Shop for cell phones

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.7 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 8 reviews

The Bottom Line: The iPhone 4S isn't the king of cell phones, but it's part of the royal family nonetheless. Even without 4G and a giant screen, this phone's smart(ass) voice assistant, Siri, the benefits of iOS 5, and its spectacular camera make it a top choice for anyone ready to upgrade. Read review

Specs: AT&T, CDMA2000 1X / GSM / WCDMA (UMTS), Up to 840 min (2G), Up to 480 min (3G), With digital camera / digital player, 4.9 oz, 8 megapixels, 3.5 in

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.0 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 47 reviews

The Bottom Line: While we're not huge fans of the design, the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8530 is a good choice for first-time smartphone buyers and offers more than its GSM counterpart. Read review

Specs: Verizon Wireless, CDMA2000 1X, With digital camera / digital player, 3.7 oz, 2 megapixels, 2.5 in

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.6 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 29 reviews

The Bottom Line: The unlocked Nokia Lumia 800 has an innovative design and gorgeous screen, but the poor camera quality and lack of a front-facing camera are major detractions. Read review

Specs: Unlocked, WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM, Up to 780 min (2G), Up to 570 min (3G), With digital camera / digital player / FM radio, 5 oz, 8 megapixels, 3.7 in

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.0 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 33 reviews

The Bottom Line: The LG Vortex is a wonderful entry-level Android smartphone for Verizon Wireless, as long as you know its limitations. Read review

Specs: Verizon Wireless, CDMA2000 1X, Up to 450 min, With digital camera / digital player, 4.44 oz, 3.2 megapixels, 3.2 in

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.3 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 5 reviews

The Bottom Line: The Pantech Breeze III is a well-designed and affordable entry-level handset for senior citizens, kids, and cell phone novices. Read review

Specs: AT&T, 3.6 oz, 2.2 in

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.3 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 92 reviews

The Bottom Line: With the iPhone 4, Apple again shows that it is a powerful player in the smartphone wars. It won't be for everyone, the call quality and reception vary if you don't use a case, and AT&T's network remains a sticking point, but the handset's striking design, loaded feature set, and generally agreeable performance make it the best iPhone yet. Read review

Specs: AT&T, WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM, Up to 840 min (2G), Up to 420 min (3G), With digital camera / digital player, 4.8 oz, 5 megapixels, 3.5 in

• CNET Editor rating:
  0.0 stars

  Overall score: 0.0 (0.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 5.0 stars out of 1 review

Specs: TracFone, GSM, 3.51 oz, 2 megapixels, 2.4 in

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.0 stars Good

  Overall score: 6.3 (3.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 2.0 stars out of 18 reviews

The Bottom Line: The Samsung SGH-T139 doesn't promise much, but it serves its purpose as a low-end phone for making calls. Read review

Specs: T-Mobile

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.0 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 53 reviews

The Bottom Line: The Nokia N8 excels as a camera phone, and the improvements of Symbian 3 make it one of the company's best smartphones to date. However, it still has its shortcomings and an expensive price tag, making it a hard sell for the North American market. Read review

Specs: Unlocked, WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM, Up to 720 min (GSM), Up to 350 min (WCDMA), With digital camera / digital player / FM radio, 4.8 oz, 12, 3.5 in

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.3 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 480 reviews

The Bottom Line: Though we had some minor complaints here and there, the Voyager's sleek design, generous feature set and excellent performance make it the best LG messaging and multimedia phone by far. Read review

Specs: Verizon Wireless, CDMA2000 1X, Up to 240 min, With digital camera / digital player, 4.69 oz, 2 megapixels

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.0 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 25 reviews

The Bottom Line: Specs-wise, the LG Esteem is MetroPCS' fastest and most advanced phone, but its dismal battery life is a terrible disservice. Read review

Specs: metroPCS, CDMA2000 1X, Up to 230 min, With digital camera / digital player, 6.1 oz, 5 megapixels, 4.3 in

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.0 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 2.0 stars out of 18 reviews

The Bottom Line: The Motorola Citrus is small and devoid of high-end features, but it works as a beginner Android phone. Read review

Specs: Verizon Wireless, CDMA2000 1X, 3.88 oz, 3 megapixels, 3 in

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.0 stars Good

  Overall score: 6.3 (3.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 15 reviews

The Bottom Line: The Samsung Admire offers the accessible design and functional feature set that you'd expect from a starter Android phone, but call quality wasn't up to our standards. Read review

Specs: MetroPCS, PCS / AWS, Up to 180 min, With digital camera / digital player, 4.14 oz, 3.5 in

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.0 stars Good

  Overall score: 6.0 (3.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 2.0 stars out of 51 reviews

The Bottom Line: The LG Cosmos Touch is an average messaging phone without a lot of multimedia features, which we don't think is worth its retail price tag. Read review

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.0 stars Good

  Overall score: 6.7 (3.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 2.0 stars out of 3 reviews

The Bottom Line: The Samsung Galaxy Admire 4G is a dependable handset in its own right, but it just can't top the cheaper, faster, Android 4.0 LG Motion 4G. Read review

Specs: Metro PCS, 4.34 oz, 3.65 in

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.3 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 199 reviews

The Bottom Line: Sleek and fast, the Samsung Vibrant is one of T-Mobile's top smartphones for entertainment, but its feature set takes a toll on the battery life. Read review

Specs: T-Mobile, WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM, Up to 390 min, With digital camera / digital player, 4.2 oz, 4 in

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.3 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 32 reviews

The Bottom Line: The HTC Trophy isn't Verizon's most powerful or advanced smartphone, but if you don't need all the bells and whistles, the Windows Phone offers great ease of use and good integration of features in a sleek package. Read review

Specs: Verizon Wireless, WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM, 4.94 oz, 5 megapixels, 3.8 in

• CNET Editor rating:
  0.0 stars

  Overall score: 0.0 (0.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 0.5 stars out of 2 reviews

Specs: Unlocked, LTE / HSPA, 4.7 oz, 8 megapixels, 4.8 in

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.0 stars Good

  Overall score: 6.3 (3.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 0.5 stars out of 2 reviews

The Bottom Line: Though not without its merits, this most recent addition to the MyTouch family has too many things against it. No one issue was unbearable on its own, but when I add up all my qualms about it, I'd ultimately suggest another phone within its class. Read review

Specs: T-Mobile, GSM / UMTS, Up to 540 min, With digital camera / digital player, 3.8 oz

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.0 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 166 reviews

The Bottom Line: The LG EnV3 has an impressive design and feature set that make it one of Verizon's top messaging phones. Read review

Specs: Verizon Wireless, CDMA2000 1X, Up to 327 min, With digital camera / digital player, 3.8 oz, 3 megapixels, 2.6 in

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.0 stars Good

  Overall score: 6.7 (3.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 1.5 stars out of 69 reviews

The Bottom Line: For the right user, the HTC Freestyle offers a beginner smartphone experience without the high price. Read review

Specs: AT&T, CDMA2000 1X, Up to 384 min, With digital camera / digital player, 4.51 oz, 3.2 megapixels, 3.2 in

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.6 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 16 reviews

The Bottom Line: If you can overlook the cheap plastic design, the HTC Vivid delivers an all-around excellent user experience at a palatable price. Read review

Specs: AT&T, GSM / 3G, Up to 456 min, With digital camera / digital player / FM radio, 5.64 oz, 4.5 in

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.7 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 149 reviews

The Bottom Line: Though performance could be better and it could stand for some hardware upgrades, the RIM BlackBerry Torch 9800 and BlackBerry OS 6 offer much-needed improvements to stay in step with the competition, and keep BlackBerry enthusiasts happy. Read review

Specs: AT&T, WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM, Up to 330 min (GSM), Up to 348 min (UMTS), With digital camera / digital player, 5.7 oz, 5 megapixels, 3.2 in

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.6 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 32 reviews

The Bottom Line: The Samsung Stratosphere's blazing 4G LTE speeds, QWERTY keyboard, and business tools lend it credence as a handset for corporate minds, but its last-season specs may fail to lure those looking for the ultimate smartphone. Read review

Specs: Verizon Wireless, CDMA / LTE, Up to 480 min, With digital camera / digital player, 5.8 oz, 4 in

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.3 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 69 reviews

The Bottom Line: The LG Cosmos makes a great choice for an affordable entry-level messaging phone for Verizon customers. Read review

Specs: T-Mobile, CDMA, Up to 360 min, With digital camera / digital player, 4.4 oz, 2 in