CES 2011 Mobile phones at CES 2011

Plenty of exciting new mobile phones were unveiled at CES 2011, and Which? was there to bring you news and first look video reviews of the models that matter.

You can find more information about these handsets and watch our first look videos on our Which? Tech blog.

Motorola Atrix

Billed as the most powerful smartphone in the world, Motorola's Atrix lives up to that claim by packing in an ultra-fast dual-core processor (1GHz x 2) and 1GB of Ram. Ready for more good news? It's hitting the UK, courtesy of the Orange network.

The Motorola Atrix has some nifty tricks up its sleeve that should make would-be tablet buyers think twice. The Atrix can be docked with a keyboard, connected to a display screen with its HDMI output and turned into a fully functional Android notebook.

And the Atrix borrows a few details from the Apple iPhone too - including the ultra-durable Gorilla Glass covering its 4-inch touchscreen. And the front-facing camera looks set to rival the iPhone 4's Face Time video calling capabilities, and is partnered with a 5Mp rear camera too.

But there's a fly in the Atrix's ointment - it currently only runs Android 2.2 - which doesn't support video chat. For that, and other more advanced features, buyers will have to wait for Orange to roll out an over-the-air update to Android 2.3.

There's no word yet on pricing or availability for the Motorola Atrix.

LG Optimus 2X

Originally code-named the LG Star, the Optimus 2X from LG is an Android 2.2 (Froyo) device.

It features a dual-core 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra processor, a 4-inch touchscreen and 8GB of internal memory. It has a micro-USB charging port, a microSD memory card slot and a 1,500mAh battery.

LG was proudly shouting about the HDMI mirroring feature. By plugging the Optimus 2X into an HDMI cable, you can playback HD video on both the phone's screen and your telly's. It's also great for gaming. We played Need For Speed Shift, a car game where the phone acted as the steering wheel.

It was fine for motion controlling but the buttons on the screen were hard to press when your thumb is on the mobile phone and your eyes are on the TV. With a regular game controller you can feel the buttons beneath your phone, but with a touchscreen handset you can only feel the sheet of glass.

The LG Optimus 2X is capable of playing and recording 1080p HD video. It has a rear-facing 8Mp camera and a front-facing 1.3Mp camera for video calls.

LG Optimus Black

The LG Optimus Black is waiting to take the 'world's thinnest smartphone' mantle from the Apple iPhone 4.

The Apple iPhone 4 is 9.3mm, but the Optimus Black manages to shave an entire 0.08mm off this and measures 9.22mm at its thickest point.

The 4-inch screen has a 480x800 resolution.

The LG Optimus Black provides a number of gesture controls. For example, when locked, holding down the camera button and shaking the phone automatically switches the handset to camera mode. This took a little getting used to, and during early attempts we felt that unlocking the phone and accessing the 8Mp camera through the menu options would be quicker. We did eventually get the knack of it though, but still questioned its value.

As well as the thinnest handset accolade, LG has also declared that the screen on the Optimus Black is the brightest of any mobile phone. The handset also has a built in dimmer, so when in darker conditions, when a bright screen is not really required, the light dims to preserve the battery life.

The LG Optimus Black has a front-facing camera for video calls. We're seeing such a feature more commonly on handsets, but the Black is the first we've seen with a 2Mp camera. Most phones typically offer a 1.2 or 1.3Mp front-facing camera.

Motorola Cliq 2 (Dext 2)

The Motorola Dext 2 (or Motorola Cliq 2 in the US) has been announced at CES 2011.

It's yet another Android 2.2 handset, and this one sports a 5Mp camera and full Qwerty keyboard.

In the US it will be available on a 4G network, while in the UK, should it launch, it will only be available through a 3G provider as the higher speed 4G service is not yet available.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc

The first Sony Ericsson to run the Bravia engine and include an Exmor R sensor the Arc is a pretty nifty looking bit of kit.

Previously known as the Anzu, the Arc has been revealed at this year's CES as a slim phone with an impressive looking screen (4.2-inches with 854x480 resolution).

The handset runs Google's 2.3 version of the Android OS, otherwise known as Android Gingerbread.

It can shoot video at 720p resolution and capture 8Mp still images. It has a 1,500mAh battery and tips the scales at a lightweight 117g.

At 8.7mm it's slimmer than the world's slimmest smartphone, the LG Optimus Black. However the Sony Ericsson Arc only measures 8.7mm at it's thinnest point; it's thicker at its ends. The LG Optimus Black, however, is 9.22mm at its thickest point.

Sony PlayStation Phone

This one's been gathering dust in the rumour mill for sometime now and even may have a new name - the Xperia Play.

The handset wasn't on show at CES so it looks like we may have to wait until the Mobile World Congress show in Barcelona for it to be unveiled. The show is in February, so we won't have to wait too long.

Once launched, Which? shall put it through its usual rigorous lab tests.

Sony Ericsson Hallon

Again it looks as though this handset's revelation has been put on hold until Mobile World Congress 2011.

The Sony Ericsson Hallon, if rumours are to be believed, will be an Android 2.3 handset with a front-facing camera for video calls.

HTC

There were a whole host of HTC handsets at CES 2011, but whether these will make it to the UK or not is another matter.

The HTC Evo Shift was the first to break cover, although there's no word yet if it will be made available outside the US.

Like the Samsung Epic 4G, however, the Evo is unlikely to come to the UK as the UK's plans for a 4G signal are a little way off.

HTC Thunderbolt and HTC Inspire

The next two HTC models to be announced were the HTC Thunderbolt and HTC Inspire. These two phones look pretty similar and seem to be an update of the Best Buy HTC Desire HD.

Unfortunately, it looks like these phones will be set for a US-only launch as they are designed to work on the 4G networks currently operating in the States, but if you want to find out more about the handsets check out our blog on Which? Mobile.

We expect there to be a number of HTC mobile phones geared up for the European market in February's Mobile World Congress show. And we'll be sure to keep you posted.

Acer

Acer has got into the CES action, announcing two new handsets, the Liquidmini and beTouch E210.

The Liquidmini is a touchscreen smartphone running Android 2.2. As the name suggests it's smaller than previous models in Acer's Liquid range, but other than that it's a pretty standard Android device.

It weighs in at 109g and has a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen, which we found slightly unresponsive during our hands on time with the phone.

The Liquidmini has a 5Mp camera but it lacks a flash. In terms of video, it shoots clips at 480p resolution, which is quite low by today's standards.

Acer has also unveiled the Acer beTouch 210, another Android 2.2 phone, which this time combines a Qwerty keypad and touchscreen. This sounds like it might be quite a fiddly touchscreen as it is only 2.6-inches across, but we'll have a closer look once we get our hands on it.