Buying Guide: 20 best mobile phones in the world today

Our verdict on the best mobile phones / best smartphones - constantly updated We've all got at least one mobile phone each, right? The trouble is, how do you decide which is the best mobile phone for you when you realise it's time to phone the network and trouble them for an upgrade?If you've read our list of the latest mobile phones, seen the hottest pre-release new mobile phones and are still stumped, well, this is where we make it easy. Because here we have our constantly-updated list of the top 20 best mobile phones you can get in the UK.And now, after a glut of top-end mobile phones steaming out from Mobile World Congress 2011, we've just brought you our biggest update ever to this definitive chart.The big surprise was the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc nabbing top spot - the combo of Android 2.3 and a beautiful screen in a tightly packaged body saw it head straight to the top of the pile.But now the long-awaited Samsung Galaxy S2 has landed in the UK and we spent a frantic bank holiday trying out the myriad functions it's got packed into its teeny frame - and now we can finally give it a place in our top 20 ranking of our mobile phone recommendations.If that still doesn't help, well, there's always our extensive mobile phone reviews pages as well. And when you've decided what new phone to buy, why not cash in your old one with our phone recycling price comparison service?Here are our rankings for the best mobile phones around, currently available in the UK.20. Samsung Wave 2Samsung's somewhat left-field decision to launch its own Bada smartphone OS alongside its big Android push is still a little confusing - well, at least to us Brits. Over it Korea it's apparently going great guns, stealing swathes of market share from boring old feature phones.If we were to recommend a cheaper smartphone option running Bada, then we'd quickly hold this one up for you to see. From it's lovely lines to premium chassis construction, the Samsung Wave 2 is one of those phones that makes you feel all important pulling it out of your pocket.Despite losing the Super AMOLED screen, the larger 3.7-inch screen is still its equal, with some eye-popping colours and more comfortable feel. It's also using the new Bada 2.1 OS, which might not have the largest range of applications, but offers a slick alternative to Android with some useful widgets.Apps are at a premium on this still-nascent platform, so not one for those that love to customise their phone all over the place. The £25 a month plan isn't the cheapest you'll see either, but does represent good value for those that want a bigger screen and it can be purchased for around £300 SIM free if you don't want to pony up to a network each month.Quick verdict It's a quirky little phone, is the Wave 2. It looks a bit like an Android phone with the same TouchWiz overlay, but then hits you with a lack of homescreen icon customisation. Still, for a premium design and longer battery life than most, you'd do well to check this out if you like your smartphones a little different.Samsung Wave 2 reviewCompare Samsung Wave 2 offers19. Blackberry Bold 9780The BlackBerry Bold 9780 is a worthy upgrade to RIM's flagship range from the Bold 9700. The new operating system is a significant improvement, making the phone more relevant to the wider market than anything that's come before.An improved screen and BlackBerry OS 6 make it feel more premium, and the chassis construction will please many too, along with an upgraded 5MP camera with flash that actually takes passable snaps.The keyboard design has again been tinkered with, and we don't think to the benefit of BlackBerry stalwarts the world over, but it's still a great way to quickly chuck in some text.Quick verdict The Bold 9780 is the only member of the BlackBerry family on our list - some might question the lack of a Torch on here given it's status as RIM's flagship model, but we felt the chunkier design, higher price and poor on-screen keyboard mean its been overshadowed by its slimmer, slicker and more conventional brother.BlackBerry Bold 9780 reviewCompare BlackBerry Bold 9780 offers18. LG Optimus 7Windows Phone 7 made a big impact on our top 20 list back in November 2010, but now it's reduced to a single offering - and we're plumping for the LG Optimus 7.While it lacks the vivid screen of the Samsung Omnia 7 or the large display/kickstand combo of the HTC HD7, the Optimus 7 wins simply because it's got a few more features on offer out of the box, including an awesome augmented reality browser that shows the weather when you point it at the sky. (Yes, we know you could look at it with your eyes. We mean forecasts).The PlayTo DLNA service is ace too, making it a breeze to send content to your big screen TV, and the build quality isn't too shabby either.The sleek packaging and slick operating system still bring a smile to our faces when using it - but Windows Phone 7 badly needs the big Mango update we're hoping to see in the next few months.Quick verdictIf you follow the word of Stephen Fry and simply must check out Microsoft's new smartphone OS, this is the phone we'd recommend to do it on. The sweet swishing action will impress you, and the Live Tiles and Xbox integration are nice additions too. It's still far too simplistic to be a cutting-edge phone, but that will all change when the multi-tasking Mango update drops.LG Optimus 7 reviewCompare LG Optimus 7 offers17. Samsung Galaxy AceThe Samsung Galaxy Ace is an odd little phone when you first pick it up - plastic mesh back, lower-res touchscreen and a slight lag on the interface aren't what everyone is looking for in a smartphone.However, combined with Samsung's TouchWiz overlay and a sublime £15-£20 a month price point, the Ace suddenly seems like much more attractive package - a tip-top 5MP camera on the back to boot.It might not be the snappiest phone you'll ever use (we found it sometimes stumbled wandering from one home screen to the next) and it's only average for media - but for that price point it deserves to be one of the budget newbies on our list.Quick verdictCompared to the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S2, the Ace looks lightweight - but then you consider that you're getting access to a large amount of the Android Market, a microSD slot and an above-average camera, and the head to head comparison is suddenly looking a lot more even.Samsung Galaxy Ace reviewCompare Samsung Galaxy Ace offers16. Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini / ProSony Ericsson's time in the doldrums might be coming to an end, and that turnaround was marked by the success of the Xperia Mini and it's keyboarded sidekick, the Mini Pro.We loved its miniature dimensions (although we still don't understand how adding a keyboard only increased the depth by 1mm) and the reskinning of Sony Ericsson's overlay to fit a teeny screen was genius at times.It's great for music playback while sitting secretly in a pocket (although it's never going to be a video-watching marvel) and the internet browser is unbelievably snappy for a 600MHz processor - plus a lower price tag than many handsets around it, at less than £200 on PAYG and running Android 2.1.Quick verdictThe clever implementation of Android with customisable corner icons and a simple yet effective keyboard means it's very easy to use this phone, and even the internet is still a good experience for one of the world's smallest smartphones.We can see a refresh for this line coming soon - hopefully with a little bit of a Gingerbread flavour about it - but for now, it's a cool choice if you're after a tidy package.Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini reviewSony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro reviewCompare Xperia X10 Mini offersCompare Xperia X10 Mini Pro offers15. Nokia N8If you've been a Nokia fan for years, then you'll have noticed that the Finnish firm hasn't been competing at the sharp end of the game for a while now.It hoped to change all that with the N8, and on the hardware side at least it triumphed: 12MP camera wit