Best Touch Screen Phones

The iPhone really started the touch screen craze, but it's not the only game in town. You might want a higher resolution camera, or a cheaper data plan than the iPhone offers. Or maybe you don't want to use AT&T. We take a look at the top touch screen phones on all carriers at a variety of prices.

iPhone 4S The iPhone 4S hardly needs an introduction: it's Apple's latest and greatest (yes greatest) iPhone yet, and it's available on three of the big four carriers. Each carrier uses the same hardware, with only software and firmware differences setting them apart. The iPhone 4S has a dual core Apple A5 CPU that's twice as fast as the iPhone 4, and it's available in three storage capacities. It uses the same 3.5" Retina Display as the iPhone 4, and it has an improved 8 megapixel camera that can shoot 1080p video. It runs the new iOS 5 operating system and it has the remarkable Siri voice-activated personal assistant.	AT&T, Sprint and Verizon	Oct. 2011	$199 to $399
Samsung Galaxy S II (AT&T) One of the hottest high end phones of 2011 has made it to AT&T, and it's virtually unchanged from the overseas version. That's not a bad thing since the phone keeps the manageable yet capacious 4.3" Super AMOLED Plus display and super-fast Samsung Exynos dual core 1.2GHz CPU that sets a new limit for speed. This Android super-phone has an 800 x 480 capacitive touch screen, 4G HSPA+, an admirable 8 megapixel main camera plus front video chat camera. Did we mention that it's literally pencil-thin? The Samsung Galaxy S II has earned our Editor's Choice award, and should be on your short list when shopping for a smartphone on AT&T.	AT&T	Sept. 2011	$199
HTC Sensation 4G T-Mobile and HTC's new flagship Android smartphone is hard not to love. It's got a lovely and classy unibody design, the latest Android phone OS and a 4.3" qHD 960 x 540 pixel display vs. the usual 800 x 480. The dual core 1.2 GHz Snapdragon CPU with Adreno 220 graphics keeps things like 1080p video, 3D games and Adobe Flash humming along smoothly and the main 8 megapixel camera can even shoot 1080p video. This is the first US phone to run HTC Sense 3.0, and we give it a thumbs for usefulness and good looks. The Sensation 4G it has 4G HSPA+ and a mobile hotspot feature along with the usual WFi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 and a GPS.	T-Mobile	June 2011	$199
T-Mobile LG G2x Once in a while, a manufacturer really surprises us in a good way. LG, who'd been banished to entry and mid-tier phones, has come up with an Android superphone that's won our Editor's Choice award. Sure, the specs look great, but more importantly everything just works well and the materials and build quality are downright elegant. The G2x is T-Mobile's latest flagship phone, and it's the cousin to the LG Optimus 2x overseas. It has a dual core 1GHz Tegra 2 CPU, a really lovely 4" IPS display running at 800 x 480 resolution, 4G HSPA+, an 8 megapixel shooter than can do 1080p video plus a front video chat camera. Combine that with pure Android 2.2 Froyo and solid battery life, and you've got the T-Mobile G2x by LG.	T-Mobile	April 2011	$199
Samsung Infuse 4G The Infuse 4G is an easy phone to fall in love with: it has a gorgeous and huge 4.5" Super AMOLED Plus display yet it's very slim and potentially pocketable. This Android OS 2.2 Froyo smartphone runs Samsung TouchWiz on a 1.2GHz Hummingbird CPU with graphics acceleration that indeed hums along nicely. The battery capacity verges on extended with 1750 mAh of power and the phone has HSPA+ 21 Mbps 4G with HSUPA uploads (no speed cap here). Throw in 16 gigs of storage and two cameras with a very good 8 megapixel rear main camera and you've got a summer blockbuster on AT&T.	AT&T	May 2011	$199
Motorola Atrix 2 The Motorola Atrix 2 has crept out from under the iPhone 4S' coattails this weekend for a mere $99 on contract. That doesn't mean the Atrix 2 isn't an excellent high end Android smartphone. What's improved from the original Atrix? The Atrix 2 has a larger 4.3" qHD display that's more colorful and brighter. Text is easier to read on the larger display, and movies are more enjoyable too. The phone has HSPA+ 21 Mbps, and we indeed got faster speeds vs. 14.4 Mbps AT&T. The Atrix 2 has Webtop and works with the optional Lapdock 100 that turns it into a an ultraportable notebook of sorts.	AT&T	Oct. 2011	$99
HTC Thunderbolt The HTC Thunderbolt is Verizon's latest flagship Android smartphone. The Thunderbolt has Verizon's wickedly fast 4G LTE for download speeds ranging from 8 to 15 megs on the phone and sometimes faster when using the WiFi hotspot sharing utility that provides a broadband connection to your notebook, iPad or other device. We love the large 4.3" display and kickstand that lets you kick back and watch streaming movies comfortably and the phone's fast second gen Snapdragon CPU. The 8 megapixel rear camera takes sharp shots and 720p video and there's a front-facing camera as well. The Thunderbolt isn't perfect, but it is one of the top smartphones on the market right now.	Verizon	March 2011	$249
HTC EVO 3D The HTC EVO 4G is a hard act to follow. Sprint's former flagship phone was a real crowd pleaser thanks to its at the time fast CPU, large display and 4G. How do you top that? Double the cores while increasing CPU speed, raise display resolution and throw in a 3D display and camera. That's the EVO 3D, a 1.2 GHz dual core Android OS 2.3 Gingerbread smartphone with WiMAX 4G, a qHD4.3" display and a glassless 3D display (don't worry, it does 2D too). The phone is built like a tank, yet it's good looking and it's slim despite the beefy battery inside. If you're looking for the new flagship phone on Sprint, this is it.	Sprint	June 2011	$199
HTC Inspire 4G AT&T is getting serious with Android now that their iPhone exclusivity is over, and the Inspire 4G is one lovely high end Android phone at a reasonable price. The Inspire 4G has HSPA+ 4G, a sharp 4.3" SLCD display running at 800 x 480 resolution and a second gen 1GHz Snapdragon CPU. The unibody aluminum alloy body is sumptuous and the 8 megapixel camera with dual LED flash does 720p video with aplomb. The Inspire runs Android OS 2.2 Froyo with HTC Sense software. It's quickly become one of our favorite Android smartphones.	AT&T	Feb. 2011	$99
Nexus S 4G The fast, clean and attractive Nexus S has made its way to Sprint and gained 4G in the process. The Nexus S 4G, like the GSM version, remains one of our favorite smartphones, even though it's not a new kid on the block. 4G is a very welcome addition and the Nexus S 4G has a vivid 4" Super AMOLED display, 1 GHz Hummingbird CPU, NFC, both front and rear cameras and 16 gigs of storage. Android OS 2.3.4 Gingerbread steals the show here in its pure form, complete with Gtalk video chat. Since it's a Google branded phone (though made by Samsung), timely OS updates should be yours with this phone.	Sprint	May 2011	$199
BlackBerry Bold 9900 It's been quite some time since RIM introduced a new BlackBerry smartphone. Now we've got three new touchscreen 'Berries launching together. In this review we look at T-Mobile version of the Bold 9900. This is definitely RIM's best BlackBerry yet, with a perfect keyboard, capacitive touch screen, 1.2GHz CPU and plenty of RAM. The Bold 9900 has 4G HSPA+ and a much improved web browser with a more social BBM.	T-Mobile	Aug. 2011	$299
Samsung Focus The Focus is the hottest Windows 7 Phone on AT&T thanks to its stunning Super AMOLED display, slim design and user accessible microSD card slot. The display has eye-popping colors, is sharp and is quite viewable outdoors. The Focus, like all Windows 7 phones has a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU with graphics acceleration, plenty of internal storage, a 5 megapixel camera that takes very nice shots, a GPS, Bluetooth and WiFi 802.11n. Of the first launch group of US Windows 7 phones, the Focus is our favorite.	AT&T	Nov. 2010	$199
T-Mobile myTouch 4G The myTouch 4G is T-Mobile's first high end Android smartphone in that line. It wants to compete with superphones, and that means the T-Mobile G2 and Samsung Vibrant on T-Mobile. The myTouch 4G is made by HTC and it has solid build quality, feels great in the hand and it comes in four colors. The phone has an 800 x 480 multi-touch capacitive display and a 1GHz second gen Snapdragon CPU that keeps Android OS 2.2 Froyo zipping along. Like the myTouch 3G Slide it has newbie-friendly mySense software that may not be pretty but it is indeed helpful without being intrusive. Other goodies include 4G HSPA+, WiFi including WiFi calling and Hotspot features, an FM radio, front-facing video conferencing camera, a 5 megapixel main camera and a GPS with compass.	T-Mobile	Nov. 2010	$199