Best internet phone: how to choose the right one

Only a few years ago, phone-based internet browsing was a basic, and frankly horrific, experience.

While the original iPhone brought proof that the mobile web didn't have to be a stuttering, monochrome experience, today's offerings highlight just how far things have come.

It's 2012 and that once sparse mobile web has drastically changed. See you later, stripped down sites; hello sites in their full desktop glory, on massive HD screens backed up with quad-core innards.

The modern web is no longer just for PCs; it's a cross-platform convergent media space. The developments in web technologies such as WebM and HTML5, as well as better battery life in handsets, mean that smartphone internet browsing is now a real alternative to turning on a computer.

This shift in perception has really enabled the mobile web to shine, and has inspired some of the well-travelled mobile sites we now have at our disposal. It has also given rise to a new breed of mobile browsers.

Safari, on the iPhone, gave rise to mobile versions of some of the biggest and best known browsers. Microsoft brought along Internet Explorer, Mozilla (eventually) mobilised Firefox and Opera has had its own mobile browsers for a while.

Where does this leave us? We all know not every handset is created equally. Some handsets are far better at carrying out your Internet dreams than others, and finding the best internet experience among the smorgasbord of smartphones can be nigh-on impossible.

We've tested and used every handset out there; finding which mobiles deliver the web wrapped in all its shiny HD glory, and which ones delivered it in little more than a paper bag.

So here's our list of the best internet phones for the four most popular operating systems (including skinned and un-skinned Android), as well as four of the best alternative browsers available should you want a super-charged internet experience.