Best Samsung Galaxy phones

Samsung's range of Galaxy phones seems to be expanding so rapidly that we're terrified it will get so massive it collapses in upon itself. Galactic catastrophe aside, the wonderful thing about having such a vast range is there's likely to be a phone to suit the needs of every single person in the universe.

On the other hand, with so many, many phones on offer, choosing the right Samsung Android for you can quickly become a planet-sized headache, leaving you lying down in a darkened airlock, whimpering softly.

Because we're so spectactularly lovely here -- and because we hate headaches -- we've put together a complete guide to the entire Galaxy, er, galaxy. Read on for the shortened version -- what we think are the five stand-out phones from the range -- and watch our video guide below to see all five in Android action.

Samsung Galaxy S2

The Galaxy S2 is Samsung's darling, helping the company deal a firm left hook to Apple. Why is it so popular? Its 4.3-inch screen is superbly bright, clear and colourful, so your pictures and videos will look awesome. Its 1.2GHz dual-core processor easily tears through most apps and at only 9mm thin, it'll slide easily into your pocket. As our favourite phone of 2011, the much anticipated Galaxy S3 has awfully big shoes to fill.

Galaxy Nexus

One of our favourite things about the Nexus is its screen. It boasts a delicious 720x1,280-pixel resolution and is slightly curved like a banana, which gives it a unique look, as well as making it sit more snugly against your face. Like the Galaxy S2, it's powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, but the Nexus comes with the latest version of Android, known as Ice Cream Sandwich. If you crave the latest software and a curved screen, the Nexus will definitely float your boat.

Galaxy Note

With a gigantic 5.3-inch screen, the Note is arguably more tablet than phone. On the one hand, that means you look a bit silly when making a call, but the sheer vastness of the screen makes watching videos and browsing the web a joy. It's extremely bright and clear too, which makes your images pop, but also results in a poor battery life -- make sure you carry a charger with you. But if big-screen browsing is your bag, the Note is worth checking out.

Galaxy Ace

Samsung has culled many of its customary bells and whistles to offer Androidy goodness at a cut-down price. The Ace doesn't have the same high-resolution screen as its bigger brothers -- it's smaller too, at 3.5 inches -- but it's good enough for most day-to-day tasks and it seems to have had the knock-on effect of giving excellent battery life. It can't hold a candle to the mobile elite in terms of processing power, but if you're after smart phone features and don't want to spend a fortune, the Galaxy Ace is a great choice.

Galaxy S

As the name suggests, the Galaxy S is the precursor to the massively popular S2. Yes, that means it's pretty old, but it still has tonnes to offer and you can pick it up for a very reasonable price. The 4-inch screen is bright and clear and the 1GHz processor, while not powerful enough for the most demanding 3D games, will be more than sufficient for your twittering and Facebookery. If you don't give a bean about having the latest hardware, but fancy a decent sized slab of Android on the cheap, the Galaxy S should be on your list.