"best phone maker" and mentioning Sony and Samsung?! Well...

To me:

You want current hardware for a rather low price and quality and every update? Buy a Nexus.
You only want a cheap phone? Go with Lumia 520, Huwaii or the low-ends from Samsung.
You want a good camera? Buy an Apple or a digital camera for $80 which beats smartphones easily.
You want awesome build quality and value? Buy HTC or Apple.
You want good speakers? Buy HTC.

But Samsung prices drop faster than most people can think, so...

What a boring example ^^

Here :

Z1 is water resistant, not water proof. meaning its not recommended to take it down for a swin (even though it will most likely not do anything to the phone). the ZR is water proof, do what ever the hell you want with that baby.

I got a z1s from my work, not a big fan of it. Instering the Sim card is a pain. the predictive text is poor, and it's very comftorable to hold. I'd probably pick up an HTC again when it is time to get a new device.

LOL whats a sony phone look like?

You should take a look at their televisions, they're some of the best reviewed sets available, especially if you are a gamer. I bought their top-end set last year and I'm still blown away by the pictures it produces, so much so that my next television will definitely be a Sony set unless they drop the ball again. 

Apple is the best phone maker by a mile.

Samsung was the best phone maker?! Ehhhhhhhh.. No, not for me.

Have a look at the sample pictures. Its a hands down victory. This is at a hardware level.

Its definite.

Edit: This argument reminds me of when Xbox guys try and argue that the X1 possibly has better hardware than the PS4