Some of the newest smartphone of 2016 are just now starting to hit shelves, so if you’re interested in upgrading to a new phone, there are some new options to consider.
We are still waiting for phones like the rumored iPhone SE and LG G5 to launch, so keep that in mind on this list. However, for now, this is our ranking of the 10 best smartphone you can by right now.
10. LG G4: After seeing the eye-catching new product that LG is putting out in a couple of months, picking up the G4 doesn't come as highly recommended as it would otherwise. It's still a great smartphone, but with all the excitement surrounding the G5, we'd recommend waiting for the launch of the G5 if your itching for a new LG phone.—Luke Larsen
9. Huawei Honor 5X: The Honor 5X is the first of Huawei’s budget line of smartphones to make it to the US and, for the most part, it makes a good first impression. The phone is well-built, featuring an aluminum back and glass front that disguises its $199 price tag behind a confident design and solid build quality.
For its price, one would expect the 5X to have a slate of drawbacks, but it doesn’t. Until you look at the software. Emotion UI is not the worst operating system in the world, but it feels woefully outdated and as though it was not given the proper amount of thought. Things that are simple and easy in stock Android become confusing and laborious in Huawei’s custom software.—Eric Walters
8. Moto X Pure Edition: There’s no phone that I carried with me more in 2015 than the Moto X Pure Edition. It’s a really solid phone that gets a lot of things right.
Things like the camera are starting to feel a little outdated, but the recent Android updates it’s been getting has kept it competitive on the software front. The thing that keeps this as a unique choice even today is the MotoMaker, which lets buyers customize their look and feel of their phones. We probably won’t hear word of an updated Moto X until much later this year, so the Pure Edition is still a great option.—LL
7. Nexus 5X: Nexus phones have always been for hardcore Android fans, but this year Google wanted to change that by bringing a budget-friendly phone ($379) to the market that just about anyone would want to pick up and use.
It’s made out of plastic and has a pretty basic design, but it’s really light in the hand and has a nice textured feel. Furthermore, it has just a 5.2-inch display, so it’s quite a bit smaller than most other Android smartphones out there. Most importantly though, Google (in partnership with LG) has made one of the best budget phone out there and pretty much erases the notion of ever buying a “midrange” smartphone ever again. It’s not the absolute best value (see the OnePlus phones for that), but if the stock Android 6.0 experience for cheap is what you want, get the Nexus 5X.—LL
6. Galaxy Note 5 / S6 edge+: There’s a lot of reasons why longtime Samsung fans have ditched the Note 5, most notably because of its lack of a removable battery, waterproof casing, and expandable storage. Now that Samsung has rectified some of those things in the new Galaxy S7, the Note 5 feels a little backward.
However, if those things don't bother you, the Note 5 has a lot to love about it. The design and build quality is spot on, the stylus is more useful than ever, and the camera is the best you’ll find on an Android device. If it wasn’t for the clunky Samsung software, this phone would have shot to the top of this list, but even as is, it’s still a great option.—LL
5. OnePlus 2: A premium phone in every way imaginable for just $349? That’s always been OnePlus’ motto as the “flagship killer,” and it still holds true with the OnePlus 2. It’s not a perfect device, but it hits almost every benchmark with flying colors—whether that is its beautiful display and impressive performance to its clean customizable software and excellent build quality. The OnePlus 2 also has amazing battery life, outdoing every other phone on this list. The best part? It’s become available again after being sold out for much of 2015.—LL
4. LG V10: With the V10, LG has a problem on its hands. It must figure out how to innovate and differentiate future generations of the V series from its marquee G series, especially considering that the V10 debuted six months after the G4 and about the same amount of time before the G5. With the G5’s always-on screen confirmed by LG, the V10’s secondary display will seem less useful.
Yet, if you’re a photographer or someone who lives in their phone, the V10 offers compelling features, like swappable batteries, a memory card for expansion and an excellent 16-megapixel f/1.8 camera with fast autofocus on top of a stunning 5.7-inch LCD display. These features alone make the V10 competitive with the best phones from Apple, HTC, Samsung and Sony.—Chuong Nguyen
3. iPhone 6s / 6s Plus: Although we are getting a new smaller, cheaper, midrange iPhone in a few weeks, we won't be seeing the iPhone 7 until much later this year. That means the 6s and 6s Plus are still really great buys. It's never much of a surprise to see that the iPhone is still great at what the iPhone has always been great at—and the iPhone 6s was no different. You know what you're getting here and we couldn't recommend it highly enough.—LL
2. Galaxy S7 / S7 Edge: It's always nice to see a smartphone manufacturer really pay attention to the desires of its customers. After Samsung took away some key features in last year's Galaxy S6, fans flocked to other Android options in droves.
Fortunately, Samsung has reintroduced waterproofing and expandable storage, which should please many Android users. Most importantly, Samsung pulled in these features without having to compromise the great design and build quality that it introduced last year. Oh yeah—and then there's that incredible OLED display, which you have to see in person to truly appreciate. This one just came out on today, so if you can't find it now, you should be able to soon.—LL
1. Nexus 6p: Despite the fact that we’ve got a fresh new Galaxy phone, our pick for best smartphone right now has to go to the Nexus 6p. The stock Android phone from Huawei and Google from last year was our phone of the year and it’s still our choice for the best smartphone you can buy right now.
As much as we love the design and look of the Galaxy S7, the Nexus 6p has the stock Android software that we highly prefer. The Galaxy S7 might have the nicer camera, but the Nexus 6p is the Android device that we want to use on a day-to-day basis.
(source:techgig)
