Digital Christmas: Smartphones


16 Nov 2011

The iPhone 4S

From high-end devices to budget smartphones, we look at some of the top mobile phones for under your tree.

iPhone 4S

  • OS: iOS
  • Networks: All
  • Price: From free on bill pay, from €579 on prepay.

The latest iPhone gives you access to Siri, a mobile assistant which understands voice commands and completes tasks for you. You can ask it to send messages, schedule meetings and search the web.

The iPhone 4S runs on a dual core A5 processor, meaning it’s twice as fast as the last iPhone, making it very efficient for games, web browsing and to watch movies.

It has an 8-megapixel camera with a f/2.4 aperture, which can also record full HD video (1080p). It can also take advantage of the 500,000 apps currently available on the Apple app store.

Samsung Galaxy S II

Samsung Galaxy S II

  • OS: Android
  • Networks: All
  • Price: From free on bill pay, from €479 on prepay

This powerful Android phone offers a vivid 4.3 Super AMOLED Plus display. It’s just 8.49mm slim and runs on a 1.2GHz dual core processor for quick access to the web and gaming.

It includes an 8-megapixel camera for photos and full HD video. You also link the smartphone wirelessly to a TV or laptop to play multimedia files from the device, whether it’s a YouTube video or a home movie.

The Samsung Galaxy S II can be customised to display content most relevant to you on the main screen, be it your gallery, music, videos or weather updates. 

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S

  • OS: Android
  • Networks: eMobile, Vodafone
  • Price: From free on bill pay, from €369 on prepay

This stylish 8.7mm-thick smartphone offers a 4.2-inch display powered by the Mobile BRAVIA Engine, ensuring clear, bright images regardless of how much light is reflecting on the screen.

Running on a speedy 1.4GHz dual core processor, the phone can take panoramic photos, which can be displayed in 3D on compatible televisions.

Content can be shared through TVs via Wi-Fi or a HDMI cable to view videos, games or photos on a bigger screen.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus

Samsung Galaxy Nexus

  • OS: Android
  • Network: Vodafone
  • Price: TBC

This device is a collaboration between Google and Samsung and it’s the first phone to feature the latest version of Android – Ice Cream Sandwich.

The new version of the operating system lets users unlock their phones with facial recognition, share content through NFC and view how much data they’re using from their phones.

As for the phone itself, it has a 4.65-inch 720p resolution Contour Display, is 8.84mm thick and has a 1.2GHz dual core processor.

HTC Sensation

HTC Sensation

  • OS: Android
  • Networks: All (XE on O2 only)
  • Price: From free on bill pay, from €469 on prepay

The HTC Sensation offers a 4.3-inch display and runs on a powerful 1.2GHz processor.

Its 8-megapixel instant capture camera quickly takes images to ensure you don’t miss your shot. The camera can also take full HD video.

The HTC Sensation XE model boosts the processor to 1.5GHz and is configured to Beats Audio. It comes with Beats headphones, along with a Beats sound profile which aims to provide better sound quality.

HTC Titan

HTC Titan

  • OS: Windows Phone
  • Network: Vodafone
  • Price: From free on bill pay, from €499 on prepay

This smartphone has a large, 4.7-inch screen, giving you a bigger view of your videos and content on the web.

The device runs on Windows Phone 7.5, which has given the new OS an upgrade. It lets users edit Microsoft Office documents on the go, play games with Xbox LIVE and its People Hub gives quick access to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

The Titan also has an 8-megapixel camera, with a dedicated camera button on the phone for quick access to the camera.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play

  • OS: Android
  • Available: All networks
  • Price: From €159.99 on prepay

The Xperia Play is the first PlayStation phone, offering PlayStation games for your smartphone. Not only that, but the phone has a slide-out PlayStation controller with shoulder buttons, analogue touchpads, a D-pad and the four standard PlayStation buttons – circle, X, square and triangle.

The smartphone includes a 4-inch touchscreen and a 5-megapixel camera.

HTC Wildfire S

HTC Wildfire S

  • OS: Android
  • Networks: Vodafone, O2, eMobile, Meteor
  • Price: From €139.99 on prepay

This pocket-sized device aims to give you the benefits of a smartphone but without breaking the bank. It has a 3.2-inch touchscreen and a 5-megapixel camera.

You can send great apps to your friends’ phones or email using the App Sharing feature, and the Friends Stream lets you check all your social networking updates at once.

Samsung Galaxy Mini

Samsung Galaxy Mini

  • OS: Android
  • Networks: eMobile, Vodafone, O2, Meteor
  • Price: From €79.99 on prepay

The Samsung Galaxy Mini is an affordable Android smartphone with a compact form factor thanks to its 3.14-inch screen. It has a 3-megapixel camera for taking quick pictures on the go and Wi-Fi connectivity.

It includes SWYPE messaging, meaning you can slide your finger to each key on the onscreen keyboard and the phone recognises which letter you mean.