The flat SGS7 handset is certainly one of the most appealing
devices out there, but the S7 edge pips it to the post, taking
pole position as the most desirable handset
around. The Samsung
Galaxy S7 edge fuses power with performance, offering a
5.5-inch display with a Quad HD resolution and plenty of punch, but
differentiating itself with those curved edges.
The build quality matches the best of the handsets out there and
the addition of a microSD card slot makes this handset all the more
practical, while the bigger size over the SGS7 gives more space for
battery. It's slick and fast and every inch the flagship
experience, topped-off with a slick fingerprint scanner and a
camera to deliver the whole smartphone package.
Google comes out all guns blazing with two new phones, the Pixel
and the larger Pixel XL. Both devices offer the same specs,
performance and experience with one difference: screen size. The
regular Pixel has a 5-inch Full HD display, while the Pixel XL has
a larger 5.5-inch Quad HD display.
Launching with a number of exclusive features, but otherwise a
clean version of Android, the Pixel phones have a solid build and a
fast and smooth experience. The cameras are superb and the battery
life is good, leading to a premium Android experience. The price is
a little high, however, and they lack microSD or waterproofing.
They even have a 3.5mm headphone jack.
The Apple iPhone 7 doesn't offer the overhaul in design
that we are used to getting every two years, but there are enough
developments to keep fans happy. The new flagship iPhone is more
refined, offering the removal of the headphone jack in favour of
stereo speakers, along with better hidden antennas and
waterproofing.
It offers subtle changes to the iPhone 6S, such as a new Home
button and glossy or matte black finish options, along with faster
and slicker performance, as you would expect. Ultimately, the
iPhone 7 is the company's best iPhone yet, as Tim Cook claimed, but
the best is only slightly better than the iPhone 6S, which is why
we've kept the older model in this list too.
The Samsung Galaxy S7 takes what the SGS6 started and
refines it. It tweaks the design slightly, adds IP68
water and dust protection and brings the microSD card
back. Internally, there's plenty of power for a slick
performance from the Exynos or Qualcomm chipset and 4GB of RAM,
alongside a wonderfully vibrant Quad HD AMOLED display.
A wide range of functionality is offered through
Samsung's TouchWiz beautifully optimised reworking of Android,
while improved battery performance and a consistent and
dependable camera give you the recipe for one of the most
compelling smartphones on the market.
The Apple iPhone 7 Plus offers more new features to the
iPhone party than its smaller sibling, but they come with a price,
which is why this device sits a little lower down our list.
Like the smaller device, the design sees refinement rather than
overhaul, with Apple removing the headphone jack, hiding the
antenna bars and adding waterproofing.
It's a worthy upgrade from the iPhone 6 Plus or iPhone 6S Plus,
with excellent and improved camera capabilities, along with power
and battery performance. The iPhone 7 Plus is big and heavy,
as the range always has been, but it is incredibly
well-built, capable and well-rounded. It's just well expensive too
with a starting price of £719.
The HTC 10 addresses many of the criticisms of the HTC One
M9, focusing on the things that matter in a smartphone, and
ditching many of the distractions. The HTC 10 is built to the
high quality standard you expect from HTC, and it's a handset that
solid and serious.
The 5.2-inch display packs a Quad HD resolution, power comes from
the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset and 4GB of RAM,
while there is OIS on both the front and back
cameras. The result is power, performance, great design and
camera performance, held together with fuss-free software that's
slick, fast and free from bloat.
The OnePlus 3 is one of the best smartphones on the market
this year, especially at its £329 price point. As with its
predecessors, the OnePlus 3 offers incredible value for money. It
has many of the same features and specifications as smartphones
twice its price and there is a lot to be said for that.
The all-metal finish is sleek and sturdy, making it feel like a
genuinely premium device and the display is fantastic too,
even if it isn't Quad HD resolution. The company may have shied
away from the "flagship killer" branding this year, but the OnePlus
3 lays down the marker for what you can get for just over
£300.
Fulfilling the requirements of those looking for a smaller
iPhone, the iPhone
SE is about as budget as Apple gets. Starting at £359, the
iPhone SE punches into the mid-range, but the only thing mid-range
about this phone is the display size.
The iPhone SE has all the power of the iPhone
6S, giving you speed and power that smaller phones often fail
to give you. It's a full-bore iPhone experience that's pared with
an excellent camera experience, offering the consistency you expect
from Apple. For those after the Apple experience without the hole
in their pocket, the iPhone SE is an excellent choice.
The Apple iPhone 6S might have been succeeded by the
iPhone 7, but it's still a great iPhone, especially at its slightly
reduced starting price of £499. It doesn't offer waterproofing like
the latest model, but it delivers a slick, fast experience and
its 12-megapixel rear camera continues to produce some
excellent results.
The iPhone 6S also introduced 3D Touch, Apple's version of a
pressure sensitive display that is also found on the newer model.
It's not unique, but the depth to which Apple has empowered
this new feature stands it aside. It might not be the flagship
iPhone anymore, but the iPhone 6S still offers the premium
Apple experience.
The Huawei-built Nexus 6P launched alongside the more
affordable LG-built Nexus 5X. It has a full metal body and
although the design perhaps doesn't challenge the likes of the
Samsung Galaxy S7 edge, it made Nexus about desirability as well as
affordability.
There's plenty of power, a 5.5-inch display that's full of
detail and pop, a incredibly fast fingerprint scanner, USB Type-C
and a camera that's capable of some great shots in all
conditions. This is a wonderful pure Android handset that
undercuts many Android flagships with its £449 price tag.