Best Unlocked Phones

There's plenty to gain from buying an unlocked phone. In some cases, you can even unlock the phone you already have, although the particulars depend on the handset. Our Editors' Choices for unlocked phones are the Samsung Galaxy S II smartphone and the Nokia C3-01 Touch and Type feature phone, which are both as good or better than the best subsidized phones you'll find at U.S. carriers.

FEATURED IN THIS ROUNDUP:

Apple iPhone 4

Price: $649 direct
Apple’s iPhone 4 adds a gorgeous screen, a terrific camera, and a faster processor to the already-awesome iPhone app experience, though voice calls still aren’t its forte. The iPhone supports AT&T's 3G bands; on T-Mobile it would be stuck on 2G EDGE.

Editors' Note: We didn't test the unlocked iPhone, but the AT&T version is symbolic of the phone's general performance. The biggest difference between the two models is price: You'll pay $199 for the AT&T-subsidized handset, but it requires a two-year contract. Read the full review ››

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JUST5 J509

Price: $89.99 direct
This is as simple as phones get, with extras that make it especially appealing to seniors, as well as everyday technophobes. As a 2G phone, the J509 works equally well with AT&T and T-Mobile. Read the full review ››

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Nokia C3-01 Touch and Type

Price: $139 street
The Nokia C3-01 is a slim and slick voice phone with an excellent camera, music player, and Web browser, and it’s easier to use than the company’s real (Series 60) Symbian smartphones. The C3-01 works on AT&T's 3G network and T-Mobile's 2G EDGE network. Read the full review ››

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Nokia E5

Price: $179 street
The Nokia E5 is one for the traditional BlackBerry fans; it’s a solid, affordable messaging smartphone, even if it feels a bit obsolete in a world of touch screen devices. The E5 works on AT&T's 3G network and T-Mobile's 2G EDGE network. Read the full review ››

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Nokia E7

Price: $429 street
For die-hard Symbian fans, the Nokia E7 is a high-end, beautiful farewell as the company shifts to Microsoft’s mobile OS, but current Android and iOS devices owners will find the user interface baffling. The E7 works on both AT&T's and T-Mobile's 3G networks. Read the full review ››

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Samsung Galaxy S II

Price: $445.00
The top-of-the-heap unlocked Samsung Galaxy S II delivers in almost every way—that is, if you can afford its high price. It's also one of the few truly high-speed, HSPA+ 21 phones for AT&T's network, although it's stuck in the EDGE slow lane with T-Mobile. Read the full review ››

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Sonim XP3300 Force

Price: $525 direct
The Sonim XP3300 Force is one of the world's toughest, most indestructible phones. As a 2G phone, it works equally well on AT&T and T-Mobile. Read the full review ››

Nokia 500

ESPOO, Finland – First of August sees the launch of a new smartphone, the Nokia 500. Boasting a 1GHz processor, changeable back covers plus the Symbian Anna operating system, this is a nifty, personalisable performer that comes in at a price that won’t break the bank. Read on for all the details.

If you’re looking for a low-cost, full-function smartphone, then the Nokia 500 should meet your needs and more. As you can see from the pictures, this is a touch-screen phone. It’s got a 3.2-inch capacitive touch display, with a screen resolution of 640 x 360 pixels. On the back, there’s a 5-megapixel camera that can also capture video – ideal for holiday snaps and days out.

The Nokia 500 comes with the latest Symbian Anna OS, offering a refreshed UI, a better browser and split-screen messaging. As you’d expect, preinstalled you’ll find the latest version of Nokia Maps for free drive and walk navigation, plus you can download every other app you might need from the Store. If you’re anything like us, then your first week with the phone will be occupied filling and then emptying the phone of dozens of apps. The music player is complemented by an FM radio receiver and Internet Radio access to all the music and news you might need, not just from your own country, but from around the world. Social Media is catered for through the Social app, bringing friends’ updates to your homescreen.
Under the hood, there’s the 1GHz processor – allowing for plenty of oomph when you’re multitasking lots of apps or doing something extra-demanding. There’s 2GB of storage memory, plus the possibility of increasing this by a further 32GB using the micro-SD card slot. Like all our recent smartphones, it offers pentaband radio coverage so world travellers need never be out of touch, 3G data up to HSUPA speeds [that’s a whopping maximum speed of 5.8Mbps nowadays, by the way]. There’s also Bluetooth 2.1 and Wi-Fi b/g, as you’d expect. The phone measures 111.3 x 53.8 x 14.1mm and weighs in at 93g – lighter than any other Symbian^3 phone to date.
It’s also worth mentioning the battery, which despite the faster processor, still manages to pull off a very respectable performance. For us, that’s an absolute priority. The battery will see you through 5-7 hours talk time, 450+ hours in standby mode or up to 35 hours of music playback, if that’s your thing.

13 Best Android Phone

The greatest thing about Google's Android mobile OS: You have your choice of top-notch handsets on every carrier—even the little guys. Behold, the best Android phones you can buy. Here are the choices by Wendy Sheehan Donnell from pcmag.com

T-Mobile G2x With Google

 
The fast and fully loaded T-Mobile G2x with Google is the fastest, smoothest Android smartphone available today.

Samsung Galaxy S 4G (T-Mobile)

The Samsung Galaxy S 4G, with its faster data connection, refreshed styling, and Android 2.2 OS, is a stellar performer that doubles as a great laptop modem.

Motorola Atrix 4G (AT&T)

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.

HTC Inspire 4G (AT&T)

The HTC Inspire 4G can hold its own against the iPhone 4 and other top smartphones on AT&T. This high-quality super-phone is loaded with useful apps and makes a good big-screen theater for videos.

HTC Thunderbolt
(Verizon Wireless)

 
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.

Samsung Droid Charge (Verizon Wireless)

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.

HTC EVO Shift 4G (Sprint)

The HTC EVO Shift 4G is a powerful, less costly alternative to the EVO 4G on Sprint, and gives hardware keyboard fans another choice besides the Samsung Epic 4G.

LG Optimus S (Sprint)

The Optimus S is the best budget Android phone on Sprint, a well-tuned, feature-packed touch-screen slab with all of the functionality most consumers and small business users need.

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.

Samsung Galaxy Prevail (Boost Mobile)

 
With a service plan that gives you unlimited talk, text, and data on Sprint's 3G network for just 50 bucks a month, the Samsung Galaxy Prevail gives Boost Mobile users a lot of Android-powered goodness for their buck.

LG Optimus C (Cricket Wireless)

 
The LG Optimus C offers a perfect balance of features, price, and functionality, making it the best choice for smartphone users on Cricket Wireless.

LG Optimus M (MetroPCS)

 
The LG Optimus M is a solid Android smartphone, and a great way to take advantage of the money-saving unlimited plans on MetroPCS.

LG Optimus V (Virgin Mobile)

 
With a good mix of features and performance for the price, the LG Optimus V is a just-powerful-enough smartphone for Virgin Mobile that also saves you money every month.