In these cash-strapped times, you can still get your hands on the very best mobiles without paying a penny up front. Of course, there is the small detail of the airtime contract you need to sign to get it gratis... the more you pay per month, the better the phone you'll be able to walk away with.

Nothing's for nothing though; you'll effectively pay back the cost of the phone over the life of your deal - but at least you'll have instant access to some of the best mobile technology around.

Here we show you the Top 10 phones you can get for free, and some of the airtime deals where you can get them for nowt.

iphoneApple iPhone 3G

Currently the most desirable mobile phone on the planet, but still pocketable for free on some O2 deals.

The iPhone 3G delivers delightful usability and plenty of neat applications via its excellent Multi-Touch touchscreen.

Its user-friendly interface gives you finger-tapping access to a cracking set of features, including GPS satellite mapping, a Safari browser, Wi-Fi and HSDPA support for high-speed data downloading and browsing, and fabulous iPod music and video-playing capabilities, with 8GB or 16GB of storage to play with.

With enterprise support for Microsoft Exchange, it's not just for fun - and you can add much more, too, with a huge choice of applications easily downloadable from the App Store.

iPhone 3G 8GB - FREE on: O2 £45 per month and £75 per month iPhone 18-month tariffs
iPhone 3G 16GB - FREE on: O2 £75 per month iPhone 18-month tariff

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n96Nokia N96

Nokia's latest flagship N-series multimedia device, the N96, is effectively an upgrade of the well-endowed N95 8GB.

This Symbian S60 smartphone has 16GB of onboard storage (plus MicroSD card expansion), A-GPS satellite navigation technology, Wi-Fi and HSDPA high-speed data connectivity, plus a high-quality 5-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics.

Music and video playback is up there with the best, while its motion sensor accelerometer automatically switches the large 2.8inch screen between portrait and landscape for optimum viewing.

The device also supports a bunch of Nokia services including N-Gage advanced gaming, Ovi content sharing, and Nokia Music Store tune downloading.

FREE on: O2 £45 per month (and above) tariffs; Vodafone £45 per month (and above) 18-month tariffs and £55 per month (or above) 12-month tariffs; T-Mobile Flext 50 £50 per month (and above) 18-month tariffs; 3 £30 per month (and above) 18-month tariffs

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n95Nokia N95 8GB

Nokia's popular N95 8GB - a souped-up version of the original N95 - is a powerful Symbian S60 smartphone with an impressive spread of features.

As well as A-GPS step-by-step satellite navigation and mapping software, it has a 5-megapixel Carl Zeiss-lens equipped camera, plus 8GB of storage to satisfy its multimedia appetite.

Wi-Fi goes hand-in-hand with HSDPA mobile data support for high-speed mobile connectivity, and the phone has a high-end line-up of S60 software onboard. The dual-slide design features a media-friendly 2.8-inch display, while it packs in a stack of video and music features (including a 3.5mm headphone socket).

FREE on: Vodafone £35 per month (and above) tariffs; 3 £24 per month (and above) 18-month tariffs; O2 £75 per month (and above) 18-month tariffs;

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i8510Samsung i8510

Samsung's most impressive mobile to date, the i8510 dazzles with high-end features, but the show-stopper is its excellent 8-megapixel camera - more like a standalone digital camera than a mere camera phone snapper.

Resembling the Nokia N95 8GB design-wise, the i8510 is built on the Symbian S60 smartphone platform, and has Wi-Fi and high-speed HSDPA connectivity for multimedia downloading and speedy browsing.

It's also got A-GPS satellite navigation gadgetry inside. With 8GB of onboard storage plus MicroSD card support for memory cards up to 16GB, you can get plenty of tunes, images, video or additional software on this multi-talented device.

FREE on: O2 £35 per month (and above) tariffs

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toccoSamsung Tocco F480

A neat and compact touchscreen phone, the Samsung Tocco still manages to squeeze a 5-megapixel camera into its stylishly slim 11.6mm-thin casing.

Featuring Samsung's TouchWiz user interface, the Tocco is easy to control and responsive to the touch, with plenty of finger swiping space on its 2.8-inch display.

It has handy drag-and-drop swappable widgets on the homescreen too for operating certain functions.

Geared up for 3G multimedia activity with HSDPA high-speed connectivity, the Tocco has tidy music and video players as well as a reasonably pacey and functional full web browser. The camera's imaging also impresses, though the minimalist design is what will immediately appeal to some buyers.

FREE on: Orange £30 per month (and above) 18-month tariffs or £33 per month (and above) 12-month tariffs; Vodafone £30 per month (and above) tariffs; T-Mobile £40 per month (and above) 18-month tariffs

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c902Sony Ericsson C902

High quality imaging in a super-slim design is the main draw of Sony Ericsson's C902 Cyber-shot phone.

A 5-megapixel camera-packing candy-bar model, the C902 has a 10.5mm profile with the shooter tucked out of site under a spy-camera style slider action cover.

Touch sensitive camera controls come to life around the modest 2-inch screen when the camera comes into play, working its typically shooting-friendly Cyber-shot user interface.

It has 3G HSDPA connectivity, and a decent set of additional mid-tier features, including a high quality music player, and a capable browser. And with an attractive, understated design, the C902 is a pretty classy-looking handset too.

FREE on: O2 £35 per month (and above) 18-month tariffs; Orange £30 per month (and above) 18-month tariffs or £33 per month (and above) 12-month tariffs; Vodafone £30 per month (and above) tariffs; T-Mobile £40 per month (and above) 18-month tariffs; 3 £20 per month (and above) tariffs

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6500Nokia 6500 slide

A smart brushed metal casing gives this sliderphone a refined look and the appearance of slimmed down Nokia N95.

It's not a smartphone, but the Nokia 6500 slide presses the right buttons as an attractively-featured and affordable mid-tier 3G mobile. It has a 3.2-megapixel camera with auto-focus control and Carl Zeiss optics, a good quality music and video player, plus a decent spread of web-based applications, including a pre-loaded Opera browser alongside Nokia's own-brand software.

Easy to use in typical Nokia style, the 6500 slide combines attractive design appeal with good functionality and a high-level performance.

FREE on: O2 £25 per month (and above) 18-month tariffs; Orange £20 per month (and above) tariffs; T-Mobile £30 per month (and above) 18-month tariffs; 3 £15 per month (and above) tariffs

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w980Sony Ericsson W980

Sony Ericsson's flagship Walkman phone has 8GB of internal memory for music, video, images and other content. As well as its high-quality music player, the W980 has an FM transmitter, so you can broadcast your tunes to a nearby radio - in the car, at home, or even another mobile's radio.

This 3G clamshell phone has neatly designed external touch sensitive Walkman controls, and it strikes the right notes with a top-class audio performance. The camera is an average 3.2-megapixel shooter, and there's no Wi-Fi onboard, but you do get high-speed HSDPA mobile connectivity for fast downloads and browsing.

FREE on: O2 £35 per month (and above) 18-month tariffs, £25 per month (and above) 24-month tariffs; Orange £30 per month (and above) 18-month tariffs, £33 per month (and above) 12-month tariffs; Vodafone £30 per month (and above) tariffs; T-Mobile £35 per month (and above) 18-month tariffs

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soulSamsung Soul U900

Combining elegant brushed metal bodywork with context changing Magical Touch touchpad control, the Samsung U900 Soul grabs attention with both form and function.

Beneath the exterior glitz though, there's a decent set of mid-tier 3G phone functions, including a sharp-shooting 5-megapixel camera, HSDPA high-speed data connectivity and multi-format music and video players.

Its slimline 12.9mm thin Ultra series-style design and the Magical Touch control set-up - replicating navigation pad controls rather than full touchscreen operation - are the real off-the-shelf eye grabbers for this handset.

It doesn't do high-end features like Wi-Fi and GPS or have smartphone functionality, but it certainly offers a stylish handset option with a touch of finger-tapping innovation.

FREE on: O2 £45 per month (and above) 18-month tariffs, £40 per month (and above) 24-month tariffs; Orange £35 per month (and above) 18-month tariffs, £33 per month (and above) 12-month tariffs; Vodafone £30 per month (and above) tariffs; T-Mobile £35 per month (and above) 18-month tariffs; 3 £20 per month (and above) 18-month tariffs

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omniaSamsung Omnia i900

Another touchscreen-operated mobile from Samsung but this time it's a high-spec Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional device.

It's larger than the Tocco, with a 3.2-inch display, and it packs in 5-megapixel camera with a hefty selection of shooting options.

Under the Samsung skin, there's a full suite of Microsoft Office Mobile software for viewing and editing documents, plus push email support. High-speed web browsing is covered, with both Wi-Fi and HSDPA high-speed connectivity, plus pre-loaded Opera and Internet Explorer software.

The Omnia also has GPS satellite navigation technology inside, and is available in 8GB or 16GB versions, with additional MicroSD card expansion. A very impressive all-round Windows Mobile smartphone choice.

FREE on: (8GB version) Vodafone £35 per month (and above) tariffs; T-Mobile £75 per month (and above) 18-month tariffs. (16GB version) Orange £45 per month (and above) 18-month tariffs