Best Smartphones of MWC 2011

Last week saw the brightest stars of the mobile world converge on a not so sunny Barcelona for the annual Mobile World Conference, an event that has us smacking our lips every February at the thought of all the great new devices that will be unveiled.

This year's show didn't disappoint. There were literally dozens of amazing new devices that knocked our socks off but some stood out from that very distinguished crowd, catching our eye with their individuality, power, innovation and general brilliance. It's these devices that we bring you today – our top 5 smartphones of MWC!

HTC Desire S - HTC's Desire range has earned huge respect in the mobile world, thanks to solid construction and great implementation of Google's stellar Android OS. The newest addition to this highly esteemed stable is the Desire S, a device that aspires to be a worthy successor to the HTC Desire, Desire Z and Desire HD.

Featuring a 1GHz Scorpion CPU with Adreno GPU, 768MB RAM and a high quality 5-megapixel camera (which also boasts 720P video capture) all nestled beneath a vivid 3.7-inch S-LCD display, the Desire S certainly represents an upgrade to almost any device on the market, and the package is made all the more attractive for HTC's custom overlay, 'Sense UI', which has the already good looking Android OS looking sharper than ever!

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play - Mobile World Conference saw the official unveiling of Sony Ericsson's long awaited PlayStation smartphone, the Xperia Play.

This device aims to bridge the gap between mobile games consoles and smartphones.

The Xperia Play comes packed to the gills with the latest tech, including a 1GHz Scorpion processor with additional Adreno GPU, 5-megapixel camera and a gorgeous 4-inch display that will do the next generation of mobile games justice.

On the subject of games, the Xperia Play will come bearing Sony's PlayStation suite app, which will provide users with all the latest games, news and downloads. So get ready to ditch the DS and part with the PSP, because you won't need anything more than your Xperia Play in future.

HP Veer - A small but perfectly formed addition to this most impressive of line-ups, the HP Veer offers everything you'd expect of a top-end smartphone and packs it into an amazingly small package. Measuring only 84 x 54.5 x 15.1 mm, and weighing in at a paltry 103g, the Veer boasts a fantastic feature set, including an 800Mhz Qualcomm Scorpion CPU (with Adreno GPU), a 2.6-inch capacitive touchscreen and 8GB of on-board storage, as well as the latest and greatest version of HP/Palm's incredibly user-friendly WebOS.

So if you're after a full featured smartphone but don't want to ruin the line of your suit, check out the HP Veer, it's a mini-marvel.

LG Optimus 3D - LG used MWC to show just how far ahead of the curve it is, and the device which illustrated the point was the LG Optimus 3D. Boasting Android 2.2,  a custom designed 3D user interface, 512MB RAM and a dual-core ARM Cortex A9 chip, the Optimus 3D sits firmly at the cutting edge of mobile hardware, and with features like 720P 3D video capture it's going to be there for quite some time.

You're also treated to stereoscopic still image capture, courtesy of the dual 5-megapixel cameras and access to all the latest games via the Android Market, which should run super smoothly thanks to the hugely impressive processor and PowerVR graphics acceleration.

So if you're after a device which, in all honesty, wouldn't be out of place in a Sci-Fi movie, you should look up the LG Optimus 3D when it hits stores in the next couple of weeks.

Samsung Galaxy S II - We've saved the best 'til last this time around. Samsung's Galaxy S II is a superb piece of hardware. The device comes bristling with technology including an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera capable of 1080P video capture, 1GHz dual-core ARM Cortex A9 CPU, a 2-megapixel video call camera and either 16 or 32GB of on-board storage.

This already impressive spec-sheet becomes more so when you take into account that Samsung has packed all of this high-end functionality into a device that is only 8.5mm thick - yes, you read that right!

To top the package off as only Samsung knows how, the Galaxy S II is fitted with the latest example of the company's stellar screen technology – a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, which offers deep blacks, vivid colours and low power demands. When it hits stores in April, the Galaxy S II will sit firmly at the top of the Android tree, and you'd be remiss to overlook it.

We hope this little list has given you some food for thought as you look for your next device. Of course it isn't exhaustive but the devices we've mentioned are, at the time of writing, the very best on the market, and when you take into account some of the great deals on offer, you could get yourself set with some grade-a next gen tech for next to nothing!