Despite being almost a year old, the game-changing HTC One smartphone continues to impress the world of technology, prompting ZDNet's Matthew Miller to name the device the top smartphone of 2013.

Mr Miller, who made his top 10 smartphones list in November for the holiday season, noted that as he was making this new list, changed his opinion about some phone ranked lower in previous listing after prolonged used.

In picking HTC One, Mr Miller pointed to its fantastic hardware. He said the Taiwanese maker did a great job updating the OS to the latest as well as updating its Sense UI which can be picked up in various colours and priced reasonably for as low s $50 with contract. He added there are rumours that a next-gen HTC One will launch in early 2014.

YouTube/PhoneDog

Here are his other top picks.

  • Moto X - He considers it the iPhone of the Android world because Motorola showed "an unprecedented ability to update it to the latest Android OS within weeks of launch." Mr Miller noted this phone moved up from lower ranks in past lists to 2nd place because of its in-hand feel, high-quality construction, excellent custom Motorola functions, personalisation options and reasonable price for an unlocked device.
  • Apple iPhone 5S - The best iPhone released to date because of its improved processor, camera and fingerprint-enabled Touch ID.
  • Google Nexus 5 - Mr Miller noted that this device sold out quickly as soon as it appeared on Halloween. He attributed the fast sales to its latest and greatest internal specs such as the Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB RAM, 8 megapixel camera with optical image stabilisation and Qi wireless charging.

YouTube/CNET

  • Samsung Galaxy Note 3 - The writer considers this gadget an incredible device for the road warrior with its large replaceable battery, expandable storage and screen that functions like a small tablet. However, it is too large for regular use, but great for S Pen users.
  • Nokia Lumia 1020 - Is considered the top Windows Phone device because of its camera and higher memory.
  • Samsung Galaxy S4 - The millions who purchased the device is proof that it deserves to be on the Top 10 lust, plus the phone has excellent hardware, while the South Korean tech giant pushed the limit on its software.
  • LG G2 - Mr Miller cited the phone's minimal side bezel, long battery life and solid camera experience as among the reasons why the LG G2 is on the list.

YouTube/LGMobileHQ

  • Motorola Droid Maxx - Is an outstanding phone because of its large internal 3,500 mAh capacity battery that goes beyond a day of heavy usage. It also features great Motorola software functions on a large display.
  • BlackBerry Z30 - Despite the financial standing of its maker shaky, the Canadian firm's BlackBerry 10 OS is very useful for communications and Mr Miller found its OS to be user friendly and enjoyable, with the best piece of hardware found in the Z30 because of its larger 5-inch screen, long battery life, dual speakers and multiple microphones.
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