10 Samsung Jet

Ignore the obnoxious, Skins-style promotional campaign and its crashingly obvious ‘impatience is a virtue tagline’. The Jet is a serious bit of kit that opened our eyes to just what massive processing power can do for a handset.

9 Satio

Points have, of course, been deducted for software glitches being reported by some customers. But minor bugbears aside, the Satio’s industry-leading 12.2 megapixel camera and 30fps video recording mean it’s the best cameraphone around. And we’ll brook no arguments.

8 HTC HD2

You hear a lot of handsets described as ‘multi-media marvels’. The difference with the HD2 is that it more measures up to that description. The massive 4.3-inch screen and HD quality images combine for a mobile video experience of unsurpassed quality.

7 Genio Touch

Sure, it might not have the high-end specs of some of the handsets above. But the Genio Touch's micro-sized price point and advanced social networking features made it a brilliant phone for the money.

6 HTC Tattoo

Like the Genio, the keenly-priced Tattoo qualifies for our top10 rundown for bringing Android smartphone functionality to the mass market. Standout features included a customizable user interface, social networking functions and the chance to download hundreds of great apps from the Android Market - all from just 30 sovs per month.

5 Nokia N97

Not everyone was convinced about this one, we’ll grant you. But, the N97's massive 32GB of memory with scope to add an extra 16GB via microSD and sheer array of functions means there’s no denying that the N97 was a landmark handset. Team those things with access to the Ovi app store, a cusomisable homescreen, widgets with updates, a brill media player and a QWERTY keyboard and you’ve got a handset that’s the absolute acme of device convergence.

4 Nokia X6

A late entry. But a worthy one, all the same. From the off, the X6 scored highly for its zippy and bright looks. But its the marriage of this aesthetic with a 3.2-inch, 16:9 widescreen format display, 3.5mm headphone jack, Ovi Store access and 32GB of memory that saw it zoom it’s way to the top of the multimedia pack.

3 iPhone 3G S

Yes, the 3G S is a great phone. The extra memory, HSDPA support and a more powerful processor were all welcome additions and made a stellar handset even better. But 2009 will be remembered as the year when Apple’s competition at the pricey end of the market caught up. Our Cupertino-based chums need to do something spectacular for the next edition if it wants to justify our love once more.

2 Palm Pre

Palm’s last-minute, back-from-the-dead revival in the ’09 may have surprised many doom-mongers. But the excellence of the Pre silenced the naysayers in some style. We loved the handsome and wholly intuitive user interface. And we loved being able to use apps simultaneously even more.

1 HTC Hero

If, like Bonnie Tyler, you held out for a Hero this year, you definitely won’t have been disappointed. Gorgeous presentation, seemingly limitless opportunity for customisation and Facebook integration made it not just the year’s best Android mobile phone, but the year’s best phone full stop.