The Windows Phone 8 platform has been around since 2012 and has since proven to be a viable alternative to the likes of iOS and Android. However, growth has been slow and only a handful of devices makers have so far supported the platform with new phones. Since the beginning of 2013, support has been coming solely from Nokia and we highly doubt this is something Microsoft was hoping for.

With only a few Windows Phone 8 devices out there, it's quite difficult to list a top 10 favorite, as many are just minor upgrades from another or minor downgrades. But that won't discourage us, instead, we will list the top 5 best Windows Phone 8 devices that commands some attention in this world ruled by iOS and Android.

5 - Nokia Lumia 520: This is the most affordable Windows Phone 8 device on the market, but don't take it for a slouch. The Lumia 520 is rocking a 4-inch capacitive touch display with IPS technology along with super sensitive touch. The processor inside is of the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual core variety, so things should perform relative well since the Windows Phone 8 platform is not resource hungry. There's also a 5-megapixel camera, and 8GB onboard storage that can be expanded up to 64GB with a MicroSD card.

No NFC here, which is the main disappointment of the Lumia 520.

4 - Nokia Lumia 720: Great looking smartphone from Nokia, the only budget Windows Phone 8 device from the Finnish giant that has high-end features. If you find yourself unable to afford one of those top of the line Windows Phone 8 devices with all those great features, then the Lumia 720 could be running right up your alley.

The device rocks a 4.3-inch display, same dual core processor as the Lumia 520, a 6.7-megapixel PureView camera that takes decent low-light images, 8GB of onboard memory and NFC support. The pixel density on the Lumia 720 is just 217 ppi, which is far from the best, but should be good enough since the device is for people on a budget.

3 - HTC 8X: The first and only HTC branded Windows Phone 8 device available right now, and it is also a design masterpiece. The device is slim, possibly the thinnest Windows Phone 8 handset on the market with a great build quality. The flood of Nokia Lumia devices have placed this handset in the shadows, but it deserves recognition.

The handset comes packed with a 4.3-inch display that is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 2, there's also a 1.5GHz dual core Snapdragon processor onboard for swift performance. There's no microSD card slot to be had here, however, internal storage is at a decent 16GB and RAM is a whopping 1GB. For those who are interested, the HTC 8X has an 8-megapixel camera at the back and NFC support.

2 - Nokia Lumia 920: Right here we have the first Windows Phone 8 device from Nokia, a smartphone that came packed with a lot of bells and whistles. It's the first handset to come with touch screen that can be used with a glove, and the first handset to take great images in the low-light. The device came rocking with an 8.7-megapixel camera, 32GB onboard storage, 4.5-inch display, NFC support, wireless charging built in and 1GB of RAM.

The biggest downside of the Nokia Lumia 920 had much to with its thickness. The built in wireless charging and the PureView camera caused for this problem, still, the device went on to perform fairly well.

1 - Nokia Lumia 928: The first high-end Windows Phone 8 device to grace Verizon Wireless and it is the best of them all. The Lumia 928 is an improvement of the Lumia 920 in many key areas, with the most important being the thickness and weight. The device has the same 8.7-megapixel PureView camera as the Lumia 920, but instead of LED flash, it comes with Xenon. The display is AMOLED instead of LCD, and wireless charging is still built in. It's a great looking handset, it is what the Lumia 920 should have been and we only had wished Nokia would have realized this from the beginning.