An epic battle is about to be waged in the world of mobile phones, as two Windows Mobile heavyweights are about to set about each other. So, let's get ring-side seats, and watch the battle, between the Sony Ericsson X1 and the HTC Touch HD.

Sony Ericsson X1 - expert panel

Currently storming the mobile phone charts is the first ever Windows Mobile phone from Sony Ericsson, the gorgeous Sony Ericsson X1. And what a phone it is, packing loads of high-end features into its sleek, premium metal body. Oh, and incidentally, that's a premium metal body with a unique design, as the Sony Ericsson X1 is the first 'arc-slider' in the world. or, in other words, when you slide it open to reveal the keyboard, the screen moves in an arc, so it's at an easier angle to view. Very clever design, that, and I can see lots of mobile phones following the example set by the Sony Ericsson X1. Once you've finished taking in the brilliance of its looks, the Sony Ericsson X1 is also packed with tons of features and technology, meaning you get a 3 megapixel camera, GPS, WiFi, HSDPA and a new interface for Windows Mobile, the 'panel interface', making swapping between home screens and applications as easy as poking the screen!

HTC Touch HD - the big boy

There's a word that pretty much perfectly sums up the HTC Touch HD: epic. Hardly surprising, really, since that vast 3.8 inch screen is bigger than the screens of any other mobile phones you'd care to mention. Heck, the screen on the HTC Touch HD is bigger than most mobile phones' bodies, never mind screens! And that's a good thing, because with a screen that big, and that high in resolution, the HTC Touch HD is one of the easiest and nicest touchscreen mobile phones to use in the entire world, especially since on top of Windows Mobile, it packs in the TouchFLO 3D interface HTC have become famous for. It's fair to say that the TouchFLO interface is one of the nicest you'll ever use, easily matching the iPhone for flashiness and usability. On top of that user-friendliness, the HTC Touch HD also comes with a 5 megapixel camera, GPS and HSDPA, and thanks to that immense screen, everything is a doddle to use.

Sony Ericsson X1 vs HTC Touch HD - which is the best?

Of all the comparisons and 'vs' articles I've done, this is just about the hardest one to call, because both mobile phones are utterly, completely brilliant. The Sony Ericsson X1 has the QWERTY keyboard in its favour, and a premium metal case. But then, the HTC Touch HD has a better camera, and that epic screen. Both mobile phones have a couple of flaws, but both of them are unfeasibly awesome. In the end, though, because I suppose I'd better choose one, I reckon I'd go for the Sony Ericsson X1, for the simple reason that whilst it's screen is smaller, it's the same resolution as the HTC Touch HD, AND it has a QWERTY keyboard. In my opinion, for what I deem to be necessary in a mobile phone, I'd go for the QWERTY keyboard over the 3.8 inch screen, but I'll say this: it was a very tough choice!