Worldwide, the sales of smartphones continued to increase in 2014, while the sales of feature phones declined. The bestseller was Samsung, with Apple in second place. The biggest surprise of 2014 was, however, the rise of made-in-China smartphones (Huawei, Xiaomi and OnePlus One). Designed for emerging markets, they managed to pack all the power associated with smartphones in low cost devices.

Here are, in alphabetical order, 10 smartphones that were on almost every tech reviewer’s best of 2014 list:

• Apple iPhone 6 Plus is the biggest and best iPhone yet.
• Google Nexus 5 has been called a very desirable phone at a low price.
• HTC One M8 is a favourite with many.
• Huawei Ascend Mate has impressed reviewers with its long battery life and good value for money.
• LG G3 is, by general consensus, another winner from LG.
• Motorola Moto X (2014) has excellent features and a reasonable price. Plus, it is highly customisable.
• OnePlus One has been given a flattering title of the new king of the budget flagships smartphones.
• Samsung Galaxy S5 is, according to several reviewers, the most feature-packed smartphone on the planet, and as such the best smartphone money can buy.
• Sony Xperia Z3 and Z3 Compact are both right up there among the best.
• Xiaomi smartphones have broken sales records in all the countries where they are available (China, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, India).

Reviewers agree that while 2014 was not groundbreaking in the smartphones technology field, it did see the emergence of many good devices. Besides the 10 listed here, Nokia Lumia range deserves a mention for good tasste, and BlackBerry Passport for its unique and distinct personality.