The 6 worst phones for developing faults in the first year, according to Which? survey

When choosing on which mobile phone you are going to pick up next, a lot of factors will go into the decision making process. However, among the highest priority is probably the reliability of the handheld. 

After all, you don’t want to fork out for a new phone (or sign up for a new contract deal) only to find that your device breaks down after a year or two. Which? pulled together a survey based on the ownership of over 15,000 smartphones purchased in the last seven years, reveals which phone brands develop the most faults and how quickly these can happen.

Samsung, Apple and Google are the most popular brands on the market, but they are middle of the road among their competitors for the number of faults they develop, with around 1 in 10 developing in six years. However, only 9% of faults affect smartphones overall within three years of owning one, so there's not too much to worry about when it comes to a phone's hardware if you want to keep it for longer.

But which popular brands are the worst for developing faults? See the six with the highest likelihood of developing a fault after just 12 years in the gallery below.