It's 2014 and your mobile is looking a little dated against the latest offerings on the market, so it's time to pick out a new smartphone.
Waterproof bodies, high definition displays, all metal frames and fingerprint scanning technology are all taking the mobile market by storm this year as manufacturers look to grab our attention.
Being just a few months into the year we're constantly on the lookout for the hottest handsets, bringing you all the latest on what to expect below.
Some top notch mobiles have already launched though, so if you simply cannot wait to get your hands on a new smartphone head over to page two where we give you a smorgasbord of reviews on 2014's best offerings so far.
2014's big hitters
: expect a bigger screen, health monitor and
: the first five star phone of the year is a stunner
: boasting super strong glass protection
: your eyes could well be in for quite a treat
iPhone 6
An invite to the iPhone 6 launch will be one of the hottest tickets of the year, and we expect Tim Cook to take the stage in San Francisco during September 2014.
What Apple actually has up its sleeve is a still a little bit of a mystery, but various rumors suggest we'll see two screen sizes from the Cupertino this year - both of which are said to be larger than the 4-inch offering on the 5S and 5C.
As rival handsets continue to get bigger, the iPhone is getting left behind so reports of 4.7-inch, and either a 5.5- or 5.7-inch, iPhone 6 aren't particularly difficult to believe.
Apple looks set to protect those supersized screen with the ultra-tough Sapphire Crystal glass, something which already features on the iPhone 5S, covering the rear camera and front fingerprint scanner.
There also seems to be some confusion around the successor to the 5C, with some saying the plastic clad phone will be canned, while others are saying the opposite as it points to Apple's new 'two tier' approach to affordability in the market.
The talk of a larger screen aside, one of the other key elements expected to headline on the iPhone 6 is an increased focused on health and fitness, with leaks pointing towards a new Healthbook application and a variety of new sensors hidden inside the handset.
LG G3
The G2 was the surprise hit of 2013, with the Korean firm putting itself back on the mobile map after the success of the Nexus 4 and Nexus 5 and we can't wait to see what the LG G3 has in store for us.
We're expecting to see the LG G3 arrive sometime between May and July and it's being tipped to sport a super high definition QHD display.
That would translate to a resolution of 1440 x 2560, a serious treat for your retinas - although we fear for the G3's battery life if this is the case. Then again, the brand is one of the very best at eking out more juice from the power pack, so if anyone can do it we'd punt for LG.
The G3 might join the likes of Apple and Samsung in the fingerprint scanning war, as the phone is tipped to sport the security tech, while under the hood you could well find Qualcomm's powerful Snapdragon 801 processor - or even the all new 805, given it will probably arrive later in the year.
Nexus 6
There are murmurings that Google may can its Nexus range of smartphones in favor of Google Editions, but that hasn't stopped talk of the Nexus 6.
When you see the Nexus logo splashed across a smartphone you can expect a relatively decent level of specs at a price which undercuts the high-flyers in the market.
LG has been responsible for the pervious two Nexus handsets, and it's the Korean firm which is currently favorite to produce the Nexus 6 - which could be based on the LG G3.
Expect the camera department to be dialed down a little, no microSD slot and a screen which isn't quite as cutting edge as the flagship competition, although we'd expect it to still be a full HD resolution.
Samsung Galaxy Note 4
While Samsung hasn't confirmed its next installment of its popular phablet series, we're all expecting it to launch the Galaxy Note 4 later this year.
Previous iterations have been shown the light of day at IFA in Berlin, which takes place in early September, and we'd put our money on the show being used by Samsung again for the Galaxy Note 4 launch.
There's currently not much information surrounding the Note 4 at the moment, but you can probably expect a larger screen (up from 5.7 inches on the Note 3), faster processor and a bumped up camera (possibly 20MP) to all be on board.
It may even inherit the waterproof body and heart rate monitor from the Galaxy S5.
