Our constantly updated list of the best mobile phones on the planet
We've all got at least one mobile phone each, right? The trouble is, how do you decide which is the best phone for you?
Hopefully, TechRadar's extensive phone reviews section can help you with that. But if you're still stumped, you've come to the right place. Because here we have a constantly-updated list of the best mobile phones on the planet.
Whether you're after the best budget music phone or a high-end smartphone, the best ones are all here. And we've got in-depth reviews of all of them.
Here are our rankings for the best mobile phones in the world...
15. Nokia 6700 Classic
While the more meaty smartphones are dominating at the sharp end of the top 15, spare a thought for the excellent midrange handsets currently available.
The Nokia 6700 Classic may not be as feature-laden as the HTC Desire, but it's a brilliant candybar phone that may just surprise you.
While there are a few minor omissions in the handset, Nokia has largely included things that you actually need in a phone of this calibre (such as a decent camera and speedy internet browser), although a little more home-screen customisation would have been nice.
For the person who wants a decent phone at a reasonable price, and one that he or she can pull out without fear of it looking like the mobile equivalent of a woolly mammoth in three months time, they should seriously take a good hard look at the Nokia 6700 Classic.
Read: Nokia 6700 Classic review
If you like the Nokia 6700 Classic, you might also like:
| - Sony Ericsson Aino - | ------- INQ Mini 3G ------ | ----- Nokia 6303 ----- |
See all Nokia6700 Classic deals:
All deals | Pay monthly | Pay as you Go | SIM free
14. Samsung Genio Slide
Samsung has fused elements of both the Genio Touch and the Genio QWERTY to come up with a hybrid device – the Genio Slide.
Unlike its predecessors, the Genio Slide is a 3G-enabled handset, with high-speed HSDPA mobile data support (up to 7.2Mbps) and Wi-Fi connectivity built in.
It also has A-GPS satellite-based location finding onboard.
Pitched at the youth market, the Samsung Genio Slide certainly delivers a terrific feature package for a low-cost touchscreen handset, with a roll-call of functionality you'd expect of a higher-end model.
Read: Samsung Genio Slide review
If you like the Samsung Genio Slide, you might also like:
| - INQ Chat 3G - | --- Samsung Genio Touch --- |
See all Samsung Genio Slide deals:
All deals | Pay monthly | Pay as you Go | SIM free
13. Nokia 5530 XpressMusic
While the Nokia N97 and 5800 XpressMusic phones are clambering over each other to gain attention at the more expensive range of the market, the 5530 offers something refreshingly different.
It offers a 2.9-inch touchscreen with a music-orientated interface and while it doesn't have the capacity of the Nokia X6, it does only cost £130. Probably the best budget touchscreen phone available today.
Read: Nokia 5530 XpressMusic review
If you like the Nokia 5530 XpressMusic, you might also like:
| - Nokia 5800 XpressMusic - | - Nokia 5730 XpressMusic - | - Nokia X6 - |
See all Nokia 5730 XpressMusic deals:
All deals | Pay monthly | Pay as you Go | SIM free
12. HTC Tattoo
Alongside the T-Mobile Pulse, the Tattoo is all about catering for the more budget-conscious phone user who wants to utilise Android, but not pay over the odds for the privilege.
We're not talking about masses of money saved – a tenner a month off a contract here, a £100 off a handset there – but the arrival of the OS on the HTC Tattoo does point to a bright future for mid-range devices sporting Android.
The bottom line is: if you are interested in just what Android has to offer at a more than reasonable price bracket, then this is one Tattoo that you will not regret having.
Read: HTC Tattoo review
If you like the HTC Tattoo, you might also like:
| - T-Mobile Pulse - | - Nokia 5530 XpressMusic - | - Samsung Genio Touch - |
See all HTC Tattoo deals:
All deals | Pay monthly | Pay as you Go | SIM free
11. HTC Hero
There's a reason why the HTC Hero has received so much praise over the past 18 months – it's brilliant. 2009 end-of-year award ceremonies aplenty named the Hero as best gadget, best mobile phone and so on, and rightly so.
For a long while, it was the most complete Android handset out there, and as such it was the only phone that could really claim to compete with the iPhone.
But in 2010, there are new kids on the block and they mean business. The Hero, therefore, is no longer top of the list. It's still a great phone though.
And let's not forget that you'll still be able to update the Hero with future versions of Android, so it's not dead yet. What's more, it'll soon become available on some of the cheaper contracts - and when it is, it'll be a bargain.
Read: HTC Hero review
If you like the HTC Hero, you might also like:
| ---- HTC Legend ---- | ---- Apple iPhone 3GS ---- | ---- HTC Desire ---- |
See all HTC Hero deals:
All deals | Pay monthly | Pay as you Go | SIM free
10. LG BL40 Chocolate
Probably the most striking of all the phones on display here, the LG Chocolate BL40 is the world's first full-widescreen 21:9 phone.
The chassis is a combination of metal and glass, with vibrant red plastic at either end, with the top housing the 3.5mm headphone port and the power/lock key.
It's designed from the ground up to be a media phone, and indeed, watching movies is a pleasure, as is navigating large music collections.
Read: LG Chocolate BL40 review
If you like the LG BL40 Chocolate, you might also like:
| -- LG Chocolate BL20 -- | -- Samsung i8910 HD -- | -- Toshiba TG01 -- |
See all LG BL40 Chocolate deals:
All deals | Pay monthly | Pay as you Go | SIM free
9. LG Intouch Max GW620
The first Android handset from LG, the Intouch Max GW620 has taken a different direction to its competitors - there are very few Android phones that have aimed at the lower end of the handset spectrum, and it's interesting that the Korean firm has chosen this tack.
However, while the costs have been kept down to make it a competitor to the HTC Tattoo, LG has still added a decent amount of innovation into the mix, by offering the choice of the vanilla Android experience or its own S-Class interface, offering a new level of functionality.
The phone itself is small - a 3.2-inch HVGA resistive pales in comparison with the Google Nexus One phone, with its massive 3.7-inch OLED capacitive screen - but the Intouch Max GW620 also brings a full keyboard and a decent array of buttons as well.
Read: LG Intouch Max GW620 review
If you like the LG Intouch Max GW620, you might also like:
| - Motorola DEXT - | - Samsung Genio Slide - | -Nokia 5730 XpressMusic - |
See all LG Intouch Max GW620 deals:
All deals | Pay monthly | Pay as you Go | SIM free
8. LG Pop GD510
Aimed at mobile buyers after some touch control action on a budget, the LG POP GD510 is the smallest, lightest and one of the cheapest 3-inch touchscreen phones around.
After LG's success with the cash-conscious Cookie KP500 – which notched up over 10 million sales in just over a year – LG must be hoping for similar things from this stylishly slimline device, which at launch is selling for under £100 on a pay as you go package.
The LG POP GD510 doesn't try to be a do-everything smartphone. The POP is instead pitched at delivering a fun package, with a friendly user experience and the sort of features its target audience are after.
And that's why it slots in nicely here at number 8.
Read: LG Pop GD510 review
If you like the LG Pop GD510, you might also like:
| Samsung Tocco Lite | LG Cookie KP500 | Nokia 5530 XpressMusic |
See all LG Pop GD510 deals:
All deals | Pay monthly | Pay as you Go | SIM free
7. Nokia N900
Not necessarily something we agree with, but Nokia is adamant this isn't a phone. Instead, it's saying that it's a small computer/slimmed-down netbook (depending on who you talk to) thanks to the new Maemo 5 operating system (OS), which is based on Linux.
Essentially, it's a unit with a 3G chip in it for voice and data with a similar form factor to a phone, so it's really just semantics what you want to call it.
As mentioned above, the N900 comes with the brand new Maemo 5 operating system which is designed to offer powerful options that we haven't seen on Symbian-powered devices before.
While Maemo has been seen on previous internet tablets from Nokia, this release is important as it makes the OS more finger friendly than ever before. It also allows a high level of customisation, a wider web browser and more location-based services too.
Read: Nokia N900 review
If you like the Nokia N900, you might also like:
| ------ HTC HD2 ------ | ----- Apple iPhone 3GS ----- | ------ T-Mobile G1 --- |
See all Nokia N900 deals:
All deals | Pay monthly | Pay as you Go | SIM free
6. BlackBerry Bold 9700
Featuring an improved processor and latest UI, the Bold 9700 certainly has the specs but can it stop the iPhone and Android onslaught?
Well it's certainly a very good device, building on everything we've come to expect from the Canadian firm.
It's a little bit squished in comparison to the older device, but we don't think that's too much of an issue given the well designed chassis.
The sheer swiftness of the Bold 2 9700 is to be commended, as it's clearly a big effort from RIM to get that up to speed, and although App World isn't working for us yet thanks (probably) to T-Mobile, we're sure once that's up and running the Bold 9700 will be a very compelling business phone indeed.
Like the HD2, whether it's something the consumer will want/need, we don't know – it depends on the importance of easy to sync web mail we guess, as well as a stylish device to boot.
Read: BlackBerry Bold 9700 review
If you like the BlacKberry Bold 9700, you might also like:
| ----- BlackBerry Storm 2 ---- | ---- HTC HD2 ----- | ----- Palm Pre ---- |
See all HTC HD2 deals:
All deals | Pay monthly | Pay as you Go | SIM free
5. HTC HD2
The HTC HD2's enormous 4.3-inch touchscreen is hugely impressive. And the HD2 is the first Windows Phone to come packing the HTC Sense overlay interface, as well as a capacitive multi-touch screen.
It smashes past the iPhone in terms of raw processing speed and the ability to handle Flash video.
And it dwarfs the Hero with a more responsive screen and its Wi-Fi routing ability too, and is far better than anything Samsung, LG or Nokia have come up with so far.
Read: HTC HD2 review
If you like the HTC HD2, you might also like:
HTC Touch Diamond 2 ----- | ----- HTC Hero ----- | ----- Apple iPhone 3GS ---- |
See all HTC HD2 deals:
All deals | Pay monthly | Pay as you Go | SIM free
4. Sony Ericsson Xperia X10
The X10 is a forthcoming Android-powered phone from Sony Ericsson.
The main selling points are the Android overlay (Timescape and Mediascape) and the usual range of multimedia-friendly hardware packed into the chassis.
The main thing when picking up the X10 is the sheer size of the thing - a four-inch screen (sadly not OLED, but looking pretty vivid nonetheless) makes up the majority of the phone, with a few buttons on the front and sides for company.
Our only worry is the sheer amount of stuff the phone is doing at once - it might have a 1GHz processor, but we've seen plenty of phones stutter to a halt when performing tasks like Facebook info-grabbing.
Still, we'll be getting a device in for a full review soon, so we'll bring you all the information about this dark horse in the 2010 race.
Read: Hands on: Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 review
If you like the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, you might also like:
| - Motorola Milestone - | - Apple iPhone 3GS - | - HTC Desire - |
See all Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 deals:
All deals | Pay monthly | Pay as you Go | SIM free
3. HTC Legend
The HTC Legend is the follow-up to the super-successful HTC Hero. For many months, the Hero was the top dog in the Android world. But with the arrival of the HTC Legend and Desire, that was always going to change in 2010.
Featuring a high-res OLED screen, as well as the latest version of Android from Google, HTC is clearly looking to jostle its way to the front of the best-selling phone queue with the Legend. The phone also packs a sumptuous unibody aluminium chassis - taking more than a few visual cues from Apple's MacBook range.
It's a great device, and one that we have to say is probably a match for the Apple iPhone. The only problem is that with the weight of the Apple App Store behind it, the iPhone takes some beating.
Read: HTC Legend review
If you like the HTC Legend, you might also like:
| ---- HTC Hero ---- | ---- Apple iPhone 3GS ---- | ---- HTC Desire ---- |
See all HTC Legend deals:
All deals | Pay monthly | Pay as you Go | SIM free
2. Apple iPhone 3GS
What? What's this? The Apple iPhone in at number 2? That's right, folks – the iPhone is still in second place.
There's no denying the quality of the iPhone, and really it could just as easily have come out on top. Still though, we'll get to that on the next page.
The iPhone 3GS is a stunning handset. It's faster than the iPhone 3G and also has a better camera, so if you're thinking of getting an iPhone for the first time, we reckon opting for the 3GS is a no-brainer, even if the 3G is slightly cheaper.
Read: Apple iPhone 3GS review
If you like the Apple iPhone, you might also like:
| -------- HTC Legend ------- | -------- Palm Pre -------- | ------- HTC HD2 ------- |
See all Apple iPhone 3GS deals:
16GB: All deals | Pay monthly | Pay as you Go | SIM free
32GB: All deals | Pay monthly | Pay as you Go | SIM free
1. HTC Desire
The HTC Desire is essentially the same phone as the Google Nexus One, only with HTC's Sense UI overlay and a reworked chassis. Read: it's like a Nexus One only better.
For this reason, the HTC Desire has entered our top 10 at number 1, and the Google Nexus One has dropped out completely. It's tough at the top.
The Desire is a little on the large side thanks to its 3.7-inch OLED screen, but HTC has had a look at the few foibles the Nexus One has and sorted them out.
Messaging on the HTC Desire is a dream - despite not having a physical keyboard, the eerily responsive typing correction on this device is so sharp we could practically shut our eyes and mash our hands into the keyboard and still type a perfect message.
It's just a brilliant phone.
Read: HTC Desire review
If you like the HTC Desire, you might also like:
| ---- HTC Hero ---- | ---- Apple iPhone 3GS ---- | ---- HTC Legend ---- |
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