Top 10 phones for November

1.

Nokia 6300 CNET Asia rating: 8.3 out of 10 The good: Slim design; sharp color screen; easy-to-use keypad; slick-looking user interface that keeps it simple. The bad: No auto-focus or flash on the camera; lack of 3G connectivity. The bottom line: While this isn't the most advanced handset out there, it has a strong casing, a decent all-round feature set and an elegant, straightforward design. This is Nokia at its best.

2.

Nokia 6120 classic CNET Asia rating: 7.7 out of 10 The good: Series 60 platform; HSDPA; Bluetooth stereo; mini-USB port; 2.5mm audio jack. The bad: Fingerprint database; no autofocus for camera; 2-megapixel image quality not impressive. The bottom line: If you're hunting for an inexpensive 3G/HSDPA handset equipped with an overall decent set of features, this is it.

3.

Sony Ericsson W910i CNET Asia rating: 7 out of 10 The good: Slim design; built-in motion sensor; large 2.4-inch LCD; HSDPA connectivity. The bad: Walkman button too small; poor location of connector port; no onboard 3.5mm audio jack; sub-par camera. The bottom line: The W910i is great for those looking to purchase a trendy music phone with a little bit of fun, but which doesn't lack in features, although it's a little pricey.

4.

Nokia 6500 slide CNET Asia rating: 7.7 out of 10 The good: Solid build quality and one of the best sliders available; Carl Zeiss optics for the 3.2-megapixel autofocus camera; quadband GSM with dual-band UMTS; A2DP. The bad: Autofocus doesn't work in video mode; no backlight adjustment feature; phone doesn't auto keylock after closing the slider. The bottom line: The Nokia 6500 slide is an excellent basic camera-phone based on the S40 platform, though some tiny issues prevented it from getting a higher score.

5.

Nokia N95 (8GB) First take The Nokia N95 (8GB) is to the N95 what the HTC TyTN II is to the Dopod 838 Pro. We're not making a direct comparison here, but the similarity lies in the fact that both successors have big boots to fill. Announced globally on August 29 at the Go Play event, the new 8GB version of the N95 is expected to be available in Q4 this year in Asia. We just hope the Finnish phone-maker makes good its word not to keep us waiting like it did for the original.

6.

Nokia N95 CNET Asia rating: 8 out of 10 The good: HSDPA; Wi-Fi; onboard GPS; 5-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens; 3.5mm audio jack; mini-USB connector. The bad: Build quality doesn't justify the premium price; poor battery life; sluggish performance when multiple applications are running; premium price. The bottom line: There's no doubt that the Nokia N95 is one of the most full-featured smart phones available right now, but its poor battery life could very well be its Achilles' heel.

7.

Sony Ericsson W580i CNET Asia rating: 8 out of 10 The good: Slick and slim design; funky features including Walkman music player and pedometer; solid build. The bad: Buttons can be difficult to press; not 3G; no camera flash. The bottom line: Sony Ericsson's W580i is a sexy, thin slider that you'll want to carry in your pocket for its MP3 music player, radio or just to use the built-in pedometer.

8.

Nokia E51 CNET Asia rating: 8 out of 10 The good: Slim, solid design; stainless steel construction; multiple dedicated buttons and shortcut keys; excellent tactility; HSDPA, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth stereo A2DP; generous 130MB of onboard memory; snappy performance. The bad: Rose Steel version attracts fingerprints easily; preinstalled Quickoffice is read-only version; no front-facing camera for video calls; average image quality. The bottom line: Simple is good, and that's what the E51 is. It may not have a fancy design, but the E51 excels in nearly all other aspects with a truckload of connectivity features, good performance and attractive price point for an enterprise phone.

9.

Sony Ericsson K810i CNET Asia rating: 7.9 out of 10 The good: Auto-focus and xenon flash on camera; new and improved camera cover. The bad: Keys are a little too small on the keypad; Web browser could be better; no killer extra features over predecessor. The bottom line: It's a good camera phone, but it lacks the wow factor of its predecessors. If you already own a K800i then it's not worth upgrading, although others will want to check it out.

10.

Samsung Ultra Edition 12.1 (U700) CNET Asia rating: 7.3 out of 10 The good: Slim and trendy design; solid build quality; HSDPA; Bluetooth stereo; hot-swappable microSD expansion card slot. The bad: Not everyone will like the touch-sensitive keys; LCD washes out in sunlight; onboard speaker volume a tad soft; 176 x 144-pixel video recording. The bottom line: The Ultra Edition 12.1 is not only stylish and fashionable, it comes with a decent feature set, too. But the handset is not without its flaws.

Note: Results are based on readership as well as data collected from retail outlets (Mobile Square and WhyMobile) and the major mobile operators in Singapore.