2010 has been Android’s year so far. With new phones arriving almost weekly, the mighty Froyo giving a hefty performance boost and the promise of Gingerbread before Christmas there has never been a better time to give Android a try – but which ‘droid is for you? Our Summer 2010 round up is here to help.
Value for money: HTC Legend
The HTC Legend may not be quite as powerful as it’s big brother, the Desire, but what it lacks in brains it make up for in looks. The Legend’s unibody case is both gorgeous and tough and the screen is just big enough to give a satisfying browsing experience, yet small enough to feel compact and easily pocketable.
Best for tinkerers: Dell Streak
Is it a phone? Is it a tablet? It’s both! A Phablet, if you will.
Oh, ok, you won’t. Fine. Lets never call it that again.
The Dell Streak has one of the best screens yet in an Android device – tough as old boots thanks to the GorillaGlass coating and big enough that you can at last use it like the powerful computer a modern Android phone really is.
Best for multimedia: Samsung Galaxy S
Samsung has kitted the Galaxy S out with SuperAMOLED – quite simply the best all round screen we have seen on an Android phone and capable of giving the iPhone 4′s Retina a run for its money.
The big screen isn’t the whole story though – the Samsung Galaxy S handles more video formats than any other device we have seen. In particular it supports DivX/Xvid and Matroshka MKV out of the box, making watchig downloaded movies a snap. Thrown in TV-Out and 720p HD video via teh camera and this is a multimedia marvel.
Best for early adopters: Google Nexus One
Google’s flagship phone may be slightly eclipsed by more recent handsets, but the Nexus One remains the go-to device for the pure, unadulterated Android experience.
If you like living on the cutting edge, the Nexus One is the simplest way to get access to the latest third-party ROMs like Cyanogen and it is a safe bet that Google will continue to use the Nexus One as a testing ground for future updates for some time to come.
Best for messaging: Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro
The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro doesn’t have the screen real estate of processing oomph to compete with many of the phones listed here, but the great little slider keypad – reminiscent of texter’s favourite, the Sidekick – and compact case means it is a great device to slip into your pocket for quick messaging. The fact that it also runs Android apps and gives your Android’s easy access to mail and Google services makes this one a winner.
Best budget Android phone: LG GW620
Budget Android phones tend towards the sluggish side of the performance chart, but the LG GW620 is surprisingly nippy for such a cheap phone. The slider keypad is one of the better ones we have seen and doesn’t add too much bulk to this compact little phone. We also liked the easy-to-hot-swap card slot, a feature we would kill for on more expensive phones.
Best on Pay As You Go: Motorola DEXT
If you want a cheapo ‘droid to hold your PAYG SIM, the Motorola DEXT is a snappy, social-networking oriented little device that packs in a lot of features. 3 megapixel camera, solid keyboard and Wifi/HSDPA. The MOTO Blur skin is something of an acquired taste, but if you do Facebook and Twitter it is one that may please your palette.
Best overall: Samsung Galaxy S
Don’t get us wrong, we think all the devices listed here have great individual points, but the Samsung Galaxy S ticks so many boxes – great screen, stunning multimedia support, speedy processor and a slim build – that we have no hesitation in declaring it our favourite Android phone.
