The 10 Coolest Smartphones Of 2016
Best Of The Best
For the smartphone market in 2016, there wasn't a lot of stellar news. Overall smartphone shipments were mostly flat during the first three-quarters of the year, according to IDC data. Top vendors Samsung and Apple saw their shipments drop. Samsung's fiasco around the Galaxy Note7, which was prone to catching fire in both its original and replacement versions, was a huge hit to the company's bottom line and reputation. Also, Apple's updates to the iPhone were for the most part incremental, with the company widely expected to be planning a bigger iPhone refresh for 2017.
That's not to say the iPhone 7, as well as new Android smartphones from Samsung and vendors such as LG, Motorola and Google, weren't pretty cool. In the following slides we've rounded up our picks for the 10 coolest smartphones to hit the North American market in 2016.
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
Display: 5.5 inches, Super AMOLED, Quad HD (2,560 x 1,440 pixels)
Processor: Snapdragon 820 (quad-core, 2.15GHz)
Features: Along with an appealing design, including a minimal bezel on the display, the Galaxy S7 Edge has been a popular choice thanks to its 12-megapixel camera and up to 15 hours of battery life.
BlackBerry DTEK60
Display: 5.5 inches, AMOLED, Quad HD (2,560 x 1,440 pixels)
Processor: Snapdragon 820 (quad-core, 2.15GHz)
Features: BlackBerry's reputation for security is on display in this Android smartphone, with features including built-in device encryption, continual OS and app monitoring (via the DTEK by BlackBerry App) and ratings and recommendations around the security of your device.
Google Pixel XL
Display: 5.5 inches, AMOLED, Quad HD (2,560 x 1,440 pixels)
Processor: Snapdragon 821 (quad-core, 2.15GHz)
Features: Google's sophisticated AI, Google Assistant, is baked into the phone, offering a more conversational alternative to Apple's Siri. Other key features include a 12.3-megapixel camera, 14 hours of battery life and a glass-aluminum body.
ASUS ZenFone 3
Display: 5.2 or 5.5 inches, Super IPS+, FHD (1,920 x 1,080)
Processor: Snapdragon 625 (octa-core, 2.0GHz)
Features: With a glass-and-metal design that calls to mind premium smartphones from the likes of Samsung and Apple, and a 16-megapixel camera, the ASUS ZenFone 3 has a surprisingly bargain-level starting price of $289.
Apple iPhone 7 Plus
Display: 5.5 inches, IPS (1,920 x 1,080)
Processor: A10 Fusion (quad-core, 2.34GHz)
Features: The big advancement with the iPhone 7 Plus over prior generations is the dual-camera setup – of 12-megapixel wide-angle and telephoto cameras – which enable more optical zoom and digital zoom for photos. The addition of water and dust resistance is another major upgrade.
LG V20
Display: 5.7 inches, IPS, Quad HD (2,560 x 1,440 pixels)
Processor: Snapdragon 820 (quad-core, 2.15GHz)
Features: The LG V20 is jammed with features for video- and audio-oriented users, including HD audio recording, dual rear cameras, video resolutions up to 3,840 x 2,160 and Steady Record 2.0 (for shooting smoother video).
HP Elite x3
Display: 5.96 inches, AMOLED, Quad HD (2,560 x 1,440 pixels)
Processor: Snapdragon 820 (quad-core, 2.15GHz)
Features: The HP Elite x3 is a "3-in-1" device that, in addition to working as a Windows smartphone, can also serve as a Windows 10 desktop or laptop (using Microsoft's Continuum technology and additional hardware). The device also features a 16-megapixel camera and has a large 4150 mAh battery for long battery life.
Motorola Moto Z Droid
Display: 5.5 inches, AMOLED, Quad HD (2,560 x 1,440 pixels)
Processor: Snapdragon 820 (quad-core, 2.15GHz)
Features: Along with sporting a thickness of just 0.2 of an inch, Motorola's Moto Z Droid differentiates by working with "moto mods" – external devices that can be snapped onto the phone to add functionality. For instance, the moto mods can turn the phone into a projector, attach a JBL SoundBoost speaker or add extra battery life.
Huawei Mate 9
Display: 5.9 inches, FHD (1,920 x 1,080)
Processor: Huawei Kirin 960 (octa-core, 2.4GHz)
Features: Along with a long-lasting 4000 mAh battery and Huawei's own speedy CPU, the Mate 9 features a dual-camera setup (developed with camera maker Leica) of a 12-megapixel RGB camera and 20-megapixel monochrome camera.
Lenovo Phab 2 Pro
Display: 6.4 inches, IPS, Quad HD (2,560 x 1,440 pixels)
Processor: Snapdragon 652 (octa-core, 1.8GHz)
Features: Lenovo's Phab 2 Pro is set apart not just by its huge size, but also by its augmented-reality capabilities. The Phab 2 Pro is the first smartphone to leverage Google's Tango technology, which lets users visualize augmented reality on the device itself.