Best mobile phones

Best mobile phones in depth

Each month brings new, more feature-rich handsets to market that are usually touted as the best mobile phones ever.

However, in order to find the best mobile phone for you, the first thing you need to consider is your particular requirements. Here, we’ll be looking at the best mobile phones for a number of purposes, including taking pictures, email and computing on the go, to help you make an informed decision.

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Best mobile phones for taking pictures

Most of the major mobile phone manufacturers make mobiles featuring high-grade cameras, which are often so good that you can do away with your dedicated digital camera forever.

If you’re looking for the best mobile phone for taking pictures, you might want to consider handsets in Sony Ericsson’s Xperia range, as well as most new high-end handsets from Samsung, LG and HTC. Apple's iPhones are also excellent for photography and their vibrant Retina Display screens make viewing your snaps a real pleasure.

In general, the higher the megapixels boasted by a camera the better quality pictures it can deliver. It’s also worth looking for whether the phones use a branded lens, such as those from Schneider Kreuznach and Carl Zeiss.

Most mobiles also offer video recording, with the very best and newest models even allowing you to record in rich high definition.

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Best mobile phones for e-mail

If picking up your mail on the go is a priority for you, you’d be well advised to consider a mobile phone that has push e-mail support - a function that means that messages are sent directly to your handset, so you don’t have to pull them down from a server. This means that you’ll be able to respond to missives much quicker and stay in the loop of important conversations.

Among the best mobile phones for e-mail are BlackBerrys, which allow owners to create multiple accounts and offer plenty of room for contacts. They usually feature a physical QWERTY keyboard, so tapping out long emails is a breeze. They also support attachments and have on board applications to view them, so that users can work on and read important documents on the move.

Most high-end mobile phones from rival manufacturers now also feature push email, including the latest models from HTC, Samsung, Nokia, LG and Sony Ericsson.

Best mobile phones for computing

Some of the newest and best mobile phones are less like communications devices and closer to pocket computers with enormous processing power.

When looking for the best mobile phones for computing, the most important thing to watch out for is the speed and power of the phone’s processor, which will determine how efficiently you can use multiple applications simultaneously. The fastest phones now feature a processor of 1GHz or above. The latest phones from leading manufacturers such as Samsung, HTC and Apple also feature dual core processors, making them even more powerful for a wide variety of uses.

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Best mobile phones for value

Of course, determining the best value phone depends on how much you’re looking to spend and what you want to use the phone for.

If you really only need your mobile phone for calls and text messages, you may want to opt for a fairly inexpensive model. Conversely, if you’re looking for a mobile phone that features functions akin to a portable computer, you’re likely to have to commit to spending a bit more money. However, the savings you make from not paying for a laptop can make these some of the best mobile phones a great value for money all-round.

Alternatively, mid-range models are often among the best mobile phones for value, since they combine newer features with the basics and are very affordably priced.

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Best mobile phones for web browsing and downloads

The best mobile phones for getting online with are those that feature support for 3G HSDPA. These offer a fast and efficient web browsing experience akin to surfing at home on your PC and allow you to download music and movies at up to 7.2Mb, depending on your location. The latest smartphone from Apple, the iPhone 4S supports HSPA+, offering 3G data speeds of up to 14.4mbps.

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