Buyer's Guide to Android Phones: The Cream of the Crop for Any Budget

2011-09-07

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The BlackBerry and the iPhone may have kicked off the smartphone market and sparked the app revolution, but Android has soared into the top spot in the last few months. This accessible and open platform gives consumers access to whatever they want on their phones. The fact that various manufacturers can develop devices to run the operating system has also led to a wide choice in terms of handsets.

Many people are making the switch to Android, but finding the right phone for you can be tough when there are so many to choose from. Let’s break it down and take a look at your options.

Android Smartphone Round Ups

We’ll kick off with a look at some round ups of the top Android smartphones. You’ll find the best options for cutting edge technology and also some great choices for shoppers on a budget. In these round ups you can easily compare the features of the handsets and decide what makes your essential list.

Do you need a fast phone? Is gaming important to you? Perhaps you are a keen amateur photographer or you like to use your phone to make movies. Do you want a big screen or is a compact phone more important? Whatever your tastes are there will be an Android smartphone that appeals to you – that wide choice is part of the strength of the platform.

Samsung Android Phones

One of the biggest and most successful manufacturers of Android phones is Samsung. The South Korean electronics giant produce a wide range of Android handsets and their products are generally high quality. Their high-end Android range boasts the best displays you’ll find, backed by high spec hardware. Their first really big Android success was the Samsung Galaxy S which got released in a wide variety of variations, one for each of the US carriers. They followed it up with the best smartphone currently on the market – the Galaxy S II.

Of course Samsung do offer some budget and mid-tier options as well. Here are some of the top phones from Samsung.

HTC Android Phones

This Taiwanese company has also enjoyed massive success with the Android platform and they have released a multitude of phones at various price points. Their designs are stylish, the hardware is good and they offer a desirable range of smartphones. They also developed the Sense UI which sits on top of Android and offers a slick user experience and more options for customization. If you’re shopping for an Android smartphone then HTC releases are always worth checking out.

Motorola Android Phones

The first company to enjoy real success with Android was Motorola and they helped to popularize the platform with their Droid range. They’ve produced some great smartphones over the years and with the news that Google is due to acquire their mobile wing we could see some great new devices from them in the near future.

The Best of the Rest

The three big boys have been covered now, but there are plenty of other Android smartphone manufacturers out there and we’ll deal with the best of their offerings here. We’ve got phones from LG at the high end and budget end of the market. We also have to mention the PSP phone from Sony Ericsson along with another couple of great options from them. Finally we take a look at the Samsung manufactured, but Google branded, Nexus S.

That’s it for this round-up, choose wisely. If your favorite Android smartphone wasn’t covered then post a comment and let us know.