The 25 Best Smartphones Of 2011

This past year was an unpredictable one for smartphones. Google captured a majority of the mobile marketshare with its Android platform. Apple proved it didn't need the iPhone 5 to generate record-breaking sales. Microsoft revamped its Windows Phone 7 platform for the better. BlackBerry somehow stayed in business even after suffering a near 70 percent profit drop. Handset manufacturers like HTC, Motorola, and Samsung blessed us with new phones on what seemed like a bi-weekly basis. And we witnessed the evolution of mobile computing in the form of dual-core processing, LTE/4G service, Near-Field Communication technology, mobile cloud services, and voice-recognition software.

That said, it's no easy chore narrowing down a selection of the year's hottest smartphones, especially when 50 percent of the best stuff was rushed into stores within the last four months. Nevertheless, we managed to tackle nearly every major mobile release and ranked the industry's most elite and distinguished handsets of this year. So without further ado, check out the 25 Best Smartphones Of 2011.

Carrier/Price: Sprint, $50

The EVO 4G set the mold for one of the best-selling handset makers by incorporating dynamic hardware, 4G capability, and a ginormous, stunning display into one Android offering. Somehow HTC squeezed a majority of the dope elements from its forebear into the downsized Shift 4G, while making significant strides with the sturdy slide-out keyboard and vastly improved battery. Smaller is definitely better, as the 3.6-inch screen produces good picture quality and makes for a comfortable fit in pocket. One of the EVO 4G's major issues was its overexposed display, but HTC's heavy-duty construction protects the fragile exterior from any sudden impact. Say peace to one of the last great QWERTY smartphones of this Android generation.

Carrier/Price: AT&T, $100

3D gadgets were branded gimmicky from the get-go. That didn't stop HTC and LG from releasing their own 3D mobile handsets. While the former failed to wow consumers and critics, the latter caught the attention of many with its standout graphics, improved network coverage, and an unbeatable launch price of a Benjamin. If that wasn't enough to sell you on the Thrill 4G, then LG's tri-dual architecture (dual-core processor, dual-channel, and dual-memory) should have, attributing to the phone's high benchmarks. Plus the ability to decrease the 3D effects made watching, capturing, and engaging in 3D content (photos, videos, games) less headache inducing.

Carrier/Price: T-Mobile, FREE

Our first taste of Windows Phone 7's Mango OS was delectable, as the revamped UI brought together stunning animations and enhanced productivity features like real-time updates. Microsoft gave its Bing search engine a facelift by including Voice Search, a Shazam-inspired music app, and search aggregation tool called Bing Vision that pulls info from an item at which the rear camera is pointed. The intuitive software provides a major boost in speed for the dated 1GHz Qualcomm CPU that places the WP7 device on the same performance level as many of the lower-tier dual-core chips out. And what better way to top off Microsoft's mobile delicacy than with a sexy veneer frosted in all-white and silver accents. Bon appétit!

Carrier/Price: AT&T, $100

The original Atrix left us stunned for more than half the year. So when Moto announced a scion to Ma Bell's powerhouse, we had insurmountable expectations. Those words stood true as the Atrix II managed to deliver the same performance as the original, except at a huge discount. Don't be fooled into thinking both handsets are carbon copies, though, as Moto integrated cool new features into the latest version such as an in-pocket detection system and the cloud-based ZumoCast app to help differentiate the two. Other notable upgrades include a bigger and brighter 4.3-inch qHD display, stronger battery, and robust camera. And like big bro, there's a plethora of accessories (including Moto's infamous Lapdock) available to transform the Atrix 2 into a mobile computing goliath.

Carrier/Price: AT&T, $200

In comparison to HTC's other enticing 2011 selections, the Vivid was clearly the unattractive fat chick at the Android ball. But under the generic appearance lies one of the most powerful pieces of mobile hardware on the market. With strong LTE coverage, a speedy 1.2GHz dual-core chip, and a sharp 4.5-inch Super qHD LCD capable of 520 X 960-pixel resolution, AT&T's handset is a mobile work mule. Software-wise, the HTCSense.com portal provides users the ability to utilize a number of remote features such as locking, locating, or wiping the phone data from a computer. The phone is also due for an Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade in the near future. Guess beauty is skin deep after all.

Carrier/Price: Virgin Mobile, $240

Hold up: A hot pre-paid Android phone? Seriously? Yes, sir. Even with an obsolete 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor under the hood, Moto's little Android-that-could illustrated that you didn't need the latest dual-core to generate stellar results. The device ships without the manufacturer's MOTOBLUR skin, benefiting from a smoother and user-friendly UI. Another unexpected feature we found to be dope was the addition of a Micro-HDMI port to mirror mobile content onto any compatible HDTV. Motorola definitely blessed Virgin Mobile pre-payers with a handset they could proudly flaunt amongst the big carrier crowd.

Carrier/Price: T-Mobile, $100

T-Mobile's first dual-core smartphone demonstrated why NVIDIA's almighty chip is the most revered in the mobile game. Touchscreen commands and web browsing was swift. However, it was in the gaming realm where the G2x excelled, displaying beautifully rendered graphics and running smoothly on the phone's 4-inch WVGA touchscreen. It also plays and records full 1080p videos. LG laced its beauty with an opulent and solid build that outshined most of the carrier's roster prior to the summer, while providing great call quality and presenting multimedia perks like DLNA support for wireless media transfers and a micro-HDMI port. It's a shame T-Mobile made the G2x unavailable online and in retail stores during the summer stretch, but luckily its back on the market with the latest software updates.

Carrier/Price: AT&T, $1

Last year's Samsung Focus ushered in the WP7 mobile platform and became its best-selling handset to date. Now Samsung is leading the Microsoft Windows Phone 7 brigadge with the speedy and inexpensive Focus Flash. You typically wouldn't expect much horsepower from a smartphone originally retailed at $50, but that's far from the case here as the Flash sports a strong 1.4GHz CPU. The manufacturer's beautiful Super AMOLED screen dishes out amazingly crisp visuals and plays 720p/1080p videos fluidly in full screen. Top it off with good voice quality and HSPA+ network support, the Focus Flash gives you near-premium specs at an incredible value.

Carrier/Price: Verizon, $230

It's no secret the Canadian mobile manufacturer is on its last leg. Still, BlackBerry is hanging in there and has built its best model to date with the Bold 9930. The affluent yet familiar, slim design is exceptionally constructed. The touchscreen's responsiveness is on point and the tactility of the four-row keyboard is both phenomenal and addictive to type on. Playing it smart, RIM chose to furnish its latest mobile venture with refined hardware: a 1.2GHz CPU and commendable 5MP camera. We know the new BlackBerry OS 7 is a mere upgrade from the previous version, but the phone's true value comes from its upscale craftsmanship and well-regarded messaging features.

Carrier/Price: T-Mobile, $230

Some say HTC repackaged the MyTouch 4G Slide with an stronger cover and higher price tag. There's some truth to that, though the Amaze 4G packs some niftier features not found on the slide-out alternative. We're talking a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S3 dual-core that runs the show and faster 4G speeds peaking near 14Mbps throughout most of NYC. HTC bundles great photo editing software as new shooting modes like SweepShot and BurstShot let users snap panoramic shots or multiple images in quick fashion. Unlike its brother, the Amaze 4G brings more internal memory (12GB) and leaves room for additional storage via microSD card slot.

Carrier/Price: T-Mobile, FREE

When T-Mobile announced it was bringing back the once popular Sidekick, critics and consumers questioned its true potential after hearing the new version would run Android. Then all the skepticism turned into optimism after everyone placed their thumbs on what was this year's best QWERTY keyboard—addictively typing emails, SMS, and Facebook updates to everyone and anyone. The Group and Cloud Texting apps make messaging effortless by allowing users to shootout group texts or send and receive messages on a computer. As we've claimed in the past, you won't discover a better priced messaging handset.

Carrier/Price: AT&T, $200

The Focus S steals some flash from its bargain brethren, while boasting several upgrades in the form of construction, onboard storage, and a better rear camera. Samsung built the Mango-ready handset with a slimmer and thinner profile to accommodate mobility, plus the new 8MP shooter snaps clear images and 720p clips that playback at an estimated 30 fps. The enlarged 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display outshines the Flash's second-gen shade by producing definitive imagery and more vibrant colors. Add Qualcomm's 1.4GHz processor and Mango's polished UI, and you have the closest thing to a premium WP7.5 handset. Well, until Nokia finally hits us with something.

Carrier/Price: Verizon, $100

Big Red's first LTE device popped Verizon's 4G cherry and left us drooling over the network's ridiculously lightening-fast data speeds. HTC blessed the Thunderbolt with its patented kickstand, a reinforced aluminum chassis with a high-end finish, and a huge 4.3-inch LCD touchscreen. Verizon's first 4G phone also rolled out enhanced multitasking and wireless features including the ability to screen calls and access the Internet simultaneously on 4G or 3G coverage: a first for the network at the time. The second-gen 1GHz Snapdragon processor also puts out some impressive performance benchmarks.

Carrier/Price: T-Mobile, $200

Shutterbugs finally have a mobile to call their own as the fourth entry in the popular MyTouch series serves as the best smartphone camera to date—boasting a phenomenal shooter with a shutter speed that snaps pics at the semi-click of the dedicated camera button or touchscreen, along with new editing and effects tools that enhance images. It's also capable of taking shots when the phone is locked. The addition of Sense 3.0 welcomes the Genius Button, enhancing voice activation commands and allowing users to text, email, browse the web, and search for directions using their voice, while synching your contact list and music catalog as well. It's not all about the phototog experience here, as the 4G Slide hails solid 4G coverage, a great physical QWERTY keyboard, and a 1.2GHZ dual-core to close things out.

Carrier: Verizon, $200

Samsung put together a Droid phone that outshined a majority of the handsets found in the Motorola's Droid collection. The Droid Charge generated faster 4G speeds than the Thunderbolt, donned Samsung's newly unveiled Super AMOLED Plus display, and paved the way for great wireless features like access to the cloud-based Amazon Cloud Drive. Maybe it lacked the sex appeal of other smartphones, but the handset's superior call quality propelled it to the top of the Verizon echelon in the summer. We had no complaints whatsoever about LTE service draining our battery life, as the Droid Charge's 1600 maH battery provided a sufficient eight plus hours of juice on heavy use.

Carrier/Price: AT&T, $250

The positive feedback behind LG's new beast has been pretty surprising, particularly since all the headlines are reserved for the bigger holiday attractions (i.e. the Droid RAZR and Samsung Galaxy Nexus). But kudos to the Nitro HD for rounding out the top 10 and stepping up as the carrier's first true LTE phone. The captivating 4.5-inch 720-by-1280 AH-IPS screen is said to best the iPhone 4S' Retina Display: achieving 329 ppi (pixels per inch) and depicting brighter and richer pixel density. Data speeds are estimated at 15 to 18Mbps, an upgrade for Ma Bell's 4G service nonetheless. The phone's 1.5GHz Snapdragon S3, dual-core CPU is underrated against the network's Galaxy S II, the Skyrocket, yet pushes resilient multitasking and Internet performance.

Carrier/Price: AT&T, $80

We dubbed Motorola's first dual-core the Frankenstein of Android phones when we ranked it No. 1 on our Top 15 Android Phones Available Now feature before the summer break, and with good reason. The Atrix 4G was the most dominant smartphone we've ever used at that specific moment, and can still outperform a majority of the handsets released later in the year. That 1GHz dual-core Tegra 2 chip stole the show and made everything from menu navigation to browsing the Web a split-second action. Though the Atrix was, for lack of better words, a mobile force to be reckoned with, it was the introduction of the Lapdock that gave it an edge over the competition, by providing us a peripheral that served as a portable laptop to view and control everything on the phone.

Carrier/Price: Sprint, $200

One of Sprint's best of 2011 stood as one of the year's most commanding handsets with the culmination of NVIDIA's Tegra dual-core chip, 16GB of internal memory, and 1GB of RAM pushing the Photon to immense performance peaks. Moto's futuristic design fused the solid build of the ill-fated push-to-talk i1 with the sleek fashion of the original RAZR series that will most likely become the blueprint for next year's sturdy and strong smartphones. The manufacturer set up the Photon to push its accessories line, which consists of the webtop dock that transforms the handset into a nettop with access to FireFox, productivity apps, and a wireless remote to control all media functions. Give it up for Sprint's best Android phone.

Carrier/Price: Verizon, $300

You know the story by now. HTC drops $300 million to acquire Beats By Dre and rumors immediately circulate about a new smartphone with Beats Audio Technology. Lo and behold: a few months after the acquisition, the HTC Rezound was born. At the forefront is the Beats experience, which kicks the audio quality up a notch during music playback. Helping to deliver better sound are the exclusive in-ear headphones with noise-cancellation technology and talk and play/pause buttons to answer calls and navigate through playlists. As great as the Beats integration is, let's not forget the Rezound is a great Android phone that sports the latest HTC Sense UI (3.5) and new additions like a Facebook Chat widget and slow-motion video capture. It's also the first U.S. handset with a 720p 4.3-inch Super LCD display. And HTC plans on keeping the Rezound fresh going into 2012 as it awaits its Ice Cream Sandwich updated.

Carrier/Price: Verizon, $300

Motorola gave its Droid series the RAZR treatment by designing a handset with the slimmest profile of any smartphone on the market, Verizon's LTE coverage, as well a powerful processor. We're talking about the most prized piece of mobile real estate assembled with a chassis featuring “sculpted glass and diamond-cut aluminum accents,” Corning Gorilla Glass, and a rear sealed in Kevlar. The phone's new Smart Actions feature acts as a battery preserver that promises up to 30 percent more power by setting customizable triggers to execute actions such as designating the handset to lower screen brightness or decreasing processor speed when the battery is near depletion. And in grand Moto fashion, there's an assortment of accessories (Laptop docks, smart controller, etc.) that transform the Droid RAZR into the ultimate multipurpose smartphone.

Carriers/Price: AT&T, $250; Sprint, $200; T-Mobile, $230

The Galaxy S II smashed records overseas when released in mid-2011, leaving customers in the states fiending like Pooky for Samsung's Android handset. After demoing the latest entries in the series and experimenting with the new and enhanced TouchWiz 4.0 interface, we realized why it was such an international blockbuster. The revamped UI simplifies the process of swiping across screens by integrating a scrolling feature that shifts through the seven windows, plus it lets owners to resize widgets to allow for more homescreen space. All three models don Samsung's gorgeous Super AMOLED Plus display and project jaw-dropping visuals. A new photo and video editor is available to create and edit projects on the go, primarily 1080p and 720p videos captured on the S II's sharp 8MP rear camera. No wonder Samsung's sold $10 million of these babies since launch.

Carrier/Price: T-Mobile, $200

T-Mobile's halo phone captured our hearts after introducing us to HTC's revamped Sense 3.0 UI, and would have easily earned top honors this year had it released during the holiday season with some minor upgrades. The Sensation 4G pieced together a gorgeous form factor, along with an 1.2GHz dual-core processor, a vibrant 4.3-inch qHD Super LCD, useful messaging and media hubs, and several niche features including wi-fi calling that made for the most well-rounded Android experience this year. The solid battery life opens the lane to indulge in some serious multitasking and Netflix sessions. Sense's new ring-drag lock screen animation and shortcuts not only showcased ingenuity for a sleep screen, but for Google's inchoate Gingerbread OS as well. Simply put: the Sensation 4G is sensational.

Carrier/Price: Verizon, $150

If speed and power is your M.O., look no further than the Godzilla of Android devices: the Motorola Droid Bionic. Never have we tested a phone that delivered such warp data speeds. During our trial, data speeds peaked at an absurd 27.12Mbps. In fact, we were so thrown off by the Speedtest.net readings that we questioned the Bionic's high-speed capabilities, until witnessing similar results on other demo units. Moto opted for the lesser known dual-core 1GHz TI OMAP4430 processor and the payoff was huge as it shattered benchmark expectations—zipping through menus and touchscreen commands, generating faster frame rates during gaming sessions, and running up to 10 programs in the background without any lag. A new Droid handset means nothing without an accessories catalog to transform the phone into a true mobile computer, which is what Moto offers here: an updated Lapdock, HD station, and much more. No one phone should have all that power.

Carrier/Price: Verizon, $300

Google's first Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone sports a feature set that bests any other phone on the market. Stamped as the must-own handset of the Christmas season, the successor to the Nexus S bears the hardware prowess of a champion: a colossal 4.6-inch HD Super AMOLED PenTile screen that generates 1280×720-pixel resolution, and a tenacious 1.2GHz dual-core processor capable of boosting speeds. The LTE-enabled phone guarantees fast data speeds from Verizon's 4G network and sits on 32GB of internal storage. As far as Android 4.0 goes, where do we begin? The new Android Beam function uses NFC technology to transfer content (maps, contact info, etc.), you can unlock the phone using a trick facial-recognition feature, and the “developer options” setting gives users access to view CPU usage, force GPU rendering, and much more. That's just some of ICS' goodies. Suffice to say, the Galaxy Nexus is the ultimate Android smartphone, for now at least.

Carriers/Price: AT&T, $200 - $400 (16GB, 32GB, 64GB); Sprint, $200 - $400 (16GB, 32GB, 64GB); Verizon, $200 - $400 (16GB, 32GB, 64GB)

Apple may have dissappointed a great number of people by not releasing the iPhone 5, but that takes nothing away from the incredible piece of hardware that is the iPhone 4S. Apple's latest model retains the same glass and metal form but welcomes an awesome 8MP camera with 1080p HD video recording, the iPad 2's dominating dual-core A5 processor, and many software enchancements. The new iOS 5 operating system brings many of those enhancements with a refined user interface, support for Apple's cloud services, and its speech-recognition service, Siri. A digital personal assistant that answers questions and executes commands, Siri ignited a new facet of mobile computing. Granted, it's not yet where it needs to be, but it's still one of the most remarkable features found a phone today. Combine that with the best user experience on the market—comprised on Apple's iTunes and App Stores—and its easy to see why its the best-selling smartphone of 2011.