In the ever-changing mobile market, it can be hard to keep pace with the latest mobile phones. That's why we've put together this hub for our latest mobile phone reviews: to give you the ideal jumping-on point for choosing the best handset for you out of the most current models around.
We cover a plethora of brands, including Apple, HTC, Nokia, Palm and Blackberry, and operating systems, such as Android, iOS and Windows Phone 7, so you should find something that piques your interest here.
In short, if you're seeking a mobile phone, this is a great place to start.
HTC Wildfire S
The first Wildfire from HTC spread almost like its moniker, so popular did its blend of HTC Sense, durable form factor and affordable pricing prove. Now that it's burnt out, however, it needs a successor to carry the torch. Rising from the ashes is the Wildfire S.
The handset carries on the legacy well enough, with an impressively solid chassis, great social features and responsive touchscreen. The market's changed since the first Wildfire blazed its trail into history, though. With dual-core 'superphones' to contend with, it's hard to consider a 600Mhz processor hot stuff.
And while HTC's Sense interface proves as compelling as ever, the lack of grunt means missing out on Flash support for iPlayer and the like.
All that wouldn't matter if the Wildfire S only required liberating a token sum from your account, but you'll need a fair few sheets burning a hole in your pocket (around £220 SIM-free, or £15 a month) to lay claim to this little fella.
In the highly competitive market of 2011, that makes the Wildfire S a tricky proposition. Beginners will be well-served by the Wildfire S's rounded package, but you can certainly get a lot more for not much extra cash.
HTC Wildfire S review • HTC Wildfire S deals
Samsung Galaxy S2
It's rare that a direct sequel to something awesome – be it film, game or hardware – is anything other than a disappointment.
Rarer still is when the second instalment surpasses the original. We can think of just a scant handful of cases off the top of our heads: The Empire Strikes Back, Terminator 2 and Left 4 Dead 2.
Well, add the Galaxy S2 to that list, because this phone is awesome.
Thin, light and with an amazingly clear 4.3-inch Super AMOLED plus screen behind its toughened Gorilla Glass front panel, this is one handset you won't be pocketing in shame when your mates pass by.
In fact, we suspect you'll be evangelising about it to anyone who'll listen. That's because the dual-core processor within its tiny shell isn't just a marketing bullet point, but rather powers an experience that we're nothing short of effervescent about. For instance, web browsing is blisteringly fast and the Galaxy S2's Flash support is second to none.
We're thrilled to say that the plus points are just too numerous to do justice of here. Check out the full review to find out why this is one of the best smartphones we're likely to see in 2011.
Samsung Galaxy S2 review •
Samsung Galaxy S2 deals
LG Optimus Black
The LG Optimus Black has some great things going for it – a sleek, lightweight chassis and lush 4-inch NOVA display in all its colourful glory. It might not have much more than that but it's a slick, capable handset that does well in the core smartphone media categories.
If you like gimmicks, you'll probably love the Gesture UI, though we thought many of the options – such as tapping to skip music tracks – were a little pointless when you really got down to it.
Overall though, and despite running Android 2.2 (with an upgrade promised at some point), we'd say the LG Optimus Black's worth the money if you're looking for an efficient, easy to use device that's easy on the eye and light on the pocket coming in at a very palatable £20-£25 per month.
LG Optimus Black review • LG Optimus Black deals
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play
PlayStation. Phone. The jury's still out on whether the two will go together quite as well as such classic double acts as Chas and Dave - but, at least in this iteration, it's turned out to be a damper squib than the time we believed Back to the Future would turn out to be real by the time 2011 rolled around. It features a four-inch screen, slide-out gaming controls and the PlayStation Suite.
With the PSOne-era games that are on offer, we were hoping for a little bit more raw power considering the 1GHz processor chugging away under the hood. While Final Fantasy VII might be a bit much to delve into on the bus, we can only imagine games like the original Rayman keeping people going for a few minutes.
Much of what ails the Xperia Play could be fixed with time and care. As it stands, however, we reckon you could do better for your money.
The Xperia Play is too pricey for casual gaming, while we'd suggest serious gamers would be better served by picking up a full-on mobile console. Sony fans have the NGP to look forward too, and we'd seriously recommend the 3DS as an alternative.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play review • Sony Xperia Play deals
Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc
Could Sony Ericsson finally be about to deliver on the promise of, well, every smartphone it's ever made that wasn't quite good enough? Maybe it was stupid to hope, but we did anyway.
An attractive design with a curved back that's just 8.7mm thick in the middle? Check. Impressive new Exmor camera technology? Check. Good spec list, including HDMI output? Check. Superb video player? Check.
The hardware is extremely impressive, both in terms of looks and performance. Forget the fashionable dual-core phones – when done right, a single-core 1GHz processor can do it all, although busy, dynamic websites will cause the phone to chug a little.
As it is, we're prepared to overlook the Xperia Arc's few minor flaws (small buttons, odd text entry) thanks to its stunning good looks, superb screen and very decent photo performance. You can't help but love it once you've held its magically thin body and gazed adoringly into its dazzling Reality Display.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc review • Sony Xperia Arc deals
HTC Desire S
Though the HTC Desire's technology is now being surpassed, it's aged beautifully thanks to some timely price drops. However, all things must come to an end (or at least be supplanted by something new). The HTC Desire S has arrived to take over from its predecessor in the Android race.
In many ways, it's quite similar. We'll still be looking at a 3.7-inch 480 x 800 screen, Android overlaid with HTC's Sense UI and a 1GHz processor. However, HTC hasn't totally rested on its laurels.
The design and build of the handset is excellent, save for a slight Wi-Fi cutting-out issue. The camera is good quality, producing serviceable still and HD video that would be quite good if it weren't for a small stuttering issue.
Call quality was excellent, with voices coming through crisp and clear, and it's a shame how little we get to say that about handsets these days.
The browsing experience was generally strong, with the speed that web pages load still impressing us, and Flash is taking yet more steps forward in its 10.2 guise. It was still finicky at times, but when it did work, it was fairly smooth, which is more than we could say for many Flash 10.1 single-core phones.
However, the reason the Desire has kept up with everything that's come after is because it was so far ahead in the first place. The Desire S isn't. It's a great phone, and one we would wholeheartedly recommend in a vacuum.
The HTC Desire led the revolution, but the Desire S could be just another member of the rabble.
HTC Desire S review • HTC Desire S deals
INQ Cloud Touch
The Facebook phone. Well, no, it isn't. Nothing is really, but it is the new mobile phone to try to take the title.
It's an Android 2.2 phone with an overlay created in conjunction with the social network. We found that it certainly felt like a budget phone – but it's supposed to, and it wears the moniker with pride.
Those looking for one of those new and fandangled 'Facebook Phones' should definitely take a good, hard look at the Cloud Touch - while technically it's nowhere near as gifted as some of the competition, the overlay and thought process gone into INQ's customisation is something we're already big fans of, and it's only going to get better.
INQ Cloud Touch review • INQ Cloud Touch prices
HTC Sensation
The HTC Sensation is meant to be the new alpha smartphone from the Taiwanese firm, and it certainly lives up to expectations.
With a 1.2GHz dual core processor from Qualcomm and a whopping 4.3-inch high-res qHD screen, this is the phone with best specs yet from HTC, plus it's the first smartphone with the new HTC Watch movie download service.
Is it better than the Samsung Galaxy S2? We think it's just a shade behind thanks to a slightly larger chassis and less advanced screen technology, but that's going to be a debate that rumbles on and on.
HTC Sensation review • HTC Sensation deals
HTC Incredible S
Incredible by name and only slightly less so by nature, this phone is HTC's entry into the underpopulated 4-inch touchscreen arena. In fact, it's among the first UK handsets to fill that niche, but more are on the horizon.
It's blessed with HTC's slick Sense UI and a high-quality screen, but is this latest mobile phone's foibles enough to warrant waiting for its incoming competitors, or the HTC Desire S?
HTC Incredible S review • HTC Incredible S prices
Samsung Galaxy Ace
With a middle-of-the-range spec, 800MHz processor and iPhone-aping looks, it may be hard to see why it's worth buying into the new Galaxy Ace. However, its Android 2.2 (Froyo) OS makes a considerable difference and is, in fact, this phone's ace (yes! We said it) in the hole.
It won't cost you the Earth either, so look deeper and you may find just what you were looking for.
Samsung Galaxy Ace review • Samsung Galaxy Ace prices
Motorola Atrix
Smartphones have long been encroaching on the computing market, but the Atrix is annexing new turf. How? By including a built-in desktop OS and the ability to turn your phone into a so-called webtop computer.
What's more, the dual-core 1GHz processor and 1GB of RAM that come stuffed into the Atrix should mean a blisteringly fast smartphone experience too. Follow the link to find out more about the Atrix's brand of magic.
Motorola Atrix review • Motorola Atrix prices
LG Optimus 2X
A dual-core Tegra 2 processor, Android 2.2 and 1080p video recording from an eight-megapixel camera should all combine to make the LG Optimus 2X a potential powerhouse, especially for video.
But how does this 4-inch WVGA-screened monolith really perform, and can it invalidate all that's come before? Our early review with the pre-release software might still have some questions unanswered, but early signs show this dual-core wonder might lack the grunt we were all hoping for.
LG Optimus 2X review • LG Optimus 2X prices
Samsung Galaxy Mini
Samsung loves a budget phone, and more to the point, it loves spewing out loads of them on Android. Not content with the
Galaxy Ace, it's also brought the Galaxy Mini, Fit and Gio to the party, complete with budget stylings.
The Galaxy Mini suffers slightly from a low-grade processor - it may be only a smidge over £100 on PAYG, but the juddering might irritiate a few, and the screen is a low-res affair to boot.
However it's small and pocketable and a great starting point for a first tome smartphone buyer that wants to learn the Android system before moving up to something with a little higher-spec - plus it's running the latest version of the Google OS too.
09:19
Waseem
