While it’s possible to go as big as 8MP on the camera phone front, 5MP is an impressive amount of potential detail - and more than enough camera for most people. There have been 5MP camera phones on the market for a few years now, and there’s a wide choice of models from a variety of manufacturers on offer. With that in mind, we’ve delved into The Link’s online store to dig out the best three deals on these detail-stealing stars.

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Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot blowers have always been ahead in the camphone game with the like of the five-megapixel-toting C902 and K850i becoming favourites of casual snappers everywhere. So it’s no surprise to see the Asian-Scandinavian outfit lead the charge with the UK’s first ever eight-megapixel shooter, the Sony Ericsson C905.

But while this Cyber-shot sultan is quickest on the draw, it hasn’t got the entire mobile photography stage to itself, with the eight-megapixel wielding Samsung i8510, M8800 Pixon and LG KC910 Renoir jostling for supremacy. Can the C905 stave off the competition?

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HTC is most definitely going for the iPhone’s jugular with its latest touch phone, the Touch HD. Where previous members of the Touch crew have flirted with the mechanised world, this Windows Mobile fuelled tickler represents its first 100% pure contact blower, even right down to its touch sensitive front keys. Should the Jesus Machine protect its neck?

Early signs reveal the Touch HD to be a supreme iPhone botherer. OK, its similarly sized torso it’s a tad heavier than its arch rival but its rhino hide-tough construction quality is equal, if not better than the tickler from Cupertino.

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If you could level one criticism at the leading touch phones like the Apple iPhone 3G, T-Mobile G1 and BlackBerry Storm, it’s their camera and video offering is pretty woeful. The same can’t be said of LG’s KU990 Viewty, with its sharp five-megapixel snapper and Hollywood slick video capturing chops. But, if that’s impressive wait until you tickle its follow-up, the KC910 Renoir.

Continuing LG’s track record for snigger-inducing monikered phones, the HSDPA enabled Renoir not only ups the megapixel count to eight but also weighs in with built-in GPS for sat nav, rapido Wi-Fi connectivity and some Dolby audio magic to brighten up the audio.

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The hoopla surrounding the world’s first ever open source Android OS-fuelled phone, the G1, may not have reached the blockbusting proportions of the Apple iPhone but with the all-pervading internet giants Google pulling the OS strings and HTC designing the handset,  hype-levels were always going to be cranked up to critical.

But can the G1 survive the crippling weight of expectation? Judged on first impressions the answer is a resounding no. The phone looks like it’s been shipped straight in from Toy Town/Early Learning Centre. We could slap the blame on HTC but rumours suggest Google’s design input was greater. It’s clunky, unwieldy and we have to admit a major turn off.  Just one minute in its presence and you’ll long for the iPhone’s sleek stylish torso.

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Four years ago Sony Ericsson was a smartphone big hitter but since the days of the Symbian run P910 and the P990, it been relegated to the lower leagues. Recent powerful handsets like the iPhone 3G, T-Mobile G1, BlackBerry Storm, Samsung i8510 and Nokia’s unrelenting Nseries wrecking crew have taken up the smartphone baton and then some. But not to be outclassed, Sony Ericsson has responded with the X1 Xperia. Is it a return to former glories?

The biggest surprise is seeing a Sony Ericsson handset powered by the latest Windows Mobile OS. WinMo detractors should hold fire because the manufacturer has done a sterling job of window dressing the normally clunky business focused OS with its own seven panel menu system for switching between features. It’s a vast improvement but still not as seamless as we hoped.

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With a sharp eye for style and a snazzy designed touch UI, HTC’s Touch smartphone crew has single handedly taken the hard corporate edge off Windows Mobile po-faced rep and found favour with the mainstream. The sparkly Touch Diamond is leading the populist charge but its new ticklish buddy, the Touch Pro, hasn’t completely abandoned its business roots.

Clock the Touch Pro for the first time and you would struggle to find major design differences with the Diamond. It’s not until its rolls onto its side that you see it’s gained a fair few pounds on the waistline. A sliding QWERTY keyboard is the reason for the new bloated figure; a boon for messaging maniacs but harsh on your Armani suit’s inside pocket.

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