The top 10 smartphones for 2011

Don’t upgrade without reading our rundown of this year’s 10 hottest smartphones.

By James Sherwood - 11/05/2011 print

Choosing a new smartphone isn’t a decision to be taken lightly. You need a model that’s hip, has the latest features, looks good and, of course, won’t be made obsolete just a few months later.

Our rundown of 2011’s top 10 smartphones is just that - a compendium of this year’s greatest smartphones, each offering the very latest in features, styling and more.

Apple iPhone 5

The Apple iPhone 5 is widely expected to be one of the hottest smartphones of 2011. Rumours circulating in online forums and blogs suggest that the device could feature:

Super-fast 4G mobile internet
Wireless “Near Field Communications” technology - read our guide to NFC
Greater storage capacity than the iPhone 4
A slimmer or sleeker body

It’s thought Apple could announce the iPhone 5 in June 2011, with the smartphone then going on sale in the UK either instantly or roughly one month later.

Read the iPhone 5 preview.

Compare Apple iPhone 5 deals.

HTC Incredible S

With HTC churning out smartphones left, right and centre nowadays, picking between the various models can be tricky.

But the Incredible S is truly HTC’s best smartphone to date, offering a big screen for comfortable web browsing, a powerful camera and enough features to satisfy even the most discerning smartphone buyer.

The phone also includes a “dual-core” processor so that you can do more things at once, such as video streaming and web browsing, and playing high-resolution videogames.

Read the HTC Incredible S review.

Compare HTC Incredible S prices.

HTC ChaCha

Love Facebook? Then you’ll love HTC’s ChaCha because it features a unique button for uploading content directly onto the social networking website.

Say you’ve just taken a photograph, for example. Simply press ChaCha’s Facebook button while you’re looking at the image and it’ll magically appear on your Facebook wall within seconds.

ChaCha also has a physical keypad - handy for quickly tapping out status updates, and all the normal features you’d expect of a cutting-edge smartphone.

Read our guide to Facebook phones.

Compare HTC ChaCha deals.

LG Optimus 3D

Forget trudging down to the cinema to enjoy a 3D film, because with the LG Optimus 3D you can enjoy immersive glasses-free 3D films while travelling on the bus or train.

The smartphone’s powerful “dual-core” processor will ensure that videos are displayed flawlessly on its big 4.3in touchscreen, while also letting you multi-task apps and games in the background.

Samsung Galaxy S II

Nobody likes being called thick, least of all smartphones, so the Samsung Galaxy S II is a catwalk competent 8mm from front to back - roughly the thickness of a Biro.

The phone’s also packed with features, including a 4.3in touchscreen with “AMOLED” technology that ensures pictures and videos are displayed with dizzying clarity.

Read a preview of the Samsung Galaxy S II.

Compare Samsung Galaxy S II deals.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play

If you’re an avid gamer you no longer have an excuse not to play your opponents in your favourite videogames, because the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play lets you enjoy PlayStation quality videogames - including Assassin’s Creed and Guitar Hero - wherever you are.

The smartphone also has a PlayStation style slide-out keypad and runs on the latest “Gingerbread” version of Google’s Android operating system.

Read our guide to the top gaming smartphones.

Compare Sony Ericsson Xperia Play offers.

BlackBerry Bold 9900

2011 looks set to be the year that physical cash payments become less popular, thanks to phones like the that let you pay for things like takeaway coffee and train tickets simply by swiping the phone against a special electronic reader.

The phone’s mobile wallet technology, known as “Near Field Communications”, will also ensure that your Bold 9900 stays ahead of the game for longer than the average mobile phone.

Compare BlackBerry 9900 deals.

Nokia E6

Some say touchscreens are making keypads a thing of the past, but if you appreciate the benefits of both smartphone features then you’ll love the because it has both.

The Nokia E6 integrates a BlackBerry-esque keypad with a well-proportioned 2.4in touchscreen, ensuring you can tap out emails quickly and surf the internet with ease, using only your fingertips.

COmpare Nokia E6 prices and packages.

HTC Evo 3D

HTC is one of the hottest names in smartphones right now and if you demand nothing but the best, you can’t get much better than the manufacturer’s smartphone - a rival to LG’s Optimus 3D.

The Evo 3D has several advantages over the Optimus 3D. For example, the HTC smartphone has a higher resolution 960x540 pixel screen - meaning your 3D content will look more spectacular than ever.

Evo 3D should also cope slightly better when you’re hopping between playing videogames and checking emails or downloading apps, since HTC’s equipped the phone with a more powerful processor than LG’s Optimus 3D.

Read our HTC Evo 3D Vs LG Optimus 3D guide.

Compare HTC Evo 3D deals.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro

Facebook is the world’s most popular social networking site right now - and probably will be for the rest of 2011 and beyond, so make the most of it by buying a smartphone that offers more Facebook features than most.

Xperia Mini Pro’s “Facebook inside Xperia” functionality makes the website accessible from frequently used areas of the phone, such as the photo gallery and calendar. For example, you can tag your mates directly from the phone’s photo gallery and integrate Facebook events - such as friends’ birthdays - into the phone’s calendar.

Compare Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro deals.

Top Orange mobile phone deals and packages

Galaxy S2(black) £0.00	100 min Unlimited texts	£20.50
Galaxy S3(blue) £0.00	400 min Unlimited texts	£31.00
One X(black) £0.00	600 min Unlimited texts	£28.50