The term “entry-level” immediately reduces the appeal of smartphones in markets like the U.S. these days, as flagship phones are typically far more exciting and innovative. Still, it’s notable when a manufacturer goes to some length to differentiate an entry-level line of smartphones, and LG has done just that with its new L series. The L3, L5 and L7 are a new family of devices targeted at budget-conscious consumers that still want a solid Android experience. The L3 has a tiny 3.2-inch screen, an 800MHz processor and Android 2.3 Gingerbread. The L5 is slightly more impressive, with a 4-inch screen and Ice Cream Sandwich, and the L7 tops out the line with a 4.3-inch display, a 1Ghz processor and Android 4.0. Check out our hands-on photos of these three new wallet-friendly smartphones in the gallery linked below.

You would think that, given the impressive specs of its new CloudMobile smartphone, Acer would want to place this thing front and center at Mobile World Congress. Think again. For some reason, the company decided to hide its new flagship model within the Google booth. Location aside, the handset’s specs are nothing to scoff at. A 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon chip powers this monster, which sports a 4.3-inch 1,280 x 800-pixel HD screen with a truly incredible range viewing angles, and a really well-engineered tooled metal exterior. The CloudMobile software itself is heavily guarded at the moment, and Acer wouldn’t give us so much as a peek at any screens related to its upcoming cloud service, but company reps assured us that we would be “impressed” when launch time comes around. Let’s hope the software lives up to the promise of the hardware. In the meantime, be sure to check out our hands-on photos, which are linked below.

These three new devices announced by Samsung at Mobile World Congress are each intended to occupy different spaces in the mobile market. The Galaxy Mini 2 is a diminutive little smartphone with pretty unimpressive specs, but it is aimed at the entry-level crowd where it may fare well. The 3.27-inch small handset sports a single-core 800mhz processor, Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread with TouchWiz, a 3.2 megapixel camera and a positively terrible HVGA display. It feels odd to use the word “terrible” when describing a Samsung display, but Samsung cut some corners to keep this phone’s cost down and the display was definitely one of them. Performance in use was lackluster as well, but then again, if you’re in the market for a phone like the Mini 2 you’re probably not very concerned with the latest and greatest. Hit the jump for more.

The Galaxy Ace 2 is the European version of the Blaze 4G and, as such, slots in between the last-generation Galaxy S and the current Galaxy II. A dual-core 800MHz processor powers a TouchWiz-skinned version of Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread, and the WVGA display is far less impressive than the Super AMOLED screens used in other Samsung devices.

Finally, the Galaxy S WiFi 4.2 provides an alternative for those who don’t need a device with embedded cellular connectivity. Sporting Wi-Fi only, the Galaxy WiFi 4.2 has a nice glossy white finish and it is extremely responsive. It’s also just 9 millimeters thick, and the TFT IPS screen is quite beautiful. It only has a 2-megapixel camera though, so you’re not going to be shooting any Leibowitz-grade images with this puppy, but all told it’s a nice entry into the PMP game.

Be sure to check out our hands-on photos of the Samsung Galaxy Mini 2, the Galaxy Ace 2 and the Galaxy S WiFi 4.2, which are linked above.

Samsung has a number of new devices on hand at this year’s Mobile World Congress, and one of them was the Galaxy S Blaze 4G set to launch on T-Mobile later this year. We got a chance to check out the Blaze 4G, and we left relatively unimpressed. To be fair, the Blaze is a lightning-fast smartphone on par with a number of recent additions to Samsung’s Galaxy line, but it’s hard to get excited over a phone that is only a modest upgrade compared to T-Mobile’s current Galaxy S II. The Blaze 4G features a 1.5Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon chip, a 4-inch Super AMOLED screen, a 5-megapixel camera and Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread. It’s certainly a solid phone but with HTC’s One S heading to T-Mobile in April and Samsung’s full-HD Galaxy S III on the way as well, T-Mobile subscribers looking for the latest and greatest may want to sit tight and wait another month or so. The Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G launches in March for $149.99 on contract, and our hands-on photos of the handset follow below.

To say that the past 12 months have been a bit rocky for RIM and the Blackberry eco-system in general would be grossly understating the obvious. The once great manufacturer has seen record capitol losses and watched its market share slide at an increasing rate. One of several reasons for the slip has been a lack of developers attention for the BlackBerry platform, especially relative to competitors such as iOS and Android. The Blackberry Playbook, RIM’s attempt at entering the tablet world, has floundered for just this reason. Ignoring the myriad other concerns about the company’s current state for the current moment, the lack of apps available for the PlayBook rendered it more or less DOA. Read on for more.

As just one of its many attempts to plug a hole (or 20) in a sinking ship, RIM put together a small panel today at Mobile World Congress to outline some of its plans for both the upcoming BlackBerry OS 10 in general and, more specifically, future plans to reinforce and improve the PlayBook itself.

The company spoke specifically about its excitement over Cascades, the TAT-built development GUI for OS 10, and it noted that many developers are currently being included in conversations about specific plans for the next-gen operating system. While we didn’t hear many specific promises with regard to improvements or OS evolution, RIM does seem committed to listening to its user base as the company presses forward.

Gaming and social features will, of course, remain paramount, and RIM plans to enhance existing staples such as BBM with a more robust feature set. For example, BMM will soon include a “share page,” allowing users to share a page of an eBooks with a connected BBM friend. Social reading, if you will. A cool touch, but nothing terribly revolutionary. As we said, however, this is just one example of how RIM is trying to re-embrace social.

All told, we certainly didn’t see anything that screamed “RIM is saved!” but we are comforted a bit by the company’s seemingly genuine understanding of its mistakes, a willingness to acknowledge errors, and a desire to improve relations with both consumers and, most importantly, developers. This latter point is crucial, as the potential extinction of the BlackBerry brand has scared off developers wary of pouring time into programming complex apps for an eco-system that may or may not still be around in 12 months.

The message from RIM seems to be this: be patient with us and we will reward you with a stable, well supported, and complex platform to showcase your apps. Great message, but as always, implementation and follow through is the challenge. Will RIM rise to the occasion? That remains to be seen.

Huawei is making quite a splash at this year’s Mobile World Congress. The company announced one quad-core handset — the Ascend D quad, which is built on the company’s proprietary in-house processor platform — in addition to a dual-core TI OMAP-based device, the Ascend D1. We got a chance to play with both models and, especially in the case of the D quad, we left quite impressed. These things move fast. Really fast. What’s more, these handsets mark Huawei’s entry into the chip making game, and place the company in direct competition with other smartphone vendors that moonlight as chip makers, like Samsung and Apple. It will be interesting to see how this plays out over the coming year. That said, the handsets themselves will be the stars of Huawei’s lineup for at least the first half of 2012. The D quad sports 8GB of on-board storage, 1 GB of RAM, Android 4.0, Huawei’s 1.2Ghz quad-core chip, a 4.5-inch display and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The Ascend D1 is externally identical to the D quad, but it will hit a much lower price point thanks largely to its 1.2Ghz dual-core chip, which replaces the D quad’s quad-core processor. Check out our hands-on shots in the gallery below.

ViewSonic is doing its best to make splash here at Mobile World Congress with a number of tablet-related announcements. In addition to specific hardware launches, the company has also made some significant inroads with running Windows 7 Pro on its slates, mainly as proof of concept in anticipation of the upcoming Windows 8 launch. We liked a lot of what we saw but the P100, running both Android 2.3 and Windows 7 (theoretically upgradeable to both Ice Cream Sandwich and Windows 8) was the undisputed star of the show for ViewSonic. This dual-booting beast separates the two operating systems by way of a disc partition, and it seems to run both platforms at lightening speed. Check out our gallery below for hands-on images of the entire ViewSonic tablet line including the P100, the E10 Pro, the E70, the E100 and the G70, and stay tuned to see what ViewSonic brings to the table once Windows 8 launches later this year.

ZTE doesn’t have a strong presence here in the U.S., but the vendor revealed several smartphones at this year’s Mobile World Congress trade show that will be big sellers in a number of markets. The Era, Orbit and PF112 are among the new ZTE phones that will launch this year, and we spent some time with each of them on Monday. The Era and the PF112 both run Google’s Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system, while the Orbit is a Windows Phone. The Era is a quad-core Tegra 3-powered beast with a 4.3-inch screen and high-end specs that rival any device launched here at the show. The PF112 sports an even larger 4.5-inch screen, tri-band HSPA+ and an 8-megapixel shooter. The Orbit is the company’s low-end Windows Phone model, with a 4-inch display, a 1GHz processor and 4GB of on-board storage. In use, the Windows Phone-powered Orbit was definitely impressive for an entry-level smartphone, exhibiting the smooth user experience we’ve come to expect from handsets powered by Microsoft’s mobile platform. The Android phones weren’t operational, so we can’t comment on their performance. We can definitely still admire their sleek designs though, so check out our hands-on gallery for photos of each of these new ZTE phones.

We were only able to spend a few minutes with Sony’s new Xperia P smartphone as we rushed from Sony’s press conference to HTC’s press conference on Sunday, and we didn’t get any time at all with the Xperia U. Thanks to a slightly lighter event scheduled on Monday, we were able to make it over to Sony’s booth and spend some quality time with its new smartphones. These are the first smartphones that will be launched by the new Sony Mobile Communications unit that picks up where Sony Ericsson left off, and to be frank, we’re a bit concerned. This pair of Android phones is well-made and we like what Sony has done to its UI atop Android 4.0, but we’re still seeing some things that concern us. Check out our hands-on photos in the gallery linked below, and then hit the break for our initial impressions of the Xperia P and Xperia U smartphones.

First and foremost, these smartphones will hit the market in a very Sony Ericsson-like fashion. They will both launch running Android 2.3 Gingerbread, and Sony has stated that the Xperia P and Xperia U will each receive an update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich some time in the second quarter. Slow software updates have historically been a big issue for Sony Ericsson’s Android phones, so this definitely isn’t a great way to instill confidence in users who might still have a bad taste in their mouths.

The devices themselves are solid phones, however. They share a very similar design identity that includes the transparent light bar near the bottom of each handset, and they also sport Reality Displays that make use of Sony’s Bravia engine.

The larger of the two phones is the Xperia P, and it features a 4-inch display with “WhiteMagic” display technology that Sony says is ultra-bright and power efficient. After spending some time with the phone we can definitely confirm that the screen is extremely bright, and colors don’t get washed out at all as the brightness increases. The 1GHz dual-core processor doesn’t really do Android 4.0 justice on this handset, but hopefully things will be a bit smoother in the release version of the software.

The Xperia U features a significantly smaller form factor and a 3.5-inch Reality Display. It’s powered by the same dual-core processor and it it suffers from the same occasional hiccups that we saw with the Xperia P. The display isn’t quite as impressive as the panel on the Xperia P unfortunately, but beyond that the two phones are very similar.

We’re looking forward to spending some more time with these phones but in the mean time, be sure to check out our hands-on gallery above.

Somehow making the original Galaxy Note look positively diminutive in size, the newly announced Galaxy Note 10.1 is a proper 10.1-inch tablet from Samsung. Sporting a 1.4Ghz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, HSPA+, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 3.1, the only thing you won’t be able to do with this slate is place an actual call. Then again, given how ridiculous the original Note looks held up to the side of a human head, we’re not so sure this is a bad thing. In use, the Note 10.1 is snappy and responsive, and the S-pen implementation is well executed. Does the world need another 10-inch tablet? We can’t answer that one way or the other, but Samsung certainly has a competent device on its hands. Check out the gallery below for some hands-on pics!

A projector phone? From Samsung? Sure, why not? We got a chance to spend some time with Sammy’s newly announced “Beam” addition to its ever-expanding Galaxy line, and we left with mixed emotions. On the one hand, this is a solid and well executed smartphone, but it sports a 1Ghz dual-core chip, Android 2.3, a 4-inch WVGA screen, 8GB of built-in storage, and 768MB of RAM, so the specs aren’t exactly on par with other modern handsets. On the projector end of things, we’ve got a powerful 15 lumens unit capable of displaying a 50-inch wide image on any flat surface. This is pretty cool, but we’re still not sure this is a space that needs filling. That said, if you’re in the market for a projector-equipped smartphone, this is pretty much the best game in town. Our hands-on photo gallery follows below.

While the Pureview 808 sort of stole the show, the Lumia 610 marks a significant release as well, and something that is worth paying attention to. The decidedly downmarket Windows Phone device aims to provide the Windows Phone experience to a much wider array of folks, and we think Nokia might have a hit on their hands. The new suite of Nokia software includes a Library app, and a completely revamped Maps application. We had a chance to spend some time with the little guy, and we left generally pleased, though not overwhelmed. But, then again, we suppose that’s the goal with a 189 Euro smartphone, now isn’t it? Specs include 256 mb of RAM, a 3.7″ WVGA screen, a 5mp camera, and 8GB of onboard storage. Hit the gallery link below for some hands-on shots!

Hey folks. Following Nokia’s early morning press conference here in Barcelona, we got a litttttle bit of hands-on time with the freshly dropped Pureview 808. The software isn’t quite finished yet, but we did get some time to play with the audio recording and camera apps. Really cool stuff, and we can definitely see other manufacturers forced to follow suit. The handset features the flagship 41 megapixel camera, a 4″ screen, 512 mb of RAM with 16GB of onboard storage,  a 1.3 Ghz single core chip,  and a loft 450 Euro pricetag. Expect to see this sucker in May. Hit the link below to check out the gallery!

Rounding out the trio of smartphones HTC unveiled at its Mobile World Congress 2012 press conference on Sunday is the HTC One V, an entry-level smartphone that picks up where the HTC Legend left off. This will be the most affordable One-branded smartphone HTC launches in the first half of the year, and while the specs don’t hold a candle to the One X or One V, this is absolutely a phone that will go far among budget-conscious consumers in Europe and other regions where the phone will be released. Check out our hands-on photo gallery below, and hit the break for the rest of our early impressions.

The first thing you will notice about the One V is definitely the return of the famous Android chin, which was found on a number of early HTC Android phones and most recently, the Legend. It’s definitely a unique design element and we think it works well on the One V. The case of this smartphone is unibody aluminum and it has a fantastic feel, especially considering it’s an entry-level phone.

Beyond the exterior hardware, you’re basically looking at a toned down version of the HTC One X and One S. It features a slightly stripped down version of the Sense UI — Sense 3.6 — and a single-core Snapdragon processor to keep costs down. The difference can be felt, of course, but for a phone that is likely to be free on contract from a number of carriers around the world, performance seems more than adequate.

We couldn’t really get a read on the One V’s 5-megapixel camera compared to the 8-megapixel sensor on the One X and One S, but we can definitely confirm that it snaps images just as quickly as its two higher-end counterparts. HTC’s investment in mobile imaging R&D really seems to have paid off, and the vendor’s rivals have some serious work to do to catch up.

HTC did not announce any launch details for the U.S. market, so we should likely expect the One V to stick to Europe and other markets in the first half of this year.

The chaos of day 0 at Mobile World Congress is finally winding down, and HTC’s action-packed press conference is now behind us. The obvious star of the show was the HTC One X, but there’s no denying that its mid-range counterpart packs a massive punch as well. We just spent some time putting the HTC One S through the paces and first things first: this smartphone is amazingly thin. At 7.9 millimeters, it’s the thinnest smartphone HTC has ever built and it really is amazing that the company managed to pack such high-end specs into a device this slim. Check out our hands-on photos in the gallery below and hit the break for the rest of our initial impressions.

Several ulta-thin smartphones on the market right now feel a bit flimsy and “plasticky,” but that is anything but true with the HTC One S. The case is made of unibody aluminum that has been treated with a plasma coating at extremely high temperatures. The result is a finish that is soft and rubbery, but it’s also light and beyond sturdy. It’s probably one of the best feeling smartphones we’ve ever held, in fact.

While the high-end One X is powered by a quad-core Tegra 3 processor, the One S features a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 chipset. While the difference between the two is big on paper, you wouldn’t know it to handle the phones. Moving around HTC’s Sense 4.0 UI on top of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is lightning fast even with a number of apps running in the background, and switching apps in the vendor’s new 3D task manager is almost instant.

Sense 4.0 is a bit toned down compared to earlier versions of the interface, which a number of Android fans will certainly appreciate. There are some elements from stock Ice Cream Sandwich that we still wish HTC would have retained, however, such as the menu items across the bottom of the home screens. Overall though, Sense 4.0 is very cohesive and the free 25GB of cloud storage courtesy of Dropbox with deep Sense integration is a nice touch.

The 4.3-inch qHD AMOLED display on this phone is very impressive, but even more impressive is the overall size of the handset — it is much more compact than other phones with the same size screen. The 8-megapixel camera is also a huge draw for the One S. It features the same camera as the One X complete with dedicated HTC ImageChip, f2.0 aperture and 1080p HD video recording capability.

The HTC One S is set to launch on T-Mobile in April, and we can’t wait to get our hands on this gorgeous smartphone. In the meantime, be sure to check out the hands-on images in our photo gallery linked above.