Many phones will try, but only the select few make both our Hot 100 and our Phone of the Year shortlist. And so with the sound of iPhone 4s hitting doormats accross the country, we size up Apple's competition for the smartphone throne. Click to launch our gallery of competitors.

iPhone 4 review  I iPhone 4 video

HTC Desire
The current top of the T3 smartphone league, HTC's eponymous desire packs a snappy processor, OLED screen and the HTC Sense UI, but lacks an HD video cam. Apple claim the iPhone 4's 'retina display' is the better screen, but we'll hold off on judgement until we've seen them side by side.
HTC Desire review | HTC Desire T3 Hot 100 | HTC Desire Phone of the Year




Sony Ericsson Xperia X10
Sporting a huge, iPhone-trumping 4" touchscreen, the Xperia X10 also has a possible musical edge with Sony's Walkman pedigree, but the onscreen keyboard is a bit suspect and it runs a dated Android 1.6 (2.1 coming Q4 2010). Still a beautiful, angular looking thing, mind.
Xperia X10 review | Xperia X10 T3 Hot 100 | Xperia X10 Phone of the Year





Nokia N900
A full fat counter to Apple's zero-carbs iPhone, the N900's main pulls are the slide-out keyboard and its open source Maemo OS - the polar opposite to Apple's tightly controlled operating system. It's not as svelte or as pretty, but it feels more like a serious computer than its competitors.
Nokia N900 review | Nokia N900 T3 Hot 100 | Nokia N900 Phone of the Year




BlackBerry 9700
Sexy and professional like a naughty secretary, 'Berry really stepped up their game with the 9700, and not just in terms of looks. The keyboard is compact but accurate, and it plays a greater range of audio formats than the iPhone (including WMA). A solid choice, if you don't mind the dinky screen.
BlackBerry 9700 review | BlackBerry 9700 T3 Hot 100 | BlackBerry 9700 Phone of the Year




Samsung Wave
The only phone here to use super AMOLED screen technology, Samsung claim that while the iPhone 4's screen is between 3-5% sharper, it sucks down a monstrous 30% more battery and has worse viewing angles, making Sammy's smartphone the greener option.
Samsung Wave review | Samsung Wave T3 Hot 100 | Samsung Wave Phone of the Year




iPhone 3GS
Surprise entry: with the launch of the next gen iPhone, we can expect to see pretty generous price drops on its older brother, and with all the benefits of iOS 4 also available on the 3GS, shelling out £500 for the latest incarnation could be a pretty steep ask.
iPhone 3GS review | iPhone 3GS T3 Hot 100 | iPhone 3GS Phone of the Year