Best smartphones of 2013: the iPhone 5s, Motorola Moto G, and more than one Nokia

Our roundup of the best tech of 2013 continues with the best smartphones...

David Phelan
Thursday 19 December 2013 12:33 GMT
Google's Nexus 5 - a premium smartphone for just £300.
Google's Nexus 5 - a premium smartphone for just £300.

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Looking over this year's smartphones the accolades for the most powerful, fastest and coolest go to Apple for its iPhone 5s – arguably the best smartphone yet built - although it is perhaps a shame that the Apple did not reach for a lower price point with the 5c, instead choosing to simply repackage the 4s in eye-catching plastic.

Moving away from Apple's offerings, the best value handsets undoubtedly came from Google. At the lower end is the Motorola Moto G; starting at £135 without contract it's a phone that offers tremendous capabilities including a high-resolution display to a good camera and powerful processor.

For around £150 more you can get the Nexus 5, with a 5-inch 1080p screen, a 2.3GHz processor and 2GB of RAM. Google still took some flack for not offering expandable storage on top of the 16GB/32GB memory options, but at £300, the price is certainly right.

Away from the Google vs Apple fracas Samsung continue to produce phablets, with the Galaxy Note 3 arriving this year: a 5.9in-screened phone/tablet hybrid that is blazingly fast and big enough to make you feel you can do without a tablet.

Other stand out devices include Nokia’s Lumia 1020 (its 41MP camera remains a stunning choice for anyone who likes taking photos) and the company's Asha 503 (it's £80 and you don't get many apps, but with a tough case and a battery that lasts weeks, you have other features to crow about).

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