The HTC One M7 was the best smartphone I have ever used as of 2013 and I was hopeful that the HTC 10 would take that title in 2016. While I am extremely pleased with the hardware and audio experience, I'm not quite ready to award it that title.

Refined aluminum uni-body design; fit; and finish; Stunning headphone audio experience; Return of excellent HTC BoomSound speakers; Reliable and quick fingerprint scanner; Long battery life; Cool freestyle theme personalization

Rear camera not as good as the Galaxy S7; G5; or iPhone 6s; Cannot customize Quick Action shortcuts

Listen up: The HTC 10 is the best-sounding phone you can buy.

Gorgeous design; Clean Android and fun themes; Hi-Fi audio without the extra cost; Solid flagship specs; Fast fingerprint sensor

Average battery life; It's not water resistant

The HTC 10 is the best music phone on the market, and a strong performer all around. Its solid, all-metal body, quick performance, and fast fingerprint scanner make for an elegant experience. Aside from the audio quality, though, we still like the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge a bit better.

Awesome audio; Good-looking software; Fast performance; Attractive design

Expensive; Wi-Fi performance is a bit slow; Some camera focus issues in low light

A tale of all-round accomplishment, the HTC 10 is an Android device for smartphone purists

Stellar battery life; Lush aluminum design; Pristine screen

Low light photos can be iffy; No real innovations

4.6 out of 5 for Exposure; 4.5 out of 5 for White Balance accuracy; 4.3 out of 5 for Color shading in low light*; 4.5 out of 5 for Color shading in bright light*; 3.0 out of 5 for Color Rendering in low light; 4.5 out of 5 for Color Rendering in bright light;

Texture (bright light): 4.8 out of 5; Texture (low light): 4.0 out of 5; Noise (bright light): 4.2 out of 5; Noise (low light) 4.0 out of 5;

If you want a smartphone for the future, then don’t get the HTC 10. If you want a smartphone for right now, there are few better alternatives. Yes, this flagship is no box of tricks. Instead, it excels in the art of the familiar, with a pristine screen, ultra-powerful processor, a faultless take on Android and an elegant yet sturdy design. This stuff may be a marketer’s nightmare, but it’s really important when you’re stuck with a handset for two years or more. Especially now HTC’s flagship camera is broadly up to scratch again. So let’s go back to those headline innovations. Would you trade a two-day battery life for 3D Touch? Of course not. What about waterproofing? Nope. Maybe a wide-angle camera? Once more, no. And that, friends, is why the HTC 10 is a comeback story with a happy ending. Buy the HTC 10 here SIM free or on contract here

Stellar battery life; Lush aluminum design; Pristine screen;

Low light photos can be iffy; No real innovations;

If there's one thing the HTC 10 can do, it's deliver great sound. Its dual speakers, coupled with some fancy software technology, means your music and movies are going to sound fantastic. It also looks pretty damn good too -- a hard feat to pull off in a world filled with black slabs.

Get the HTC 10 if you want a phone that delivers great audio. For all your other needs, look elsewhere.

The HTC 10 has an elegantly chiseled design; brilliant audio quality and a highly customizable user interface.

The handset's non-removeable battery doesn't last as long as its competitors and its camera doesn't always render exposure correctly.

The HTC 10 is hands down the best phone HTC has ever made, and is quite honestly one of the most perfect devices on the market. Being almost perfect of course means there are still issues, but many are so minor you'll forget about them the second you actually start using the phone.

Best; Build; Ever, Top notch performance, Sound output balance and quality is incredible, High-res 24-bit audio and Apt-X support, Battery life is phenomenal, Sense UI is light yet feature rich, Fingerprint scanner is perfect

Refresh rate and color shifting issues on the display; Camera is so close to getting it right; but still not quite there

A return to form for HTC - the HTC 10 is a superb smartphone that really takes the fight to Samsung and LG It might have lost its focus last year, but with the HTC 10, HTC is back to its best.

Good build quality; Bright; sharp screen; Good colour balance; Excellent audio performance; Strong battery life; Good UI

Low light photos could be better