Can HTC beat the iPhone 5?

There's a mind-boggling array of different smartphones on the market at any given time and picking one for your next purchase can be tricky.

With the entry of iPhone 5 we wonder if there's a single smartphone out there capable of denting Apple's empire. Or will this instead take the combined might of a rival ecosystem to topple the Californian titans?

Hot off the back of HTC unveiling the next phone(s) in their Windows Phone collection we cast an eye over the current crop of Windows Phones. Both Windows Phone 7 and 8 devices offer instant access to mail, messaging, integration with Xbox Live and a raft of other features too. And whilst they're undeniably a potent bunch more than capable of doing all the things a smartphone is expected to do, they're also wonderfully simple to use. What's more, with money tight for many of us, search out one of the older models shown here and you should be able to bag a bargain at the same time.

[Additional words by Matt Farrington Smith]

xinmsn is a collaboration between Microsoft and MediaCorp.