Now that the glow of Gingerbread is dawning with new promises on the horizon, we can see that the Android phones have come long way in such a short time. And even as Google has announced its upcoming flagship phone, the Nexus S, we can say that the top Android boxes of today are not going to be run-down by a generation gap in terms of technology very soon. Manufactured by Samsung, the Nexus S packs some new power features but the power below the hood – a 1GHz Hummingbird processor and 512MB RAM – is what today’s top Android devices are already packing. Some are ripped even better than the Nexus S – HTC EVO 4G, Samsung Epic that offer 4G connectivity, a whole bunch of phones offering bigger screens and better megapixels and some even offering more power (like the Droid 2 Global with a 1.2 GHz processor). Giving all this competition a break, let’s take a look at the top-5 Android phones that have proved their mettle and will surely be in the top-class for some time.

Motorola Droid 2

Even though the Motorola Droid was released in the backdrop of several monster phones, it struck a chord with Android-lovers and rode a quite a wave of popularity. Responding to the fans’ dismay at Droid’s underpowered chassis and troublesome keyboard, Motorola has brought out another winner in the form of Motorola Droid 2. Droid 2, a huge leap over the original Droid in terms of power, sleek looks and battery life, is arguably the best Android-set with a QWERTY keypad. The Droid 2 Global version is even packed with an ahead-of-the-rest 1.2 GHz processor. The only thing that Motorola missed out with this Droid is the unadmirable camera that seems to be same as in its predecessor.

Samsung Galaxy S

Another key player in the Android market after HTC, Samsung has launched very capable phones in the Galaxy S line. The Galaxy S series phones are powered by Samsung’s proprietary 1-GHz Hummingbird processor, which includes an onboard graphics processor. Of the 4 variants available – Vibrant, Captivate, Fascinate and Epic 4G – Epic 4G is the one that is often supposed to grab top spot with its 8MP camera and 4G capabilities. All of them also come equipped with super AMOLED screens and 5/8MP cameras (with or without LED flash depending on the carrier version), and better GPU capabilities of the Hummingbird processor makes them the top choice for graphics.

Motorola Droid X

Taking a shot at all the big boys of the Android phones, Motorola launched the rugged Droid X, with a 854 X 480 pixel FWVGA 4.3″ display and a superfast 1 GHz ARM processor. With its eyes set on getting the top marks, it has a big 1540mAh battery, a noise cancellation feature that ensures better call quality and a much refined 8MP camera, compared to the Droid 2′s 5MP one, that can record HD videos at 24fps and comes with dual-LED Flash and a fast mechanical shutter. The Droid X also has an HDMI port for directly viewing those HD videos on your HD television or monitor. Having said all that, it’s quite a monster in terms of size and is the perfect choice anyone with big pockets or a bag and looking for a powerful Android beast.

HTC EVO 4G

HTC has so far been a kind of frontrunner of Android in the mobile-user business and EVO 4G is yet another phone that shows why HTC still makes among the best phones. Packed with top-of-the-line features like a 1 GHz processor, an 8MP camera with HD recording, 1.3MP front camera, YouTube’s HQ video player, as well as a deployable kickstand and HDMI port, EVO 4G is also the first smartphone available in the United States with 4G WiMAX connectivity, which gives it peak download speeds of up to 12 Mbps. Overall, the HTC Evo 4G certainly ranks as one of the best Android phones on the market today. It’s feature packed and powerful, and shows the promise of 4G – which, sadly, only very few can fully enjoy at this moment.

HTC Desire

Though older than all the other phones listed above, the HTC Desire still rocks as a solid piece of engineering that has stood the test of time. Supposedly an improved spin-off of the original Google flagship phone, the Nexus One, it shares the same 3.7″ screen and 1GHz processor, but at 576MB, it as an extra 64MB RAM. Earlier versions came with the AMOLED screen but later it was fitted with a Super LCD screen, which is still top-notch though not as vibrant, due to a crunch in supply of AMOLED screens. It features the much acclaimed HTC-Sense UI (as most other phones from HTC’s Android line do) and has a very responsive typing correction that makes messaging a cakewalk. One thing that has helped the Desire be at the top for long is its huge and faithful user-base which ensures it is one of the first phones to get Android updates from HTC. So Desire owners have reasons to be all smiles as this device will get faster updates and stay latest in terms of technology they are using!