February 3, 2006

Most people don't think of a cell phone's screen quality as a key feature, but it can often determine the user experience. A screen that's easy on the eyes can mean painless phone navigation, and it's a major consideration when choosing a phone that displays images and video. A lot of users these days also like playing games on their phones, as well as customizing them with fun graphics and wallpaper, all of which are well suited to a large, colorful display. The best displays have a 262,000-color palette and measure more than 1 inch diagonally. The LG VX9800, for example, has a 2.25-inch-diagonal internal landscape display that's ideal for viewing V Cast videos and playing games. The Samsung MM-A900, Sprint's answer to the Motorola Razr, also has a nice-size screen at 2.2 inches, which is great for watching videos from Sprint's Power Vision network. The Nokia N90 has the form factor of a video camera, complete with a screen that can flip up 90 degrees, so it helps that the display is 2.1 inches and superbright, with plenty of detail. Sony Ericsson phones typically have beautiful displays, and the Sony Ericsson W600i is no exception. While the screen size is a little smaller than the rest at 1.8 inches, it's still vibrant and colorful.

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