RANKED: The Best Smartphones In The World

We're now almost finished with the big smartphone release cycle leading into the holiday season.

If you've been holding out for a new smartphone all year, now is a good time to buy. We likely won't see any more splashy smartphone launches until 2015.

Note: We update this list approximately once a month. Our rankings are based on a variety of factors including design, software and hardware features, content selection, carrier availability, and price. We only consider phones that are available in the U.S. at the time of publication. We list approximate prices for what phones cost without a contract. Prices vary from carrier to carrier and retailer to retailer. You can see September's smartphone rankings here.