The Sony Z1S is waterproof. Business Insider / Melia Robinson It's a new year, and we're on the cusp of another major smartphone release cycle.

In the meantime, we've already seen a few new phones come out like Sony's waterproof Z1S and LG's curved-screen G Flex. Here's a look at the best phones you can buy right now.

Note: We update this list approximately once a month. We skipped January because there weren't any major new smartphone launches. Our rankings are based on a variety of factors including design, software and hardware features, content selection, carrier availability, and price. We only consider phones that are on sale in the U.S. at the time of publication. You can see December's smartphone rankings here.