Our verdict on the best Android phones - constantly updated
There's one key way in which Android is massively different from its Apple-branded smartphone competition - the number of phones out there running Google's hot mobile OS.
Samsung makes loads of them. Sony Ericsson makes a few. Then you've got Android-powered phones from Acer, LG, Huawei and many others, while HTC releases more in a month than all the rest added together manage in a year.
The many variations in screen size, processor power, software features and design makes finding the best Android phone for you extremely tough.
Do you physically and emotionally need a QWERTY keyboard? Are you the sort of oddball who prefers the rough pressing needed to make resistive touchscreens work? Are you struggling to work out which are the best Android Widgets? Or even stuck wondering: 'Actually, what IS Android?'
To help find the best Android phone for you, we've rounded up the ten best Android handsets out there today, rating the phones on hardware performance, OS upgrade potential and, of course, how shiny and nice they are to have and boast about to work colleagues.
So here they are - the ten best Android phones money can buy today. For many, many different reasons.
10. Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini
It is indeed very mini, but Sony Ericsson has performed a tech miracle in squeezing a capable 1GHz processor into its tiny chassis. The Xperia Mini runs Android 2.3, enhanced significantly by the company's user interface, which adds lots of style and extra functionality to Google's on-fire mobile OS.
The email app with its resizing preview pane is as sexy as an email app is ever likely to get, the jiggling app drawer edit screen (with the ability to delete apps right from the listing) is very nice, plus you get themes, a cool power off animation and much, much more.
The screen's responsive, text appears sharp, the camera capable of producing good stills and passable 720p video footage. It does it all in an impressively condensed package.
Quick verdict:
Small, and very nearly, perfectly formed. If you can live with seeing the world through a small-ish 3" screen, it's a great, highly usable smartphone.
9. Samsung Galaxy Note
Samsung took screen size to a ridiculous new level with the Galaxy Note, offering us a huge 5.3" display that's by far the largest of any smartphone out there today.
You also get a stylus, which is pressure sensitive and comes with great handwriting recognition tools, plus dual cameras (8MP and 2MP) along with an LED flash around the back and rather decent image results.
As with all of Samsung's newest Android models the Note is a solid performer, running Android 2.3 impeccably, with the same TouchWiz interface we've seen on the likes of the Galaxy S II.
With the show running at a super-high 1280x800 resolution, it's a sharp-looking, smooth-running phone for those who don't want their style cramping.
Quick verdict:
A great mobile, as long as you're not easily embarrassed by whipping out something so comically huge in public.
8. Orange Monte Carlo
Orange stuck its logo on another ZTE-made phone in 2011, hoping to recreate the successes of the super-budget Orange San Francisco. And there are some reasons to upgrade to the £150 Monte Carlo, the most obvious being the larger screen.
ZTE's stuck a large 4.3" display in here, which runs at a decent 800x480 resolution. It's not as dazzling as the displays on similarly sized phones like the Xperia Arc, but it's still a big, solid screen considering the budget price.
Unfortunately the Android 2.3 OS has been modified by Orange, which has made it all... orange. But at least the network has added a nice gesture-based control system that works well, while the Monte Carlo also generally runs smoothly, powering web pages and apps well. Shame about the VGA video recording spec, though.
Quick verdict:
It doesn't have quite the same transformational appeal as the San Fran, but it delivers a lot of phone and punch for the money.
7. Motorola Razr
Motorola's newest flagship is by far its best Android offering so far, fusing a unique hardware design with a less obtrusive user interface skin.
In fact, Motorola's UI is actually quite fun to play with nowadays, coming with resizable widgets and its extremely clever Smart Actions automation system, which lets you set all sorts of time and location-aware rules up and running.
The phone is solidly made, and although impressively skinny, the odd, bulbous camera unit and extra-wide bezel make it feel chunkier in the handy than the likes of the Xperia Arc S and the older Galaxy S II. Still, if you like them a bit different, the Razr certainly stands out from the pack.
Quick verdict:
Impressively built, fast hardware with a great display, plus a well refined Motorola interface. Best current Moto mobile by miles.
6. HTC Desire S
Nearly two years ago the HTC Desire was the cutting-edge "superphone" of choice, now its enhanced sequel is an affordable mid-range option.
That's how fast things move in the Android world. But don't dismiss the Desire S because of its workmanlike approach. What you get here is a solid phone with a great 3.7" screen, powered by Android 2.3 and HTC's updated Sense 2.1 user interface. The result is a very slick and smooth experience.
The camera is sadly a weak point, though, offering the same blotchy 5 MP output as the original Desire. But apart from that, everything here's a little better than in last year's Desire. Which makes this a fantastic smartphone and a great entry to Android.
Quick verdict
A superb update of the HTC Desire. Slightly smaller and a little faster, it's a perfect gradual evolution of 2010's smash. Available on some very cheap contracts, too.
