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Talk to friends, try their phones and read multiple reviews in order to make an educated decision. Salespeople within a physical store can also be helpful, but it's wise to consider them as another source of information among many as they are salespeople and have sales incentives to drive their recommendations.

You've heard about them, so here's why people love them.

• The operating system used by iPhones, iOS, is regarded as having the most intuitive user interface (UI). As such, many new users find it to be a great gateway in to the smartphone world.
• iPhones tend to have fantastic cameras when compared to the rest of the market.

• Apple controls the iPhone ecosystem, from hardware to software, to buying video, apps and games. The set up, synchronisation and massive App Store are all very easy for a new user to learn how to navigate. Power users on the other hand can find limitations with Apple's tight ecosystem.

Additionally, iOS also boasts the largest selection of applications 'apps' and games to choose from. The Apple App store is currently the largest software store in the world with the largest selection of products to choose from. Check out our Apple iPhone plans and deals.

Android is an open-source OS from Google that offers a lot more freedom to its manufacturing partners and its users. As a result, Android is now the most used smartphone operating system in the world.

You'll see the Google Android Operating system available on phones from Samsung, HTC, Sony, LG and many more.

Updates to the Android OS usually take months to reach devices, if they ever come at all.

This is because each device has different hardware, a different manufacturer-designed UI and is usually on a different network carrier. Not only does Google have to design the update in a way that will work on as many devices as possible, each manufacturer then has to make it work with their own devices. Telcos then need to test these updates to be sure they operate well on their networks.

Windows Phone (WP) is the newest of the top mobile operating systems. Its stylish and unique interface has been one of the major reasons for its success. Like Android, WP is an OS that is supported by multiple manufacturers, predominantly Nokia. Unlike Android, however, each manufacturer is required to stick to a strict set of software and hardware guidelines.

Manufacturers are also not allowed to create their own UI skins. This means that many WP devices ends up looking very similar at first glance. Fortunately, the lack of design freedom with the UI has led to many Windows Phones handsets sporting bright and unique designs.

In truth, the differences in performance between WP devices is minimal, thanks to the efficient design of the system. Screen size, screen type and processing power are good indicators of which model you should be looking at. External design and camera quality are also key factors.

Microsoft Office is one of the key differentiators for the Windows Phone platform — a must-have for business users. There has also been special attention paid to the photography abilities in Windows Phone devices. Each device has a dedicated camera button to make taking photos as quick and easy as possible.