Top 5 Android handsets that are (arguably) better than the iPhone 4S

So, you’ve no doubt read my defence of the iPhone 4S and have either banged the table in appreciation or shaken your head in dismay.

You see, for all of Apple’s posturing, it wasn’t too hard for Android owners to feel a little like, well, they’d seen it all before.

Android already has a robust speech recognition program built into its handsets in the form of Google Voice, already has a notifications bar (which has been there since Android time began), and already has all those other fancy 'innovative' iOS 5 features.

Which just leaves the 4S hardware itself. Can I find five Android phones that better it in some way? Of course I can.

Let’s start with the current king of HTC’s lineup: the Sensation. The Sensation packs a larger screen than the iPhone 4S, rolling in at 4.3 inches compared to the teeny-tiny 3.5-inch screen on Apple's newest blower.

On top of that, the Sensation is using the faster Snapdragon dual-core 1.2GHz processor, which in theory is 20% quicker than Apple’s A5 at basic operations. You know - the stuff people actually spend most time on their phone doing, like opening up apps or flicking through their contacts book.

Add to this the fact that the phone is a good £100 cheaper unlocked and surely you’d have to be mad to stump up the cash for Apple’s device.

Cheaper, faster, and lighter, the Galaxy S II pretty much has Apple beaten when it comes to the head-to-head spec comparisons.

Currently the South Korean firm’s flagship device, the Galaxy S II has already found its way into over 10 million people's pockets, and its not hard to see why. If you are still struggling, one look at the 4.3-inch S-AMOLED display should correct that.

It's also going to support NFC next month, something that was strongly rumoured to be integrated into the newly announced iPhone, yet didn't actually materialise yesterday. Talk about behind the curve.

If you were impressed by Apple’s new-look 8-megapixel camera, then turn away now, because the Xperia Ray’s is arguably a better performer.

What the Ray and other recent Sony Ericsson devices have up their sleeve is the nifty Exmor R sensor that puts in a heavy shift in both dark and bright light.

Couple this with the phone’s image-sharpening Bravia Engine display and f/2.4 aperture lens (same as the new 4S) that can gobble up light even when you’re trapped in a cellar and you have a serious contender for mobile photographers everywhere.

It’s also a phone that’s significantly cheaper to buy unlocked than the 4S, but you’re probably getting sick of hearing that line now.

When Apple revealed that the new 4S wouldn’t come with LTE, most people this side of the Pond looked at each other and thought “what’s that, then?”

But while our grassy isle may be a little behind the time when it comes to wireless tech, in other countries a phone without LTE may as well not have a data connection at all, thanks to the far superior speeds it offers over normal 3G.

Don’t worry about the iPhone 4S not supporting LTE, though, because there’s plenty of Android phones you can pick from instead that do.

Like the Motorola Atrix 4G, for instance, which can not only boast a large 4-inch screen and dual-core 1GHz Tegra 2, but can also connect to LTE networks.

Unique: LG Optimus 3D (£369.99 unlocked)

If you’re looking for features that even other Android phones don’t possess, look no further than the Optimus 3D.

Rather than packing a Retina display (which literally translates to “a high resolution for such a tiny screen”), the Optimus 3D uses a stereoscopic screen to throw three-dimensional images at your eyeballs.

The phone also comes with the ability to both film and shoot in 3D, output to a 3D TV (that you rushed out to buy, right?) and play 3D games. There’s even an update planned that will transform 2D titles into 3D automatically. It really does love that third dimension.

And even if you don’t personally want 3D all the time in the first place, its powerful dual-core processor means it operates surprisingly well as a ‘normal’ 2D phone, too. Win-win, then.