Most Wanted: Top 5 mobile phones coming later in 2007

It’s all about the upgrades, innit. Your mum might still be clinging on to the mobile phone she bought six years ago, but if you’re a proper geek like us, you’ll get itchy fingers when your phone’s approaching its first birthday.

With that in mind, here’s a guide to seven of the most keenly-anticipated mobiles coming our way later in the year (obviously, for anyone outside the US, Apple’s iPhone is the eighth). Which one will be giving your credit-card a bashing?

1. LG’s Chocolate Google phone (left). Or, as it’s known to its retailers, the KU-580. There are two things to know about this phone. First, it’s basically the next generation of LG’s iconic Chocolate handset. But secondly, it’s the first to benefit from a deal with Google that means Google Search, Gmail and Google Maps will all be preloaded on it. The two-inch widescreen display, two-megapixel camera and Bluetooth audio only add to its appeal. MORE INFO

2. O2 Cocoon (right). A sleek white clamshell phone that’s due out in August, it’s aimed firmly at music fans, with 2GB of memory to store tracks, plus the ability to play DRM-free iTunes Plus files, and an FM tuner. Londoners get an extra bonus too – if you walk into The O2 Arena venue for a gig, Cocoon will automatically detect the location and offer up all manner of content. MORE INFO

3. Sony Ericsson W960 (left). Is it an iPhone killer? Well, it has a touch-screen, 8GB of internal memory, and promises up to 27 hours of battery life for music. What it’s got above Apple’s handset is 3G, of course, while the built-in Wi-Fi will also come in handy for high-speed surfing. All this, plus a 3.2-megapixel camera and Bluetooth audio. MORE INFO

4. BlackBerry Pearl 2 (right). RIM got some of its mojo back with the BlackBerry Pearl, so it’s no surprise the follow-up is hotly anticipated. Sadly, most of the buzz around its features is highly made up speculative – apparently it’ll have a 3.2-megapixel camera, Flash, 6x digital zoom, a 3.5mm headset jack, Wi-Fi and stereo Bluetooth. Oh, and you can email on it. Obviously. MORE INFO

5. Motorola RAZR 2 (left). The original RAZR phone was a huge attention-grabber – so much so that Motorola proceeded to run with the design for several other handsets. Now the proper sequel is here, and it’s even slimmer (albeit by just 2mm), has a bunch of music features and a two-megapixel camera. In truth, the specs aren’t super-impressive, but it’s the design that’ll tempt the millions of RAZR owners thinking about an upgrade. MORE INFO