5 Must-Have Camera Phones

LG VX9900 enV

The LG’s split personality is its forte. On one side, there’s a 2MP camera with a protected AF lens and flash; on the other, a phone keypad and tiny monitor. Flip it open for a powerful PDA — with a color LCD, large keyboard, and controls for high-speed web surfing, slide shows, MP3s, and streaming video. Includes VZ Navigator for cellular GPS, microSD card slot, and Bluetooth stereo support. Phone: High-speed 3G EVDO data, CDMA 800 MHz voice. Size: 4.6×2.1×0.8 in., 4.6 oz. Street price: $199 with two-year Verizon contract. (www.verizonwireless.com)

Apple iPhone

The 2MP camera is so-so, but the iPhone’s 3.5-inch touch screen can’t be beat: With help from Apple’s robust OS X, you can e-mail photos, check your calendar, view web pages, play iTunes, and type on the soft keyboard. Sensors rotate the display, turn off the screen when the phone’s at your ear, and adjust brightness to ambient light. Available in 4- or 8GB versions. Phone: Quad-band GSM, EDGE data, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 2.0. Size: 4.5×2.4×0.5 in., 4.8 oz. Street price: $499 for 4GB version. (www.cingular.com)

Nokia N95

This slider-phone rivals compact cameras, given its 5MP sensor, f/2.8 Carl Zeiss AF Tessar lens, stabilized VGA video at 30 fps, video out, and 2.6-inch QVGA screen. It also has GPS satellite navigation, stereo FM radio and MP3 player with dedicated keys, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, web browsing, office utilities, and photoand video-editing software. Ships with 160MB internal memory and 1GB microSD card. Phone: Quad-band GSM, 3.5G high-speed HSDPA data. Size: 3.8×2.1×0.8 in., 4.2 oz. Street price: $750. (www.nokia.com)

Samsung SGH-D900

Black Carbon When closed, it’s a super-thin phone sans camera. Slide it open to reveal a 3MP camera with an AF lens on one side and a keypad on the other. The bright 2.2-inch LCD sports animated graphics that change based on time of day and phone signal strength. Camera also records MPEG4 video and has exposure, ISO, and white balance controls. Other features include video out, MP3 player, Bluetooth, web browser, 80MB built-in memory, and microSD card slot. Phone: Quad-band GSM, EDGE data. Size: 4.1×2.0x0.5 in., 3.3 oz. Street price: $310. (www.samsung.com)

Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot K810

That’s a Xenon flash atop the K810’s 3.2MP camera with f/2.8 AF lens! On the back: raised steel buttons, illuminated camera icons, and a 2-inch LCD. There’s redeye reduction and a Best Pic shooting mode (9 frames in 1 sec, pick the best) plus video with image stabilization. Photo fix and Picture Blogging applications, 3D games, FM radio, Bluetooth, MP3 player, web browser, 64MB of built-in memory, and a 128MB MS Micro card are included. Phone: Tri-Band GSM and GPRS (UMTS 2100) data. Size: 4.2×1.9×0.7 in., 3.7 oz. Street price: $699. (www.sonyericsson.com)