The iPhone 6 is a great device. It's also big, expensive and out of stock almost everywhere. Here's five alternatives for those not swept up by the hype
iPhone 6 is great - but it's costly and hard to come by. What else is out there?
The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus launched last week to a huge fanfare, selling more than 10m handsets in just a few days. But not everyone's been swept up by the Apple-hype.
Apple's new devices are big, expensive and out of stock almost everywhere - what's out there for those looking for an alternative? There are plenty of capable smartphones on the market - some of which are every bit as sexy as the iPhone.
Not to mention the other operating system options - if you're not sold on the whole Apple ecosystem, it's certainly worth giving Android or even Windows Phone a try.
So here's our round up of the best iPhone 6 alternatives in stores now, or launching soon.
If you're on a budget
Nokia Lumia 735
Nokia announced its new line of mid-range phones at this year's IFA tech show in Berlin. It's aimed squarely at the selfie-taking youth market, but under the hood it's a very capable Windows phone based handset that won't break the bank. The Lumia 735 hits shelves in early October.
4G
6.7MP main camera, 5MP "selfie" camera with wide angle lens
4.7" screen
Runs Windows Phone 8.1
Price: 219 Euro - about £175 off contract.
For photos and selfies
HTC Desire 820
The big announcements at IFA were all about phone cameras. While Nokia's Lumia 735 offers a great front-facing camera on a budget, it's blown out of the water by the overall performance of HTC's Desire 820.
It has a frankly ridiculous 8MP front facing camera and a 13MP main camera along with a whole suite of in-built apps for performing photo enhancements and adjustments on the go. On top of that, it comes with HTC's BoomSound speakers - which are loud without being tinny - a whopping 5.5" screen and runs Android's latest version, Kit Kat.
It'll even support the 64 bit version of the forthcoming Android L operating system when that comes out, meaning performance will actually improve. HTC say it'll be in stores this month.
4G
5.5" screen
13MP main camera, 8MP "selfie" camera
BoomSound speakers - what is?
64 bit (Once Android L comes out)
Comes with Android Kit Kat
Price: Around £300 off contract
For battery life
Sony Xperia Z3 Compact
Xperia Z3
The 'compact' version of Sony's forthcoming Z3 packs the same spec as its big brother into a smaller package - and comes out a lot cheaper. It's got a great low-light camera, a screen Sony claims is its brightest ever, and high definition audio.
But the big selling point for many is that Sony claims you'll get a full 2 days of use out of a single charge. It's also waterproof, so you can take those bath selfies with confidence. It's due out by the end of the month.
If you're looking for a cheaper option, Sony has slashed the price of the Z2 by $200 in the States. You can expect the same to happen over here shortly.
4G
5" 720p screen
2 day battery life
20.7MP camera, 2.2MP "selfie" camera
Runs Android Kit Kat
Price: £419.99 - most retailers offer a free handset on some contracts
For performance
HTC One M8
HTC
HTS One M8
The follow up to HTC's all conquering One needed to be something pretty special - and they pulled it off with style. It a blazing fast quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor and 2GB of RAM which makes the included Android Kit Kat operating system really fly.
And the 4MP 'Ultrapixel' duo camera may not have the high pixel density of rivals, but the possibility of adding blurred background effects, and the impressive low light performance more than make up for it.
Aside from the performance aspects, the M8 is a sexy phone. The precise, all-metal construction puts it as close to the finish quality of the iPhone 6 as any other smartphone is likely to get. The screen is bright and sharp, and it feels very expensive.
Price: From £457 sim free (from GiffGaff) - Available free from some networks on 2 year contract
The smaller Apple alternative
iPhone 5S
Apple.com
If you're wanting the iPhone experience without dropping a huge amount of cash on an iPhone 6, or committing to a lengthy and costly contact, why not try last year's models?
The iPhone 5S is still the lightest iPhone, and runs on Apple's A7 processor, which is still lightning fast on iOS 8.
It doesn't have the larger screens of the 6 range - but the iOS experience, huge range of Apps and solid camera functions make this still one of the best smartphones on the market.
If you want to go even cheaper, there's the iPhone 5C - but that's only available with 8GB of storage. It's worth getting the 5S if you can afford it.
4G
64 bit
4" Retina screen
8mp camera, 1.2mp "selfie" camera
Runs iOS 8
Price: 5S: £429, 5C £319. Both widely free on contract.
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