The Best Smartphones of 2016

The smartphone is now an extension of the arm. They go everywhere. We rely on them for communication, news and navigation. We use them to play games, watch movies, experience VR, listen to music and set up dates. Hell, going off the grid isn’t about remoteness anymore; it’s about seeing how long you can go without picking up your smartphone. To this end, choosing the right smartphone for you is immensely important. What do you prioritize: long battery life, an edge-to-edge display, super-fast download speeds or a great camera? There’s no shortage of great options; choose wisely.

Google Pixel and Pixel XL

Google’s first-ever “pure” Android phone is a phenomenal launch for the tech giant. The camera is as good or better than the iPhone 7’s camera (DxOMark gave the Pixel the highest camera rating ever in a smartphone), and it comes preloaded with Google Assistant, the most intelligent virtual assistant in any smartphone. There are a couple other great features, such as the fingerprint reader on the back in lieu of a home button, and the superbly executed compatibility with Google’s VR headset, the Daydream View. But Android lovers will be impressed mostly with its smooth and lightning-quick operating system and its complete omission of bloatware. There are two models, the Pixel and Pixel XL; the only differences between the two are battery life and display size (5 inches versus 5.5 inch).

Specs
OS: Android 7.1 Nougat
Display: 5- or 5.5-inch HD AMOLED display
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 821
Rear-Facing Camera: 12.3MP camera with f/2.0
Storage: 32GB, 128GB

iPhone 7 and 7 Plus

With their latest smartphones, Apple upgraded a handful of features from the iPhone 6 and 6s. Both the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are now water and dust resistant (IP67 rated), their bodies have a smoother finish, and their minimum internal storage sits at 32G (as opposed to a paltry 16G). The home button isn’t a button, but a fingerprint reader, and the cameras have been significantly improved, particularly the rear-facing 12MP camera: It’s 60 percent faster, lets in 50 percent more light, and has built-in optical image stabilizer. The 7 Plus has two 12MP cameras, including a telephoto lens. Note that both new iPhones ditched the headphone jack, so you’ll need an adapter to use your old beats, but iPhone loyalists will easily forget about that.

Specs
OS: iOS 10
Display: 4.7-inch or 5.5-inch Retina HD
Processor: A10 chip
Rear-Facing Camera: 12MP (additional 12MP telephoto on Plus)
Storage: 32GB, 128GB, 256GB

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge

The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is several months older than its aforementioned rivals, yet it still holds up. It has a stellar 12MP, 4K rear-facing camera with solid optical stabilization. It also boasts an IP68 water- and dust-resistance rating. The kicker is the S7 Edge’s curved display. By swiping the edge, from within any app you can quickly access 10 preset apps of your choice, along with quick tasks, contacts and news updates. You can even see texts and other notifications with the screen turned off, which scroll along the edge like ticker tape.

Specs
OS: Android 6.0
Display: 5.5-inch curved AMOLED
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
Rear-Facing Camera: 12MP
Storage: 32GB (you can add an additional 256GB with a microSD card)

Samsung Galaxy S7

The S7 is very similar to the S7 Edge. Its specs are nearly identical; it boasts the same camera, OS and processor, and it’s also water and dust resistant. But the S7 doesn’t have the curved display, and what it does have is slightly smaller than the Edge’s display (5.1 inches versus 5.5 inches). The S7 also has a less powerful battery (3,000mAh versus the S7 Edge’s 3,600mAh). For those who still want access to Samsung’s other toys (Gear 360 action camera, Gear VR headset), but prefer a phone that’s easier to use one-handed, the S7 is your best bet.

Specs
OS: Android 6.0
Display: 5.1-inch AMOLED
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
Rear-Facing Camera: 12MP
Storage: 32GB (you can add an additional 256GB with a microSD card)

OnePlus 3T

The next generation of the OnePlus 3, which also launched in 2016, is the only smartphone that runs on OxygenOS, OnePlus’s custom Android operating system. It’s supremely fast and doesn’t come with the bloatware you’ll find in a Samsung, LG, or HTC smartphone. If you’re really into taking selfies, the 3T’s rear- and front-facing cameras are both 16MP; the rear-facing camera also has good image stabilization and shoots 4K video. The phone has a ton of storage (64GB is the minimum option) and a great battery that charges, via USB-C, to 60 percent in 30 minutes. (Without exploding. Also, it comes with a traditional headphone jack.) The kicker here is that the 3T costs about half as much as other high-end smartphones.

Specs
OS: Android 6 with OxygenOS
Display: 5.5-inch HD Optic AMOLED
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 821
Rear-Facing Camera: 16MP
Storage: 64GB, 128GB

HTC Bolt

Announced in November 2016, the Bolt is a great Android phone for a specific audience. It’s a Sprint exclusive, meaning if you’re not on Sprint, or aren’t thinking about switching to Sprint, stop here: there are no unlocked Bolts available. That said, the Bolt is fast — really fast. It can reach download speeds of 250MB per second on LTE, which is significantly faster than any other smartphone. Those speeds, however, can only be reached on Sprint’s LTE Plus network, which is only available in select cities: Chicago, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Dallas, Denver, Kansas City and Cleveland. Otherwise, the Bolt has a very good camera, latest Android OS and an IP57 waterproofness rating. Although, like the iPhone 7, it doesn’t have a traditional headphone jack.

Specs
OS: Android 7.0 Nougat
Display: 5.5-inch Quad HD
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 810
Rear-Facing Camera: 16MP (f/2.0), 4K video recording with hi-res audio
Storage: 32GB

LG V20

The LG V20 brings both size and power. Its 5.7-inch display is larger than both the iPhone 7 Plus and Pixel XL, and it comes preloaded with Android 7.0 Nougat. Its home button is on the back, not unlike the Pixel’s fingerprint reader (but it’s an actual button). And like the iPhone 7 Plus, the V20 has a dual rear camera setup: one standard and one wide-angle. For audiophiles, this is the first smartphone to include a Quad DAC for hi-fi audio. It can also record high-res, lossless audio. And yes, it has a headphone jack. On the downside, it’s huge and it isn’t waterproof.

Specs
OS: Android 7.0 Nougat
Display: 5.7-inch Quad HD
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
Rear-Facing Camera: dual lens: 16MP standard and 8MP wide-angle
Storage: 64GB (expandable up to 2TB microSD card)

Motorola Moto Z

The Moto Z is really all about its mods — accessories that magnetically snap to the back of the smartphone. There’s a battery mod that adds 22 hours of extra playtime, a Hasselblad True Zoom mod (pictured) for 10x optical zoom (plus a few other perks), a projector mod for movie nights or work presentions, and a JBL boombox mod. Keep in mind the Moto Z can only “wear” one mod at a time. Without the mods, the Moto Z is really thin — the world’s thinnest smartphone, in fact — and still a very good smartphone. It runs on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, has a powerful Snapdragon 820 processor, and boasts a good camera that shoots 4K video. The downsides: each mod costs a little (or a lot) extra, the phone has no traditional headphone jack (it’s all USB-C), and it’s not waterproof. If price is an issue, Motorola also makes more affordable smartphones in the Moto Z family that use the same mods.

Specs
OS: Android 6.0.1
Display: 5.5-inch Quad HD
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor
Rear-Facing Camera: 16MP
Storage: 32GB, 64GB

Xiaomi Mi Mix

The Mi Mix has the highest screen-to-body ratio (91.3 percent) of any smartphone. It’s edgeless. Due to the limited real estate this causes, the front camera is on the bottom, which will take some getting used to. Aside from that, the Mi Mix has the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 quad-core processor as the Google Pixel, and a battery life double that of the iPhone 7’s. And even though it looks huge, it’s actually no bigger than the iPhone 7 Plus or Pixel XL. It’s a smartphone for the person looking for something completely different. The real downside, however, is that you’ll be hard pressed to find it in the US.

Specs
OS: Android 6.0
Display: 6.4-inch HD LCD
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 821
Rear-Facing Camera: 16MP
Storage: 128GB, 256GB

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