It has been a crazy and exciting year in smartphones, there were more choices and more varied results on top best lists then we ever seen before. Soon, we will have the final result countdown for the Top Ten Best Cooles Hottest Smartphones of 2011 from Wireless and Mobile News' Review of Reviews.
Today, we review Digital Trends picks for the year. They have done something we haven't seen before for Verizon Wireless, after stating that they give five choices they list six winners. This is of course due to the fact the Galaxy Nexus came out last week and has not been reviewed by many outlets while lists are typically published in late November or early December.
Rating best by carriers is helpful but also puts a lot of choices on the list. We have taken their data and included in the super distillation database.
DT has also picked Windows Phones for each carrier and there isn't a single RIM BlackBerry in the bunch. Once again the Samsung Galaxy SII appeared for all carriers except Verizon Wireless where it is supplanted by the Galaxy Nexus. This is the first list with the iPhone 4S named for every carrier where it is offered.
So far, we've covered CNET's Best Top Ten Smartphones of 2011 and Consumer Reports' top best-rated choices for Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, AT&T and Sprint as well as PC World and PCMag.
It appears reviewers are getting overwhelmed and throwing everything but the kitchen sink into to mix. However, because Wireless and Mobile News recipe is take every review and distill it through the balanced weighting machine, once we put all the ratings together we will present to you the best of the best top ten coolest hottest smartphones of 2011. Before you decide which smartphone relationship you want to be married to for two years, it's best to decide what you want the phone to do for you. Some people are happy with an original RAZR because they use the phone only to make phone calls.
When available, we follow the DT summary by the Wireless and Mobile News' Review of Review WMNS RoR rating and best price.
Verizon Wireless Top Best Hottest Coolest Smartphones:
- Samsung Galaxy Nexus 4.5/5 - Named as the top best even before the price was known and even before it was reviewed, this choice illustrates how much buzz the Nexus received. In the full review, after release, DT liked the new Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, fast camera shutter, data speeds, NFC but didn't like the battery life or contacts app.
- iPhone 4S 4/5- DT liked the new features the iPhone 4S such as dual-core processor, new iOS and Siri.
- Droid RAZR 4/5 - DT liked that is the thinnest phone on the market, decent battery, touchscreen and strength. They didn't like the camera or bland interface. WMNS ROR' reviewers of the DROID RAZR gave it Editors' Choice and rated it well for being the fastest and thinnest for now. Verizon Wireless sells the DROID RAZR for $299 and is offering double data through the holidays as well as $100 off a Droid Xyboard and $50 off Motorola accessories. Amazon Wireless as of this writing is selling it for $169.99 for new customers.
- HTC Rezound 3.5/5- Best features are the Beats enhanced audio, dual-core processor and HTC Sense UI. WMNS Dare 2 Compare of the RAZR vs Rezound, revealed the RAZR winning one and losing the other comparison. HTC Rezound at Amazon is $149.99 for new customers and renewing customers.
- Droid Bionic 3.5/5- Well-rated for great data, Motorola widgets speeds disliked for short battery life. WMNS RoR reviewers of the Droid Bionic all agreed that it is the fastest smartphone on the Verizon network and gave it the honor of Editors' Choice. Online retailer Amazon is selling the Droid Bionic for $49.99 for new customers with a contract or $179.99 for renewing customers.
- HTC Trophy - The first Windows Phone from Verizon Wireless with XBox gaming features.
AT&T Top Best Hottest Coolest Smartphones:
- Samsung Galaxy SII 4.5/5 - Although made of plastic (back), it's light and favored for its fast processor. The best price for new customers today is Amazon Wireless at $129.99 for new customers and renewing customers pay $149.99.
- iPhone 4S 4/5 - DT liked the new features the iPhone 4S such as dual-core processor, new iOS and Siri.
- Motorola Atrix 2 4/5-It has dual-core processor, high quality screen and comfortable design but poor volume toggle, ugly UI and camera.
- LG Thrill 4G 4/5 - With a less invasive UI and better 3D experience than the HTC EVO 3D, the LG Thrill 4G is good value. WMNS RoR' reviewers rated the call quality, good to great and liked that you can connect the smartphone to an HDMI TV.
- Samsung Focus- Reviewers of the Samsung Focus all raved about the Super AMOLED touchscreen, excellent Zune media player and great camera with flash. We find this to be a weird choice because it was released in the fall of 2010 and made an appearance on lists, last year.
Sprint Top Best Hottest Coolest Smartphones:
- Motorola Photon 4G 3.75/5 - With a great design, widgets, data speeds, it falls short in screen quality, camera, bland UI and lack of 4G LTE. Wireless and Mobile News' Review of Reviews rated it 4.25 out of 5. Reviewers of the Motorola Photon 4G raved about its power, great audio/video playing, excellent call quality, global voice/data roaming, touchscreen, media dock, HDMI mirroring to HDTV and fast data speeds. The Motorola Photon 4G sells for $199 with a contract from Sprint. Amazon Wireless sells it for as low as $49.99.
- iPhone 4S 4/5- DT liked the new features the iPhone 4S such as dual-core processor, new iOS and Siri.
- Samsung Galaxy SII 4.5 - Called the nicest overall Android Phone on Sprint and future-proof. The Samsung Epic 4G Touch, sells for $199 from Sprint with a rebate, Amazon Wireless is selling it for $79.99 for new and renewing customers which may change depending on what sale is going on.
- Samsung Nexus S - A good buy, it has pure Android and Super AMOLED touchscreen. WMNS RoR' reviewers liked the pure Google experience, brilliant Super AMOLED touchscreen, snappy performance, improvements to Android 2.3 Gingerbread, and improved keyboard. The update to Android 4.0 was recently pulled.
- HTC Arrive - DT liked for keyboard and impressive Windows Phone 7.
T-Mobile Top Best Hottest Coolest Smartphones:
- HTC Amaze 4G 4/5 -- Pros include a the fast processor and great camera, while the design is called "strange." T-Mobile sells it for $229.99 while Amazon Wireless is selling it for $199.99.
- MyTouch 4G Slide 4/5 - Has a low price, dual-core processor and solid hardware, but it is a bit heavy, and the the keyboard is flat. WMNS RoR' reviewers found it to be an excellent choice for those who need a super fast smartphone with a keyboard on the T-Mobile network.
- Samsung Galaxy SII 4.5/5 - Although made of plastic (back), it's light and favored for its fast processor. The list price from T-Mobile is $229.99 or you can get the Samsung Galaxy SII from Amazon Wireless for new and renewing customers for $199.99.
- T-Mobile G2X 3.75/5 - Was given "best deal" for this Super AMOLED touchscreen, battery life and processor. The cameras however were poo and it lacks a microSD card. WMNS RoR' reviewers and editors loved the T-Mobile G2x, giving it two Editor's Choice awards. It was called the best Android phone in America, seductive, and the phone to beat on the T-Mobile network
- HTC HD7 -called a great option for for a large screen Windows Phone.
- See all of the top best smartphones of the year on this page.
FYI - given Spring 4G is Wimax and not LTE, how can you criticize only one Sprint phone for not having LTE? If a reviewer doesn't know that much about a phone or carrier, what else makes them qualified to review a phone? None of these reviews mean anything when the reviewers do not know what they're testing.
Good points. We didn't write the original review. We compile them. We're just the messenger.