prefer Android), while Apple’s own iPhone 8 Plus gives you so much of the iPhone X technology without the extra cost. In the end though, it's the ultra-desirability of the iPhone X that wins it.

The first thing that strikes you about the design is, obviously, the 5.8-inch AMOLED screen. It's certainly true that the edge-to-edge screen looks absolutely stunning, both from a design perspective and from a technology viewpoint.

Of course, there's also the top 'notch'. This does intrude on the screen slightly, especially when you want to be fully immersed in something, but call me crazy – I kind of like it. It gives the phone a visual identity.

Aside from the screen you've got Apple's blazing fast A11 Bionic processor, fantastic dual camera with portrait lighting mode, and FaceID (which actually works very well).

It’s the marriage of software and hardware, something that Apple's always been good at, that’s so effective here and that’s especially the case when it comes to Face ID.

Read: iPhone X review

Of course, we have to mention the price. The iPhone X costs a considerable £999, making it the most expensive iPhone to date.

We'll start by saying this, if you think that's too much money then the iPhone X isn't for you. Is it worth £999? Well, it's complicated. Just like a Louis Vuitton Bag, there are more affordable alternatives that do exactly the same job, but it's all about prestige and branding.

Apple has slowly been morphing into a luxury goods company for a while now, and the iPhone X is another step in that direction. It's essentially a luxury item from a designer brand, so I feel it charging £999 is somehow more justified than Samsung charging £850 for the Note 8.

Basically, it's the refresh the iPhone needed, and Apple has succeeded in creating an incredibly desirable package. It's the best smartphone you can buy.