It’s been a pretty crazy year. Not just for the smartphone industry, but for the whole world in general. I’m here to talk mainly about the smartphone part of course. Looking back, I haven’t actually reviewed that many phones this year. Since this is more of a side hobby, I only buy phones that interests me. So here’s a list of phones I’ve reviewed this year.
- BlackBerry Priv
- Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
- Apple iPhone SE
- LG G5
- HTC 10
- Sony Xperia X
- OnePlus 3
- Apple iPhone 7
- Samsung Galaxy Note7
- Google Pixel
- Lenovo Moto Z
So let’s start by talking about what I think are the best phones this year.
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Apple iPhone 7
You can’t go wrong with an iPhone, and the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus is the best iPhone to date. On top of the stellar performance typical of an iPhone, Apple added IP67 water and dust resistance for added durability. Optical Image Stabilisation is now a standard too even on the smaller iPhone 7, battery life has been improved, and the home button is now non-mechanical (which should help with durability).
Design is its weakest link in the sense that it is clearly inspired by the iPhone 6/6S, but at least the minor tweaks makes the phone better looking. The removal of the headset jack could be a potential pain point for many, but for me it’s a non-issue as I use bluetooth earbuds primarily.
iOS 10 is still a beast when it comes to optimisation, and gives great performance and battery life. Not to mention it will be getting prompt software support from Apple for a long time to come. Great hardware, great software. You simply can’t go wrong with the iPhone 7.
Google Pixel
2016 is a milestone year for Android devices. It’s the first time Google has branded and marketed their own Android device. RIP Nexus. Welcome Pixel. The Google Pixel is basically Google showing their own take on Android. How it should be experienced, and what direction it’s going towards.
That direction is Google Assistant, the smart voice assistant that Google thinks will be the future of smartphones. While in its infancy, Google Assistant shows great promise. It’s just not quite ready to take the world by storm yet in my opinion. On the bright side, even without the Assistant, the Google Pixel is a damn good phone.
It’s the smoothest Android phone I have used. With Google’s optimisation and the best Qualcomm has to offer, speed is something the Pixel has abundance of. Not quite at the iPhone 7’s level, but close. Since this is a Google phone after all, you also get fast updates direct from Google. No need to wait around for months after a new version of Android. It also showcases the result of hardware and software wizardry when it comes to imaging. Google’s HDR+ mode is mightily impressive, along with Google’s electronic image stabilisation. The unlimited full resolution Google Photos upload is a great perk too for happy snappers.
The only minor downside would be the lack of any significant water resistance on the phone, which I think should be a standard feature when it comes to a phone at its price point. Which brings me to its major downside that puts it below the iPhone 7 for me. Price and availability. It’s not available in that many countries, and if you want to import it or buy it from an importer, it costs more than the iPhone 7 does and comes without warranty.
If you can live with that caveat, and love Android, the Google Pixel is a pretty magical device.
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Some other honourable mentions for the Android side of things. If you are not willing to compromise on durability and local warranty, Samsung’s Galaxy S7 Edge is the way to go. Top end specifications, in a package that’s not only premium but also water and dust resistance. While this is an honourable mention, you’re not really compromising on the hardware front.
The S7 Edge is probably one of the prettiest phone this year with its curved edges, and glass front and back. A huge feat for Samsung considering just a few years back this was their weakest area. Camera wise you’re also getting one of the best camera hardware around, with the fastest autofocus system on any smartphone camera to date. Samsung also has the best display I have seen on any phone this year as well.
The only reason it’s not at the top of my list is its software. TouchWiz is no longer the intolerable abomination like it was before. It’s tolerable, but still has lots of room for improvements. It comes with it own set of software enhancements (some useful, some not so much), but in terms of performance, it’s still nowhere near the likes of the Google Pixel. The speed of software updates is a huge downside for the S7 Edge too. It’s almost the end of 2016, and there is no Samsung smartphone running Android Nougat yet.
If you’re on a budget or looking to get a phone off-contract, there is another great alternative available. The OnePlus 3T. It requires a bit of savvy shopping, but it’s worth the effort. This is a phone that costs way less than the other alternatives, but provides 90% of the experience.
It has the same processor as the Google Pixel, with 6GB of RAM, and a big battery at 3,400mAh. The OS is also one of the smoothest around, perhaps just behind the Google Pixel a tiny bit. There is no water resistance, and the camera isn’t quite at the level of the top dogs, but for its price, there isn’t really anything to complain about. Well, you have to live without local warranty, but I think it’s worth the risk. On local shopping site Qoo10.sg, you can find the Chinese variant of the OnePlus 3T at around S$500 since they have coupons going on for Christmas. It’s still available as of this post until the 26th of December. For that price, I don't think you can do any better.
Now for my favourite phone of the year. The phone that I spent the most amount of time with. The phone that I use in between reviews.
Apple iPhone SE
The thing I like most about the SE is its size. Surprise, surprise. I like phones that I can use one-handed easily, and nothing comes close to the iPhone SE. It has updated internals that gives it great performance on par with most modern phones, and the battery life has been pretty great for my usage. It may not have the latest specifications, but it does everything I need a phone to do, and then some.
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It’s been a pretty good year I think for most manufacturers. OnePlus finally got their act together and put together a solid phone. The HTC 10 is one of my favourite phone this year too. Despite not being the best, it’s a great option if you don’t want something too mainstream. Apple is still putting out great devices, and Samsung isn’t far behind. As a cherry on top, Xiaomi released the impressive looking bezel-less Mi Mix..
On a lower note, BlackBerry has sort of given up on designing their own smartphones. Lenovo hasn’t been doing a great job with the Motorola brand in my opinion. Sony is stubbornly keeping their formula of putting out unremarkable devices at premium pricing. When they did reduce the price a little for the compact series, they took away the high end specifications that used to be a hallmark for the Compact series. LG’s G5 was a flop in my books, and the V20 fails to capitalise on Samsung’s explosive Note7.
Talking about Note7, the way it was handled leaves much to be desired, but you have to respect Samsung for going to such lengths. It's a huge shame considering the Note7 would have been one of the best phone this year if not for the recall.
Despite all that, I think there are plenty to look forward to in 2017 from all the manufacturers. Since LG's modular strategy doesn't seem to be working, it'll be interesting to see what they come up with next. Apple is rumoured to be making some big changes too, and Samsung is bound to have something interesting in the pipeline to make people forget about the whole Note7 debacle. Nokia is even said to be making a comeback. So here's to a better 2017. Merry Christmas to all, and a Happy New Year in advance.
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