If you’re after an Android smartphone and don’t wish to splash too much cash there is plenty of choice available in the current mobile market. Narrowing down the huge variety of handsets can be problematic so we’re taking a look at a top ten of the best Android choices so far for this year to give you some idea of what’s out there.

We’ll give you a brief outline of these Android phones with some specs and prices and hopefully by the end of the roundup you may have an inkling about which one may be best for you. First off we’ll start with a couple of Samsung phones from the company’s Galaxy lineup. Any of the Galaxy handsets are worth your consideration and the Samsung Galaxy Y is a pretty nice looking phone. It has an 832MHz processor, 3-inch touchscreen and three-megapixel camera so obviously specs are nothing to write home about but certainly decent enough at the lower end of the market.

The Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 is another option worth a look and follows on from the Ace, a popular handset of its time. This handily compact handset is priced around £250 off-contract and features a dual-core processor, 3.8-inch touchscreen and up to 32GB of storage via microSD.

Next up there are some very decent HTC smartphones that won’t cost you the earth and one of those is the new HTC One V. This handset feels more like one of the premium variety and is at the top-end of the cheaper Android handsets but it may well be worth laying out that little bit extra for. Not only does it run on the latest Android OS, 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich but it also has a 1GHz processor, 3.7-inch display, 5-megapixel rear camera with 720p video capture, 512MB or RAM, 4GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD) and Beats by Dre audio.

Moving on to the HTC Explorer this can’t be said to have the same sleek styling as the One V and is definitely more chunky at 12.9mm thick. It features a 3.2-inch touchscreen, 3-megapixel camera and runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread plus the HTC Sense UI incorporating lock screen shortcuts and more.

The HTC Evo 3D was targeted as a high-end phone with 3D capability but didn’t set the world alight and so is now available much more cheaply. It therefore includes some tasty specs such as a 4.3-inch Super LCD display, dual-core processor, expandable memory, front and rear cameras and 3D video capture and playback and pre-loaded 3D content, with no 3D glasses necessary. This packs a lot of punch especially as it’s now available at only £20.50 on Vodafone.

Another very nice-looking handset is the HTC Sensation, which only last year was one of the best handsets out there and is now being offered at less expense. It has a 4.3-inch display with resolution of 960×540, sturdy aluminium shell and is now available free from Orange with a £20.50 monthly contract.

The Orange San Francisco 2 will set you back less than £100 on PAYG or £10.50 monthly on-contract. It features a 3.5-inch display, five-megapixel camera and runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Purchasers of the with-contract San Francisco 2 could qualify for cheaper tickets at the cinema or dining at Pizza Express.

The T-Mobile Vivacity is another Android option, priced at £90 on PAYG. It’s nicely designed has a 3.5-inch WVGA touch screen, five-megapixel camera and uses the Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system. The Vivacity also features WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and expandable storage up to 32GB.

Moving on to the Huawei Ascend and we have to say that purely for looks this would probably be most people’s choice. It’s a beautifully sleek handset and has a 4-inch display, five megapixel camera with auto-focus and flash and runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread. It will be on Vodafone at around £15 monthly.

The final smartphone in this selection is the LG Optimus 3D. Similarly to the HTC Evo 3D mentioned earlier, this has higher-than expected specs for an affordable phone as it was aimed at the higher end of the market but failed to hit massive success. It has a 4.3-inch display, dual-core processor, 3D gaming, playback and video capture and is now available free from as little as £18 monthly.

Out of this variety of affordable Android handsets we hope that at least one will suit your needs and be the new smartphone you’ve been looking for. Are there any other cheap Android phones that you’d add to this list at the moment? Maybe you already have one of the above and could recommend it to our readers?

Source: USwitch.com