2010 was a stellar year for the smartphone. And all indications are that 2011 will be even better. Here’s our pick of the ten hottest mobile phone developments you can expect to see next year.

1 NFC

NFC, or Near Field Communications, is nothing new. But its arrival inside the Google Nexus S lays the groundwork for rival manufacturers to unleash the tech, which will bring contactless payments and more deeply integrated location based apps to the masses. Expect to see it in the iPhone 5 and HTC and Samsung’s next-gen Android line-up.

2 16 megapixel camera phones

The war for megapixel supremacy has calmed somewhat, but Sony has already toted a 16MP sensor. Sony Ericsson’s S006 was unveiled in Japan in October, so you can guarantee Europe will get a taste of the all-new sensor in 2011, most likely at February’s Mobile World Congress.

3 1080p video recording

On top of 16MP stills, Sony sensor can also handle 1080p video recording. That means Full HD video will finally be a mainstream reality for top-end phones, something Apple and Samsung will definitely be keen on. It will also cannibalise even further the dying cheap camcorder market.

4 Android Honeycomb

The big boost to Android could land as soon as the first week of January, with a string of mobile makers showing off tablets using the new iteration of Google’s OS at CES in Las Vegas. Motorola’s tab packing Honeycomb has been spied in the wild. Email is set for an iPad-style makeover, with video chat set to be baked into the OS, just like FaceTime.

5 iOS 5

Apple’s software update generally gets trailed in April, before being unleashed at the same time as a new iPhone in June. The tweaks are still very much under wraps, but AirPrint should get a much-needed boost with shared printer support, Game Center is in line for a boost and wireless syncing is surely a dead cert.

6 MeeGo

Billed by Nokia’s CEO Stephen Elop as ‘a 2011 event’, MeeGo was first seen at MWC 2010. Espoo has its future smartphone business riding on this new operating system, of which early versions appear promising. Don’t believe what Nokia says: this is the Symbian successor we’ve all been waiting for.

7 PalmPad

webOS 2.0 is great, it’s just a shame that the Pre 2 isn’t quite up to scratch. Step forward then the PalmPad, HP’s webOS tablet that’s been touted for months. This could be the tablet that really makes Apple sit up and think, cramming in as it does the most intuitive mobile OS other iOS.

8 2GHz processors

Qualcomm’s 1.2 GHz processors are already blisteringly fast, but the chances are it’ll use 2011 to crank things up as high as 2GHz. Motorola execs have boasted about such a chip working in their phones. If that’s the case, expect hardware become super accelerated and able to work at lightning speed.

9 iPad 2

It’ll be hard to escape the iPad 2 in the first weeks of 2011. The sequel to the best-selling slate is a dead cert, with SD support and dual cameras both mooted. But this will help lay the foundations for further tablet squabbling as the year progresses.

10 Windows Phone 7 updates

The Big M is plotting some big boosts to its nascent mobile OS, with rumours flying around the web that Steve Ballmer will unveil a new update of WP7 at MWC. An improved Hub function, with Twitter skills, plus copy and paste, should be nailed on.