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Buying Guide: The 10 Best Touch-Screen Phones
It was touch-and-go for a time, but the touch-screen interface has finally become mainstream. In the past, it was relatively tough to round up 10 good touch-screen products. These days, high-quality touch-screen-based interfaces have made their way into PCs, tablets, phones, PMPs, digital cameras, and a host of other devices.
The introduction of the original iPhone back in 2007 sparked a touch-screen revolution in the smartphone space. With its gorgeous 3.5-inch Multi-Touch screen with support for pinch and zoom, well-designed, finger-friendly interface, and top-notch mobile Web experience, the iPhone served as a prime example of the potential of the keyboard-free phone.
After that, every major manufacturer took its own stab at the touch-screen smartphone. Some succeeded, and some, well, not so much. RIM's first touch-screen handset, the BlackBerry Storm, for example, was panned in our original review for a buggy, imprecise touch interface that was difficult to use. It took a major firmware upgrade six months later for us to recommend the Storm. And since then, we've seen plenty of hard-to-use touch-screen phones that left us begging for physical keyboards and controls.
Four years later, though, there's no shortage of innovative, easy-to-use touch-screen-only smartphones, so we've picked the top models on each major carrier, along with the best unlocked phone. If you're looking for phone with a hardware keyboard, you won't find it here. (Though we've rounded up the Best Phones With Keyboards, too.) But if you're willing to say farewell to the physical keyboard for good, look no further than our favorite touch-screen phones.
FEATURED IN THIS STORY (BY CARRIER)
AT&T
Apple iPhone 4
$199.99
Apple's iPhone 4 adds a gorgeous screen, a terrific camera, and a faster processor to add to the already-awesome iPhone app experience, but voice calling still isn't this phone's priority.
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HTC Inspire 4G
$99.99
The HTC Inspire 4G, AT&T's premiere Android phone (at least for now) can hold its own against the iPhone 4 and other top smartphones.
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Motorola Atrix 4G
$199.99
Motorola's Atrix 4G, the unique bleeding-edge superphone that can transform itself into a PC, shows how we'll likely be using our mobile devices in the year 2020. But to get a taste of the future, you'll have to pay, and deal with some bugs along the way.
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SPRINT
HTC EVO 4G
$299.99
If you live online, the EVO offers a big, beautiful, and powerful window to the world. The first WiMAX phone in the U.S. is a terrific platform for streaming media and Web browsing, and it gets your laptop online with Sprint's 4G network.
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T-MOBILE
T-Mobile G2x With Google
$199.99
The loaded T-Mobile G2x with Google is the fastest, smoothest Android smartphone available today.
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HTC Sensation 4G
$199.99
The touch-screen, Android-based HTC Sensation is T-Mobile's biggest and best smartphone yet.
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VERIZON WIRELESS
Motorola Droid X
$299.99
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Motorola Droid X takes the crown for the most powerful Android smartphone away from the HTC Droid Incredible. The huge 4.3-inch, 854-by-480 screen makes maneuvering the phone's excellent interface with your finger a breeze.
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HTC Thunderbolt
$179.99
The HTC Thunderbolt, the first 4G LTE smartphone for Verizon Wireless, has the fastest Web speeds we've ever seen, but be prepared to carry an extra battery.
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Samsung Droid Charge
$299.99
The Samsung Droid Charge skips the HTC Thunderbolt's Sense UI layer in favor of lighter weight and a better camera; both are killer handsets, as long as you don't need great battery life.
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UNLOCKED
Samsung Galaxy S II
$799.99
The top-of-the heap unlocked Samsung Galaxy S II delivers in almost every way. Thing is, it's so expensive, it almost prices itself out of the market.
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