The Best Android Phones

It's hard to believe that it's been just three years since Google's open-source Android mobile operating system hit the scene. When the first Android phone, the T-Mobile G1, was released, the mobile landscape looked very different. Most people carried simple handsets that focused on making calls. If you were lucky, you could listen to music or play games on your mobile phone. Back then, you didn't have to have a smartphone that ran thousands of apps to let you, in the palm of your hand, do many of the things your computer could do. Apps weren't even a thing yet. Apple had only released the iPhone 3G and launched its groundbreaking App Store a couple of months earlier. 

It was the introduction of Android that helped propel the app-based smartphone to what it is today. The thing Android offered, which Apple's iPhone couldn't, was choice. Since it was an open-source platform, several hardware manufacturers could use the OS on their handsets, and a variety of wireless carriers could offer those phones—and they did.

A year after Android was released, in the U.S. there was a single Apple iPhone on a single carrier, but there were eight different Android handsets with varying form factors available on three of the four major carriers. Today, you can find a variety of Android phones on AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless. According to Comscore, Android enjoys 45 percent of the U.S. smartphone market.

That's a lot of phones to choose from. To come up with our list, we've chosen two winners for each of the four major carriers, and if you're contract-phobic, the best unlocked handset. If you've settled on Android as your mobile platform, these phones are your best bets—for now, that is. At this rate of growth, we can assure you that there's another great 'Droid right around the corner.

 

Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket SGH-I727 (AT&T)

 
The Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket SGH-I727 offers blistering AT&T LTE data speeds, a massive screen, and very fast dual-core performance.

Motorola Atrix 2 (AT&T)

The Motorola Atrix 2 for AT&T is still based on an idea that's ahead of its time. But if you're the geeky type, you can have plenty of fun with this 4G phone that, with the right accessories, transforms into other devices.

Motorola Photon 4G (Sprint)

 
The Motorola Photon 4G is Sprint's super-duper, top-of-the-line phone. It can even double as a nettop PC in a pinch. The Photon is one of the most powerful Android handsets you can buy today, and a shining example of what a smartphone in 2011 should be.

 

Samsung Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch (Sprint)

The Samsung Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch packs a rich, gorgeous screen and a speedy dual-core processor making it a top Android choice for Sprint.

Samsung Galaxy S II (T-Mobile)

 
The Samsung Galaxy S II combines a blistering dual-core processor, a terrific screen, and fast HSPA+ 42 speeds to make it the top Android smartphone available on T-Mobile right now.

HTC Amaze 4G (T-Mobile)

The HTC Amaze 4G has a big beautiful screen, a great camera, and fast HSPA+ 42 speeds, making it an excellent choice for Android smartphones on T-Mobile. 

Motorola Droid Bionic (Verizon Wireless)

 
If you're looking for lightning-fast Web access, top-notch apps, and unique features, the Android-based Motorola Droid Bionic is your phone. It can even transform into a laptop or a desktop PC. 

Motorola Droid RAZR (Verizon Wireless)

 
The Motorola Droid RAZR is Verizon's classiest, most powerful smartphone for now, but it may be quickly outpaced by competitors.

HTC Rezound (Verizon Wireless)

The HTC Rezound distinguishes itself from a sea of Android smartphones with enhanced Beats Audio and high-quality earphones, along with fast data speeds on Verizon's 4G LTE network.

Samsung Galaxy S II (Unlocked)

 
The finest Android smartphone available today, the unlocked Samsung Galaxy S II delivers in almost every way. Thing is, it's so expensive, it almost prices itself out of the market.