Top Ten Phones of 2010

It’s been an interesting and busy year in the world of mobile phones. Countless new handsets have all been gunning for the top spot and trying to beat Apple’s iPhone. Stiff competition from Samsung and HTC has meant that the iPhone isn’t always the phone of choice – as our X-Factor giveaway showed. But which handset really was the winner in 2010?

With just 3 days left of 2010, I thought I’d take a look back at some of the top handsets from the last year and see just which of them came out on top – after all, it wouldn’t be right if we didn’t do an end of the year round up!

The handsets listed below are ranked on their popularity on the main Mobile Fun website from the 1st January through to today (29th December) and are based on a the number of people visiting the accessory pages for each handset.

There are a few surprises in here – most noticeable is that there are no handsets from Nokia, Motorola or LG.

10 – Sony Ericsson Xperia X10

Release Date: April 2010
Operating System: Android

At ten is the X10 from Sony Ericsson, it’s their only handset to make it into the top ten. It was their first handset to run the Android operating system and shows that Sony Ericsson aren’t just going to lie down and let the iPhone take over. The handset is crammed full of features, including a massive 4 inch screen, 8 megapixel camera with flash and a fast, 1GHz processor. Sony Ericsson have changed both the charging and headphone port on the phone, making the task of finding X10 Accessories easier than ever.

9 – HTC Desire HD

Release Date: October 2010
Operating System: Android

Some of the guys in the office were surprised to see the HTC Desire HD finish so low in the top ten. Although it’s hugely popular, it’s only been out for a few weeks, so to even finish in the top 10 is a great achievement. It won’t take it long to get to the top spot, and I’m certain that this is going to be one of the biggest Android phones of 2011. The Desire HD is essentially the same as the original HTC Desire, but with a few noticeable differences – the first, and most obvious is the screen size – 4.3 inches – perfect for internet browsing and watching videos. Other differences include more internal storage, more RAM, and an upgraded camera.

8 – iPhone 3G

Release Date: July 2008
Operating System: iOS

I bet you weren’t expecting to see the 2nd generation iphone in the top ten! At 2 and a half years old, this is the oldest handset in our list and was officially discontinued by Apple back in July. For it to still be in the top ten there must be a lot of people keeping them after their contracts have expired or passing them on to friends and family when they upgrade. The iPhone 3G uses the same wide range of iPhone accessories as the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4, with the exception of a few speakers and docks.

7 – Samsung Galaxy S

Release Date: June 2010
Operating System: Android

Samsung hadn’t had much success with Android handsets, not until they launched the Galaxy S anyway. The phone was released almost at the same time as iPhone 4 and proved to be a great alternative. It matches or beats the spec of both the iPhone 4 and HTC Desire and has an equally stunning 4 inch display. The Samsung Galaxy S is without doubt the best Samsung phone of 2010 and it comes as no surprise that the Galaxy S is the only Samsung phone to feature in the top ten.

6 – BlackBerry Bold 9700

Release Date: November 2009
Operating System: BlackBerry

The media are saying that BlackBerry are having a tough time as more and more people are switch to Android and iOS devices, but that’s not necessarily the case. Two BlackBerry handsets have made it into the top ten – thanks mainly to their large corporate user base. The BlackBerry Bold 9700 is the professional’s ‘Berry of choice as it has fast 3G internet, a clear, high resolution screen and is perfect for messaging and emailing on the move. It’s interesting that their two touch screen efforts, the Torch and Storm2 didn’t even come close to making the top ten, finishing 26th and 46th respectively.

5 – iPhone 3GS

Release Date: July 2009
Operating System: iOS

The second iPhone to feature in the top ten is the iPhone 3GS – the faster version of the iPhone 3G. Visually they’re the same phone and all iPhone 3GS accessories also work with the iPhone 3G – the only real differences were to the internals of the phone. The 3GS has a faster processor and an improved camera. The iPhone 3GS is still available now, and will be until Apple announce iPhone 5 in July so I wouldn’t expect the 3GS to disappear any time soon.

4 – HTC HD2

Release Date: October 2009
Operating System: Windows Mobile 6.5

There is only Windows Mobile phone in our top ten – the HTC HD2. It shouldn’t really come as a surprise, as the HD2 is one of the best Windows 6.5 Smartphones we’ve ever used. The huge 4.3 inch screen makes using the OS pretty easy, despite it being designed for sylus based input. What is surprising though is that this is another fairly old handset, that’s now been replaced by the HD7 running Windows Phone 7.

3 – BlackBerry 8520 Curve

Release Date: August 2009
Operating System: BlackBerry

BlackBerry have always been associated with business users, but that all changed with the Curve series of phones. The original 8310 was a great handset that suited businesses on a budget, but it still didn’t really appeal to everyday consumers. Fast forward a couple of years, add in a much wider range of 8520 Curve accessories like covers and cases, freshen up the operating system and bring the price down and you get one of the most popular BlackBerry phones ever. It’s been around for a while and there’s plenty of life left in it, although the Curve 3G is gaining popularity and could soon knock it off it’s perch.

2 – iPhone 4

Release Date: July 2010
Operating System: iOS

No, you’re not seeing things  – the iPhone 4 isn’t the top handset of 2010, but it is a very close second. If it had been on sale for as long as the phone in first place, it would easily have taken the top spot. iPhone 4 is still the handset that manufacturers are trying to beat and the only one who seems to have achieved the impossible so far looks to be HTC – having said that, no-one can touch the iPhone for simplicity of use, it’s stunning looks, app store content or the huge range of iPhone 4 accessories.

Finally then, the Number one handset of 2010 is the HTC Desire.

Release Date: March 2010
Operating System: Android

It’s the closest thing to an iPhone killer that you’ll get and one that Android fans have been desperate to get their hands on. The Desire is easily the most popular Android phone out there, although the Desire HD will catch it up pretty soon. The Desire was the first mainstream handset to get a fast 1GHz processor and has an amazing screen. The range of Desire accessories is growing all the time too, although it will have a tough time matching or beating the number of iPhone 4 cases that are available!

So there we are, that’s our top handsets of 2010. Any surprises? Should any other handsets have made it? Let us know in the comments.