Sony Xperia L 

Xperia L may be quite expensive on contract, but it's a steal SIM-free at less than £200.

The phone has a 1GHz dual-core processor , and runs Android 4.1 smoothly.

Sony's subtle Android customisations looks great, apps open and shut with a snap & animations are silky smooth.

The Xperia L also has an impressive screen, with bright whites and punchy colours. 

Read our full Sony Xperia L review:

OPERATING SYSTEM Android 4.1.2 (JellyBean).

PROCESSOR SPEED 1GHz.

DIMENSIONS 129x65x10mm, 137g.

DISPLAY 4.3in 854x480 LCD.

CAMERA 8-megapixel.

NUMBER OF CORES 2.

MEMORY CARD SLOT microSD.

RAM 1GB.

MOBILE DATA HSDPA.

INTERNAL STORAGE 8GB.

CLAIMED BATTERY LIFE 8 hours talktime, 498 days standby.

Price about $354 .