Android phones in general seem to work well. Droids are being surpassed and by my best guess, you won't be able to get batteries and what not in about a year. The good thing is that they seem to be standardizing the charger plugs. I've got a Bionic (my old smart phone wasn't really) I don't use a ton of apps, so I don't feel competent to advise you there.

What you get should really be based on what you want to use your phone for. Most folks use their phones for social media and email more than they do for actual talk time. If you expect to be checking email etc, see if you can get an unlimited data plan. Most cel carriers are phasing them out, but keep your eye out. If all you want to do is talk voice, see if you can get a not so smart phone. They don't make "stupid" phones anymore, so it might be hard to find one.