Top 5 gaming smartphones of 2010
If you're a fan of mobile gaming you'll no doubt be aware of the great strides forward the smartphone market made last year in terms of removing the need for dedicated handheld consoles, with processors becoming more powerful and large amounts of RAM, huge screens and graphics processors becoming the norm. With newer, more powerful devices about to hit the shops, last year's best can be yours for a fraction of the price so we thought we'd break them down to find out which of last year's devices offers the most to gamers.
Nokia N900 - Requiring a bit more effort to get the best out of it, the Nokia N900 never quite made a splash in the mainstream, but underestimate its power at your peril. Boasting a 600MHz ARM Cortex A8 processor with PowerVR GPU and 256MB RAM, the N900 can keep time with even the most demanding of mobile games. And when you factor in the availability of open source emulators and ROM's and TV-Out functionality, you're left with a package that not only excels on the hoof but can also be turned into virtually any retro console for your living room.
iPhone 4 - Unless you've been living in a cave for the last 18-months you'll be aware of many of the virtues of Apple's latest work of art, the iPhone 4. As well as its many other features the iPhone 4 boasts a powerful 1GHz Apple A4 CPU, capable of rendering blisteringly fast graphics and top quality audio, which really does take mobile gaming to the next level. Control is a cinch on the iPhone 4, thanks to the on-board gyroscope and hugely responsive capacitive touchscreen and you're also able to tap into the wealth of software available via Apple's App Store, which includes iOS re-duxes of many of your favourite games.
HTC Desire HD - If you want a bit of extra screen real estate to supplement your gaming experience you'll want to give HTC's Desire HD a look. It offers a huge, vibrant 4.3-inch Super-LCD display, capable of excellent colour reproduction and you'll also have the benefit of a super-fast 1GHz Snapdragon processor and 768MB RAM to ensure that your games run as the developer intended. If you're an audiophile you'll also be happy to know that the Desire HD boasts Dolby Mobile and SRS enhancement, which offers unparalleled audio clarity on the move.
Samsung Nexus S - Only making it into 2010's list by the skin of its teeth, Samsung's Nexus S harnesses the power of the most up-to-date iteration of Google's Android OS, 2.3 (aka Gingerbread) to make gaming a hugely rewarding experience. With a 1GHz Hummingbird CPU, 512MB RAM and a three-axis gyroscopic sensor support included, you can be sure your titles will run smoothly and with the pinnacle of control. On top of that you can rest easy knowing your device won't be obsolete in a hurry thanks to the vanilla installation of Android, which means that you'll be the first to receive firmware upgrades which will bring local and online multiplayer gaming to the forefront of the smartphone scene.
Nokia N8 - Another device offering blisteringly fast hardware is Nokia's N8, a device which first wowed the crowds with its unrivalled photographic capabilities. The N8 comes packing a 680MHz ARM 11 processor, 256MB RAM and hardware graphics acceleration, which combine to offer users a rich and rewarding gaming experience, supplemented by the diverse selection of games on offer in Nokia's OVI store. You can also make use of the N8's HDMI-out capability to bring your favourite titles to a high definition TV!
2011 will definitely be a year dominated by powerful dual-core devices with tons of RAM and increasingly advanced technology but any one of these devices listed will allow you to hold your own for the foreseeable and won't dent your bank balance for the privilege. So shop smart and treat yourself, you won't regret it.
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