With so many different (yet similar) smartphones from so many brands from across the globe, one may start feeling a bit lost. Which one of those many is the best phone you can buy right now, in February 2016?
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THERE IS NO ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL DEVICE
December is a great month if you want to buy a new phone: a bunch of brand new devices have recently arrived on the market (including the new iPhone 6s series and Galaxy Notes!), and many older devices are getting hugely discounted. This applies not just to high-end phones: affordable phones with the latest hardware and new features have also arrived in heaps recently, giving you plenty of choice. This is truly the best time to buy a new smartphone – you get the newest, most powerful hardware that will be relevant and up-to-date for the longest period of time.
Very best phone in a regular size from a brand you trust:
Apple iPhone 6s
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It’s an ‘s’ upgrade meaning that it looks almost exactly like last year’s iPhone 6, but looks are deceiving: the new iPhone brings two extremely cool and useful new features, 3D Touch and Live Photos. It also comes with a massively improved Apple A9 system chip and recent findings praise Apple for making the best of this new chip and squeezing even more battery life with the 6s. We have also learned that Apple uses a brand new type of storage that is not eMMC or UFS, but a much faster kind of storage that has a lot in common with the super-fast SSD used in full-fledged Macbooks. Put in simple words, the new iPhone has a much faster processor and memory. It also comes with a new, 12-megapixel camera that now is able to capture a more detailed images than before and records video in the trendy 4K resolution, plus it supports new slo-mo options. Add to this the rich iOS ecosystem that continues to secure the best apps and games first, and one starts to understand the huge appeal of the iPhone 6s.
Samsung Galaxy S6
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The Samsung Galaxy S6 is a 5.1-inch device of style and beauty: it is made of two pieces of Gorilla Glass 4 on the back and front, and a sturdy metal frame in the middle. Long gone are the times of disappointingly plastic smartphones from Samsung. Some changes have been made: the Galaxy S6 does not support a microSD card slot, a replaceable battery, or water-protection that its predecessor had. In exchange for those compromises, you get a very slim and good looking phone, an extremely powerful Exynos 7420 system chip, an excellent 16-megapixel main camera, and probably the best AMOLED screen so far. We also love the wireless charging option available right out of the box on the Galaxy S6.
Samsung Galaxy S6
Nexus 5X
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After a lackluster year for the Nexus series with the overwhelmingly gigantic Nexus 6 that even Google admits failed the modest sales expectations, this year Google brings the successor to one of the most demanded Nexus phones of all times: the LG Nexus 5. The new Nexus 5X is also made by LG and it shows the way forward for Android: it runs on the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow, finally has a native fingerprint scanner and charges via the fast and reversible USB Type C connector. Those all pale in comparison with its biggest promise, though: a hugely improved camera. The Nexus 5X is the first phone to ship with the 12.3-megapixel Sony IMX377 image sensor, a 1/2.3″ sensor, one of the largest ever on an Android phone. It has large pixel and aspirations to be among the very best smartphone cameras. If that wasn’t enough, Google has priced the Nexus 5X at a very alluring price: just $380 for the 16GB model and $430 for the 32GB version.
Nexus 5X
LG G4
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The LG G4 came amidst modest expectations, but it not only lived up to them, but also exceeded what one expected from it. The G4’s most impressive feature is its great 16-megapixel main camera with optical image stabilization, and – hands down – the best, most convenient manual shooting mode of any smartphone out there.
LG G4 Review
If you prefer a large phone with a great camera (phablets):
Apple iPhone 6s Plus
The iPhone 6s Plus is practically a larger iPhone with all the great novelty that comes in the iPhone 6s: the same impressive new 3D Touch functionality, the improved Apple A9 system chip and the much faster, SSD laptop-grade memory speeds, and finally, the new 12-megapixel iSight rear camera that takes more detailed images and captures 4K video.
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iPhone 6s Plus specs |
It is not just about the specs (even though this is one wicked fast iPhone), it’s also about the ecosystem and Apple has got it locked: it is the first and most prolific company to support effortless payments with your phone with Apple Pay, it is the first to have a truly cohesive ecosystem with accent on fitness and well-being with the Health app and Apple Watch, and it is still the platform developers choose to release apps and games first and often exclusively. All of this together makes the iPhone 6s Plus one of the best large phones you can buy today.
Apple iPhone 6s Plus Review
Nexus 6P
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Nexus 6P specs |
And the Nexus 6P is just rock solid when it comes to the spec sheet: a properly calibrated 5.7″ Quad HD (1440 x 2560-pixel) Super AMOLED display, the most powerful chip on Android in the form of the Snapdragon 810, a new, super powerful 12.3-megapixel camera with large pixel and a promise for great shots in low light, a super svelte all-aluminum body and a very gentle hump on its back. Also, a larger than average battery and support for all the goodies: a native for Android fingerprint scanner, USB Type C, and dual front-firing speakers. What’s more to want?
Nexus 6P
Samsung Galaxy Note 5 | Galaxy S6 Edge +
The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 / Galaxy S6 Edge+ (we’ll look at the two in one take as – save for the S Pen – they are identical) are the finest Samsung large phones on sale right now, the Note5 in the States, and the S6 Edge+ in Europe and most of the world.
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Don’t be deceived by the pretty looks in any way: these are still all-out monsters in terms of pure hardware. The duo has got the latest generation of Samsung Super AMOLED displays, Quad HD screens with great colors, it’s got one of the best cameras on mobile, longer battery life than most other phones, and even wireless charging. So why have we put them after the Nexus 6P and iPhones? Well, as much as we appreciate the effort, Samsung’s TouchWiz still has a few rough edges (yes, some stutter is there and Samsung can still improve the incoherent visual style) and just does not feel as fast a stock Android experience. For all else, though, the Galaxy large screen family is an absolute treasure.
Samsung Galaxy Note 5 Review
Motorola Moto X Pure
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It’s got what has become a nearly standard spec sheet for high-end Android phablets: a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1440 x 2560 pixels (Quad HD) and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8xx chip (it’s the Snapdragon 808 here, it’s what allows for the lower price). The Moto X Pure ships with a 21-megapixel camera that records 4K videos and it’s got a 5-megapixel snapper for selfies. It also has a rather average-sized, 3000mAh battery.
Motorola Moto X Pure
If you want the absolute best battery life and a rugged phone:
Samsung Galaxy S6 Active
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Going on a search for outstanding battery life, one inevitably stumbles across the Samsung Galaxy S6 Active. The new champ in battery longevity also happens to be a rugged phone, and it’s a true killer combination. Samsung did not tone down the specs as we are used to seeing in rugged or battery-centric phones – this is an all-out flagship in a regular-sized body.
If you want something more compact:
Sony Xperia Z5 Compact
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The most notable alternative to the iPhone 5s in the compact phone market is the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact.
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Sony Xperia Z5 Compact |
Apple iPhone 5s
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Big phones are just not everyone’s cup of tea (at least not yet), and that’s why there is still a market for extremely compact devices that you can easily use with a single hand.
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Apple iPhone 5s |
For those on a budget:
Motorola Moto X
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The 2014 Motorola Moto X features one of the most memorable designs on Android with an interchangeable back cover, so that you can have a phone with a stylish bamboo or leather back. It’s also powered by one of the best Qualcomm chips of all times, the Snapdragon 801. Its 5.2-inch AMOLED display has good-looking colors, while its camera may not be among the very best, but is not too far away from that either. The killer feature of the Moto X, however, is price: at just $300 off contract it is one of the best options for budget buyers.
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Motorola Moto X |
Motorola Moto G (2015)
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The new Moto G 2015 is a worthy successor to one of the most popular affordable smartphones and it comes with an improved design that now looks much more mature.
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Motorola Moto G 2015 |
Asus Zenfone 2
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Both models feature the powerful Intel Atom Z3580 system chip with four cores running at up to 2.3GHz, and it comes with PowerVR G6430 graphics (the iPhone 6 features the slightly higher class, but still compareable PowerVR G6450). The 13-megapixel camera is also a more than decent performer that does especially well with HDR images. Finally, with a great battery life and extremely quick recharging times, the Zenfone 2 is definitely one of the best budget phones money can buy these days.
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Asus Zenfone 2 |
Nokia Lumia 640
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The third ecosystem, Windows Phone, is having a hard time fighting the iPhones and Android flagships of today, but it remains strong in the market of affordable phones.
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Nokia Lumia 640 |
If you want to be different than all the rest with something exotic:
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3
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Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 |
Xiaomi Redmi 3
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Xiaomi Redmi 3 |
Meizu Pro 5
Meizu, a company with a relatively long history, is the one that has made one of the most appealing Chinese phones of the year: the Meizu Pro 5.
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Meizu Pro 5 |
Xiaomi Mi Note
The Mi Note is the best phone of one of the fastest growing phone companies in the world – Xiaomi.
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Xiaomi Mi Note |
LeTV Le 1S
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[Souce:- Phonearena] |
