Updated: Best business smartphones: top handsets for work

Email heroes and all-round greatness

Once upon a time there was only one firm on the lips of any business' IT team when it came to company phones – BlackBerry.

A lot has changed since then and BlackBerry's fortunes have taken a turn, leaving the door open for rivals to court the enterprise business.

The rest of the pack is hot on its heels, if not already overtaking, with Apple, Samsung, Nokia, HTC and co. all vying for a piece of the business pie.

This is great for any potential business buyer, as you now have a wide choice of handsets to choose from, allowing you to select the best phones for your company's requirements.

In no particular order, here are the top smartphones for business use and business users:

BlackBerry Passport: email heroes

BlackBerry Passport

There's a new BlackBerry on the block and the oddly named - and shaped - Passport provides a large screen and stretched full QWERTY keyboard for rapid fire text input.

BlackBerry has always been at the forefront of email on go, with its excellent physical keyboard now backed up by the impressive messaging handling of the BlackBerry 10 operating system.

The big advantage with the BlackBerry Passport is the firm's excellent support for business users.

IT departments can take control of the handset using BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 (BES 10), with security provided by BlackBerry itself ensuring all your emails and messages are fully encrypted.

Meanwhile BlackBerry Balance keeps your work and personal profiles separate on the handset, allowing work to control the business side while you have full control over the personal side.

Also consider:

BlackBerry Classic

HTC One M8: all-round greatness

HTC One M8

It's no accident the HTC One M8 still sits proudly at the top of our best phones in the world ranking after almost a year since its launch.

If you're looking for the best all-round Android phone your search is over. The premium metal body goes head to head with Apple's iPhone fleet, while the power under the hood can handle pretty much anything.

You'll be able to comfortably get through a whole day on a single charge, and HTC's ultra power saving mode keeps you connected to calls, texts and emails while extended the phone's life beyond that one day.

The 5-inch full HD display makes everything from emails to videos look great, and the inclusion of a microSD slot allows for handy additional storage.

The One M8 is HTCpro certified, which adds additional encryption and mobile device management tools to the handset especially for enterprise customers.

Also consider:

iPhone 6

Big picture thinking and Microsoft maestros

Samsung Galaxy Note 4: big picture thinking

Samsung Galaxy Note 4

Multi-tasking is part of the parcel of business these days and what better phone to handle this than the Galaxy Note 4 with its stunning QHD (better than full HD) 5.

7-inch display, S Pen stylus and serious power inside.

Strong battery life and expandable memory have always been key Galaxy Note features, but you can now add a more premium design to that list.

A metal frame runs round the circumference of the handset, and while the rear is still plastic it's a big step forward for Samsung and it's a welcome addition.

The S Pen has been given a boost with greater accuracy, making handwriting and multi-tasking even easier. Snap two apps side by side on screen if you want to up your efficiency even more.

Supersized smartphones are all the rage these days, even Apple has one, and if the Cupertino firm's styling and iOS heritage appeals to your business then check out the excellent 6 Plus.

Also consider:

iPhone 6 Plus

Nokia Lumia 1520: Microsoft maestros

Nokia Lumia 1520

If your business is already heavily invested in Microsoft's ecosystem when it comes to computing the natural progression to the pocket is a W indows Phone.

The Nokia Lumia 1520 packs in plenty of power, a full HD 6-inch display and high performing 20MP camera.

Add to that Microsoft's suite of Office applications which sync wirelessly to your phone and it's like you never left your desk with Outlook handling your mail and Word, Excel, OneNote and PowerPoint always at your fingertips.

There's little needed in the way of training, as the Windows Phone 8.1 interface is incredibly intuitive and now sports more features commonly found in iOS and Android for a stronger smartphone showing.

Also consider:

Nokia Lumia 930