Top smartphones october. The most powerful smartphones. And the winner of the rating of the most productive smartphones is ...

The end of the year is a time to take stock. In 2016, we saw a lot of interesting new products on the smartphone market, so we decided to collect all the most interesting in one material in order to evaluate this year from the point of view of photosmartphones. The best smartphones of the year, the main flagships, the most interesting gadgets - all in one article!

Apple iPhone 7 Plus

Without a doubt, the most anticipated smartphone of the year, which seems to have met all the expectations of users. New colors, a more powerful processor, an updated Home key, as well as a dual camera unit, which we especially noted in a special material, pitting the device against the Sony Alpha ILCE-6300 camera. The iPhone 7 Plus is the best iOS smartphone of this year, as well as the best Apple smartphone released in 2016.

More to look at: Apple iPhone 7, Apple iPhone SE

Google Pixel XL

Curved lines, a large screen, one of the best mobile cameras - it's all about the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge. The smartphone display adds a special dimension to the image - and it's really impressive. One of the most interesting and powerful smartphones of the year.

More to look at: Samsung Galaxy S7

Huawei Mate 9

The year for Huawei turned out to be incredibly interesting and bright and was marked primarily by the conclusion of an agreement with the Leica photo brand. Under their supervision, the Huawei P9 and P9 Plus smartphones were released with a Leica camera unit and two lenses: one color lens, the other monochrome. At the end of the year, Huawei released the Mate 9 and Mate 9 Porsche Design, marking the second, more serious phase of work on the camera. And you know what? The slogan "A new era of mobile photography" is being laughed at less and less!

More to look at: Huawei P9 Plus, Huawei P9

Lg g5

The smartphone from the Korean company turned out to be the first real solution using modular technology. Among LG Friends modules, the additional camera control and sound unit from Bang & Olufsen stand out. The LG G5 has two cameras. One of them is wide-angle, which allows you to take pictures unusual for smartphones. Fly in the ointment - only LG G5 SE is officially sold in Russia. This is a junior model with slightly different technical characteristics, first of all - a weaker processor. But the cameras are identical.

More to look at: LG G5 SE

Moto Z

Another modular smartphone that came out a little later than the solution from LG. Moto Mods are attached to the back of the smartphone using special magnets. Among the additional units there is a battery, a projector, a speaker from JBL, but the most important thing is a Hasselblad photomodule with optical tenfold zoom.

More to watch: Moto Z Play

Sony Xperia XZ

Sony Mobile took a desperate step in 2016, completely restarting its line of smartphones. By the end of the year, they had filled the entire line of Xs: frameless XA and XA Ultra, X and its smaller copy XCompact, X Performance and the most flagship flagship - XZ. We held it in our hands and tested it. A very worthy and interesting smartphone that has its own face: you can't confuse it with anyone else.

More to watch: Sony Xperia X Performance, Sony Xperia XCompact

Honor 8

Honor smartphones are manufactured by Huawei. And this, in general, was not a secret for anyone. Honor 8 was released this year - beautiful, bright and with two lenses, just like the stepbrothers P9, P9 Plus and Mate 9. The device shoots very well, we were convinced of its qualities in practice.

Meizu Pro 6 Plus

Another late announcement is the Meizu Pro 6 Plus. We tested both the Meizu Pro 6 and the Meizu MX6 this year and were satisfied. Actually, there is no reason to doubt the quality of the camera in the Pro 6 Plus. Also, which is standard for Meizu, the device sounds good, since it has a digital-to-analog converter. The main plus against the background of competitors is a more pleasant price tag with the same flagship capacities.

What else to watch: Meizu Pro 6, Meizu MX6

Asus Zenfone 3 (ZE552KL and ZE520KL)

Smartphones, pleasant in all respects, differ from each other in different screen diagonals. In general, this is the same device that we were able to test with two cool Instagram photographers - @ vi66nya and @ 19tones. Despite the affordable price tag in modern realities, Zenfone 3 can surprise in terms of photography.

More to look at: Asus Zenfone 3 Deluxe

LeEco Le Pro3

LeEco is the most powerful start of the year not only in Russia, but also in the American market. We can say that a brand from China is dumping the market, making flagship features and offering them 1.5-2 times cheaper than other companies. Le Pro3 is a new smartphone that can and should be called an affordable flagship, besides, it has a very decent camera. We had time to test Le Max 2 and, in general, were very satisfied.

Xiaomi Mi 5s

For several years in a row, Xiaomi has been constantly shooting interesting smartphones. And every year the brand has more and more fans and users. This year, the main device is Xiaomi Mi 5s, and the announcement of the frameless Xiaomi Mi Mix was also noticeable. Unfortunately, it is difficult to officially buy Xiaomi devices in Russia - you will not find the flagships of this company on the store shelves.

What else to watch: Xiaomi Mi 5, Xiaomi Mi Mix

OnePlus 3T

OnePlus are newsmakers who can surprise the smartphone market year after year because they play by their own rules. First came the OnePlus 3 model, and at the end of the year it was updated to the 3T. An extremely interesting and pleasant outwardly smartphone shoots very well. But the problem here is the same as with Xiaomi - the devices are difficult to get due to the lack of in stores.

Potentially the best Android smartphone of the year, which has incorporated all the ideas and technologies of Samsung, the Galaxy Note 7, unfortunately, never came out in Russia, and was recalled in the world. With this device, if it is turned on, it is still prohibited to fly on an airplane. The problems with the flammable gadget were radically resolved: all Galaxy Note 7 were recalled, and the Note line of smartphones was completely closed.

01/11/2017, Wed, 17:51, Moscow time , Text: Anton Trukhanov

iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 7 topped the list of the most powerful smartphones last year. The "flagship killer" OnePlus 3 unexpectedly got into the top three.

iPhone 7 is the most powerful smartphone on the market

iPhone 7 Plus is the most powerful smartphone in 2016, according to a new rating from the developer of the popular test for determining the power of mobile devices Antutu.

The list of the 10 most productive smartphones in 2016 was topped by the iPhone 7 Plus, while its sister model, the iPhone 7, came in second.

Third place quite unexpectedly went to the OnePlus 3T model. This line of smartphones is positioned by the creators as a "flagship killer" - a smartphone with powerful content, sold at a significantly lower price than flagship models from leading brands.

iPhone Leads With A10 Processors

According to experts, the iPhone 7 smartphones gained leadership in large part thanks to the powerful new A10 processor, on the basis of which they are created. Whereas smartphones based on the Android operating system usually use the Snapdragon 821 or Snapdragon 820 processors, which, although they also demonstrate good performance, are still slightly inferior to the A10.

OnePlus 3 is the leader among Android devices

With regard to a separate rating of the power of devices based on the mobile operating system iOS from Apple, in it the iPad Pro version with a 12.9-inch screen took the first place in performance, the iPhone 7 Plus followed, and the smaller iPad Pro tablet went third.

The most powerful Apple devices in 2016

As part of testing Antutu software, it evaluates a number of key parameters of a mobile device, including the speed of the processor, graphics system, RAM and internal memory. When compiling a rating for each model, data from at least two thousand devices were taken into account.

IOS and Android smartphones are almost equal in power

In general, the researchers note that the most powerful smartphones of 2016 came out in the second half. The performance gap between iOS and Android devices continues to narrow every year, and now it is already quite small, although smartphones from Apple still retain a slight lead.

The most productive "androids" of 2016

Competition in the smartphone market is expected to intensify in the new year, which means that we can expect the emergence of innovative models both in terms of design and performance.

2016 is coming to an end, it's time to take stock. Among mobile devices, smartphones are the most interesting. Let's talk about them now. I must say right away that each device from this collection is not just a piece of hardware from the outgoing year. All smartphones are decent and have a decent margin of safety. That's why they are the best.

This collection does not claim to be the most objective and complete. Of course, I could not cover the entire market of mobile devices. Something, for one reason or another, passed me by, but some device is worthy, but it is not sold here and is not interesting to compatriots. We will also disregard such devices.

I communicated with all the devices presented here in one way or another. Therefore, I advise you to pay attention to them when choosing your mobile assistant.

We will line up all our heroes in a certain gradation. Let's break down the selection into nominations. There are expensive devices, there are mid-range ones, and there are also budget models. In each segment, we have the leader in the first place, the device in second, and then it’s clear. Go!

Tops. From 40,000 rubles

The most expensive and high quality devices of this year. Buying them, you get a full minced meat, the maximum possible. The manufacturers of such devices usually provide the best service to their customers, and that also costs some money. That is why, spending 45 thousand rubles and more on a smartphone, you should not squeeze another 5-10 thousand and it is better to buy a gadget from an official delivery, with full service and a guarantee. Do not agree? Well, God is your judge.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge

A truly chic smartphone with a large, curved display at the edges. I did not share the well-deserved first place with his younger brother (the usual one), because he looks somewhat cartoonish against the background of a large and serious "edge".

Samsung, as always (last 2-3 years), managed to create the most technologically advanced device. If you want to be at the peak of progress, get the best display, a camera that plugs a digital camera worth up to 20 kilo rubles, and the most sophisticated software - take the S7 Edge. An uncompromising solution from all sides, with the corresponding cost - 59,990 rubles.

iPhone 7

This device has begun another two-year cycle of the company's smartphones, which means that it offers an interesting design and characteristics of a qualitatively new level than its predecessor.

You can treat Apple as you like, scold it endlessly, call it “cake” or vice versa, worship and mindlessly buy up all the new items. But we have to admit the objective reality - everyone wants an iPhone. Young people only talk about him. In the advertisement of the washing powder there is an iPhone on the housewife's table, on the advertising brochure in the passage of a bank specialist at the workplace, too, an iPhone. In the next newfangled series, your favorite hero has what? The iPhone, of course! He is everywhere and whether we want it or not, but it is a symbol of our time.

For those who did not understand. Samsung and Apple smartphones are useless and pointless to compare with each other. The first one is bought because it is a technologically perfect device, the second one because society insists on the “correct” choice. And these are two different worlds: logic reigns in one, emotions, psychology and product placement in the other. Nevertheless, smartphones are iconic and unambiguously dictate the rules for the entire market.

Former A-brands

There were no more top-end, and most importantly, iconic devices for the whole year. Sony makes some nice but weird smartphones. Everything seems to be good, cool, but you start comparing, you realize that they are asking for the same amount of money as for the Galaxy S7 / iPhone 7. In general, well, in fig.

LG is generally one big experiment that only causes bewilderment. Last year there was a very interesting G4, this one.

HTC - what kind of company is this?

At the end of the year, we were presented with a fierce device that is not really sold anywhere yet and no one can boast of the experience of close communication with it. Hence, the 9th "mate" does not participate in our selection and, most likely, will be able to claim the title of one of the best market players in the first half of 2017.

Flagships are cheaper. 30,000 - 40,000 rubles

Quite frankly, this is the most meaningless category. Smartphones at this level are all odd. They fall short of flagship and expensive devices (read iPhone 7 and Galaxy S7 / S7 Edge) for various reasons. And in comparison with the rest of the market, they all lose in price. Take, for example, the HTC One 10 - a boring, seemingly productive, but unforgivably expensive smartphone. For the same OnePlus 3, it is never a competitor.

Nevertheless, I still managed to find three devices that are worth paying attention to. Anyway…

Oneplus 3

The smartphone was released this summer and, unlike the previous, second generation, regained the status of the "killer" of flagships. In my opinion. He has a gorgeous build, slim, sleek design, monstrous filling (6 GB of "RAM", for a minute), an excellent camera, but most importantly software. Perhaps there are no devices in the world that have been so excavated along and across, where you can install not one, not two, but several dozen quite high-quality and amusing firmware.

Disclaimer. Why am I mentioning the Letyshops service? And because, firstly, I myself have not tried anything else, and secondly, I want you to save money. This collection is not only entertaining, it should also be useful. This is my extended answer to you on the topic: "What to buy for ... rubles?" Use it to your health!

And thirdly, yes, I get a small percentage from Letyshops. So, these three reasons have successfully coincided at once.

Nubia z11

Official delivery

Smartphones from the "went and bought on the way home from work" series. Gadgets are perfect for several important criteria for many: there is a certain amount of money, you want it here and now, with a guarantee and so that there is no bullshit without the Russian language and normal firmware.

Asus Zenfone 3

The Zenfone series surprises me extremely positively. Or rather, only one model -. I have not reached the others yet, but by analogy with the previous generation, I estimate that they will not really suit me.

ZE520KL is perhaps the most balanced, powerful, beautiful and officially sold device in our company. If you take something within 25,000 rubles, then only him.

Last year, I was truly pleased with the Zenfone 2 ZE551ML. It was sold for 18,000 rubles and for this money it was impossible to buy something even close in quality and performance. I have recommended it to so many people. Almost everyone obeyed, bought and were satisfied. All this I mean is that this year the situation is repeating itself. So I have high hopes for the next Zenfon.

Actual cost: 23,990 rubles

Huawei Nova

If not the third Zenfone, then definitely the Nova. Almost the same, with very minor differences, with the same excellent camera and a very promising Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor. A thing for those who, for some reason, did not like Asus.

Price: 22 990 rubles

Top state employees. 10,000 - 18,000 rubles

Buying any device from this category, we spend little money, we get a lot of goodies. Unfortunately, we will not find anything interesting here in the official retail. All smartphones will have to be ordered from China. So much the better - more savings.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro

Success of the year. If people order a smartphone from China, then it is XRN3 Pro, because in terms of the ratio of characteristics and cost, we have a top-end gadget. And it remains so now. It is not for nothing that many online stores continue to make various promotions on it. By the way, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 processor is a good start for the future. Its performance will last for a year, and there already the Note 5 will arrive in time to replace it.

Current price: 10,000 rubles

Nice appearance, good screen and processor, excellent software optimization - all this creates the feeling that the device is worth more than it actually is. And the sensations are true, I must admit.

Price: 5,000 rubles

Conclusion and predictions

In 2016, a lot of smartphones came out. New names have entered the market and Huawei has become the world's third largest smart mobile device provider. In the meantime, Apple and Samsung have made several strategic mistakes. And if the misses of the Cupertinians will be noticeable only tomorrow, then the South Korean giant felt the negative and very serious consequences almost instantly.

All this I mean that we live in a very interesting time and become witnesses of events on a truly planetary scale, albeit within the framework of one sphere of human life. In just one year, so much has happened, so many phenomena have influenced the development of the market, which means that everything is accelerating and will continue to accelerate in 2017.

In any case, the purpose of this article is to help you make the right choice. I hope this collection and our site as a whole is useful to you. In the meantime, I wish all readers a Happy New Year! Health, happiness and wellbeing!

The rating is based on reviews in the Yandex market (only those smartphone models that scored at least 40% of the top fives got into the top 10). The technical characteristics of the smartphone were also taken into account (the amount of built-in and RAM, the quality of the main and front cameras, the quality of the display) and the price-quality ratio.

This list includes only flagships - i.e. models that are positioned by each manufacturer as the newest and best smartphones in the lineup. But the price is not affordable for everyone and can go up to 60 thousand rubles. However, this does not apply to Chinese manufacturers. The quality of their products is often not inferior to smartphones from American, South Korean, Japanese and Taiwanese brands, but the price is much cheaper. For example, the cheapest smartphone in this top belongs to a well-known Chinese brand and costs a little less than 14 thousand rubles.
The rating includes the flagships of 6 leading smartphone manufacturers in the world (Samsung, Apple, Huawei, Xiaomi, Lenovo, LG), as well as models from the leading Japanese manufacturer Sony, the leading Taiwanese manufacturer ASUS, the well-known American brand Microsoft and not yet too well-known. but rapidly gaining momentum, the Chinese manufacturer LeEco, which made a splash, was the first in the world to release a smartphone without an analog audio output.

10th place. Microsoft Lumia 950 XL Dual SIM

The average price is 34 260 rubles. The flagship from the American company and the only representative of this rating, running on Windows, received 46% of the fives in reviews in Yandex-Market. Main camera 20 MP with optical stabilization, F / 1.9 aperture and triple natural LED flash, photo resolution 4992x3744, video shooting in 4K format, front camera 5 MP. Other characteristics: 5.7-inch display with a resolution of 2560x1440 pixels, the latest generation of Windows operating system for smartphones - Windows 10 Mobile, 32 GB of permanent and 3 GB of RAM, support for 2 SIM cards.

9th place. Sony Xperia Z5 Premium

The average price is 47,500 rubles. The flagship from the leading Japanese smartphone manufacturer scored 62% of the top fives in reviews in the Yandex market. 5.5-inch screen with a resolution of 3840x2160 pixels, Android 5.1 operating system, 32 GB of permanent and 3 GB of RAM, support for only one SIM card (there is a slightly more expensive Premium Dual model that supports 2 SIM cards). This model is recommended for those who need not just a smartphone, but also an excellent camera. Sony said the model is the world's first 4K smartphone (4K means four times the resolution of Full HD). Each inch of the display is broken down into 806 pixels, making the image extraordinarily clear. The pixel density is 10 times that of Full HD TVs and twice that of most smartphones. The characteristics of the matrix of the main camera are striking - 23 megapixels (the front has 5 megapixels). You can capture frames from video: from videos shot in 4K format, you can select valuable frames and take high-quality 8-megapixel photos. Other advantages of the smartphone include a fingerprint scanner and water resistance. This smartphone has a cheaper (37 thousand rubles) version of the Sony Xperia Z5 with a traditional Full HD display, the Sony Xperia Z5 also has one-and two-symbol versions.

8th place. LeEco (LeTV) Le Max 2 32Gb

The average price is 19,800 rubles. The flagship smartphone from the Chinese company LeEco (formerly known as LeTV) was presented in China back in April 2016, but in Russia the company officially presented LeEco Le Max 2 only 5 months later, in September 2016. To date, the model has scored 57% of the top fives in reviews in Yandex-Market. This model is notable for the fact that it was the first smartphone to lose the analog audio output. LeEco decided to switch to an all-digital CDLA or Continual Digital Lossless Audio standard (a new standard for broadcasting digital audio content that avoids unnecessary compression and provides the consumer with music in the version in which the authors created it). After 5 months this innovation was applied by Apple in the 7th iPhone.

Of course, this is not the only advantage of a smartphone, just look at its technical characteristics and it becomes clear that this model can compete with the flagships of the leading smartphone manufacturers in the world: a 5.7-inch screen with a 2560x1440 pixel resolution, the latest Android 6.0 operating system, 32 GB constant and 4 GB of RAM (no memory card support), dual SIM support. The main camera, using a Sony matrix, has a fantastic resolution of 21 megapixels, the front camera is also impressive with its 8 megapixels. As befits a flagship, the model has a fingerprint scanner. Battery capacity 3100 mAh. Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MSM8996 4-core processor.

7th place. Lenovo Vibe X3

The average price is 15 400 rubles. Vibe X3 is Lenovo's flagship (this company is one of the three leading smartphone manufacturers in China and the top five in the world). This model went on sale at the end of February 2016 and today has gained 71% of the top fives in reviews in Yandex-Market. Specifications: 5.5-inch screen with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels, Android 5.1 Lollipop operating system, 32 GB of permanent and 3 GB of RAM, support for two SIM cards. The main camera is 21 megapixels, the front camera is 8 megapixels. The main camera has a Sony IMX230 Exmor RS sensor with phase detection autofocus. This model is also distinguished by stereo speakers, thanks to which the smartphone can be a home theater.

6th place. Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro 32Gb

The average price is 12,700 rubles. This smartphone from the Chinese brand Xiaomi, which is among the top 5 smartphone manufacturers in the world, received 77% of the top fives in reviews in the Yandex Market (see reviews of Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro). Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro is the flagship version in the beloved Redmi family, whose sales in the world have already exceeded 110 million devices. This model went on sale in January 2016. Specifications: 5.5-inch screen with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels, Android 5.1 Lollipop operating system, 32 GB of permanent and 3 GB of RAM, support for two SIM cards. The main camera is 16 megapixels, the front one is 5 megapixels. This model is the most popular android smartphone in Russia, China, Hong Kong, India, Vietnam and Malaysia in the first half of 2016 (data from antutu.com).

5th place. Apple iPhone 7 Plus 32Gb

The average price is 70,800 rubles. The flagship from the cult American company went on sale at the end of September 2016 and has received few reviews so far, so when determining the place in the rating, let's take a look at its technical characteristics and price-quality ratio. Features: the latest operating system iOS 10 (the sixth iPhones were running iOS 9), a 5.5-inch screen with a resolution of 1920x1080, 32 GB of internal memory and 3 GB of RAM. Like all iPhones, there is no support for an external memory card and there is no support for a second SIM card. Talk time - 21 hours, standby time - 384 hours, listening to music - 60 hours. There is protection against water.

The iPhone 7 Plus has a dual main camera (2 modules of 12 megapixels). Sounds impressive, but it was applied last year on the Huawei Honor 6 Plus and in reality it turned out to be less impressive. when analyzing an object with two sensors at once, blurring occurs on those areas of the frame where this does not happen with standard focusing. Compared to the sixth iPhone, the aperture has been improved to f / 1.8 (formerly f / 2.2), which allowed 50% more light to pass through; six-lens lens; optical image stabilization (OIS) for photo and video shooting; Slo-Mo shooting in resolution up to 1080p; a special processor for processing information from the camera (Image signal processor), which does it 60% faster than before. Is the camera of the 7th iPhone considered the best in the world today? Unfortunately for iPhone fans, this is not the case. The resource keddr.com conducted among its readers a blind comparison of cameras (when people compare only the quality of photos and videos, not knowing which model they are made) of three flagships: Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge (which went on sale in March 2016), last year's Apple iPhone 6s and Apple iPhone 7 Plus. As a result, the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge camera won with a huge advantage, it won all 6 tests in photos and one of two in videos, slightly inferior to the 7th iPhone in the quality of 4K video filming. The seventh iPhone took second place, while losing to the sixth iPhone in one photo test and one video test. The same results were obtained by a blind vote on the portal phonearena.com, where the 7th iPhone also yielded to the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. Therefore, we have to admit that today the 7th iPhone has only the second highest quality camera in the world. As for the front camera of the 7th iPhone, it has a 7 MP matrix (the 6th iPhone has 5 MP, the Galaxy S7 Edge also has 5 MP, and the LG G5 has 8 MP).

The creators of the 7th iPhone decided to abandon the analog audio output in their smartphones in order to switch to the all-digital CDLA or Continual Digital Lossless Audio standard. However, this is not a revolution at all, because back in the spring, the Chinese used this in the flagship LeEco Le Max 2. In practice, this means that standard headphones for the 7th iPhone will not work: either you need an adapter, or wireless headphones from Apple, which are not cheap, namely $ 159, which is the rate is about 10 thousand rubles.

Why was the Apple iPhone 7 Plus chosen for the rating, and not the standard version of the Apple iPhone 7, which has a resolution of 4.7 inches? In my opinion, a 4.7-inch iPhone with a very modest resolution of 1334x750 looks anachronistic in 2016, when tablet phones (i.e. smartphones with a screen of at least 5.5 inches and a resolution of at least 1920x1080) finally took over the world market. But the point is not even this, but the fact that, according to the technical characteristics, the 7th iPhone is a completely ordinary model with only 2 GB of RAM, while even the Chinese flagships within 15 thousand rubles have 3 GB of RAM. The standard iPhone 7 doesn't even have an interesting 3-camera solution (like the iPhone 7 Plus variant). In general, the owners of the 7th iPhone note that it has not made much progress in comparison with the iPhone 6s model, so only owners of iPhones of 2014 and earlier should switch to the 7th.

Apple iPhone 7 Plus has two more varieties: with 128 GB of internal memory and 256 GB. But for the rating, the model with 32 GB was selected. this amount of memory is quite enough for the average user, besides, this type is the most affordable in terms of cost, although 70 thousand is still a lot compared to flagships of other manufacturers, therefore, in terms of price-quality ratio, the iPhone 7 Plus is clearly not among the leaders. which prevents him from claiming first place in this rating.

4th place. Huawei Nexus 6P 64Gb

The average price is 32,560 rubles. Nexus 6P is a joint development of the largest Chinese smartphone manufacturer (and the third in the world) and Google, which owns the Android operating system. The collaboration between the two tech giants has produced excellent results. This model scored 70% of the top fives in reviews in Yandex-Market. Specifications: 5.7-inch screen with a resolution of 2560x1440 pixels, Android 6.0 operating system, 64 GB of constant and 3 GB of RAM, support for two SIM cards. The cameras deserve special praise. Phone Arena experts compared Nexus 6P and iPhone 6S Plus cameras and gave them the same points. The Nexus 6P's 12.3-megapixel main camera is equipped with laser autofocus and dual LED flash. For the 8-megapixel front camera, autofocus also works. Taking photos and videos is done using the Google Camera app, which is very easy to learn and use. At the top of the screen, you can select Scene Modes, turn on the flash and HDR function, and set up timer shooting. Below is the shutter release, switching between cameras and the entrance to the gallery of images.

3rd place. Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge 32Gb

The average price is 52,950 rubles. The flagship from the leading smartphone manufacturer in South Korea and in the world went on sale in March 2016 and today has received 43% of the top fives in reviews in Yandex-Market. Specifications: 5.5-inch screen with a resolution of 2560x1440, Android 6.0 operating system, 32 GB of permanent and 4 GB of RAM. There is a slot for memory cards up to 200 GB. Battery capacity - 3600 mAh. If the previous flagship Samsung Galaxy S6 (like, by the way, all iPhones) supported only one SIM card, then Samsung Galaxy S7 got rid of this drawback and supports 2 SIM cards. 12MP main camera and 5MP front camera. Samsung cites the following advantages of the camera in this smartphone: a lens of higher aperture (F1.7) and larger pixels of the matrix (1.4 microns) capture much more light, which allows you to consistently get clear and detailed photos even in low light conditions; smartphones support Dual Pixel technology: all pixels of the matrix have two photodiodes, and not one each, which allows the sensor to focus as quickly and clearly as the human eye, and Dual Pixel technology provides such fast and flawless autofocusing that you can capture even the sharpest driving in low light conditions; for the first time, you can capture motion in an animated panorama mode. Comparative tests show that the Samsung Galaxy S7 camera is the best smartphone camera in the world today, even after the release of the 7th iPhone.

You can also note the possibility of very fast wireless charging and full water resistance (you can shoot a video for 30-40 minutes at a depth of 1 meter under water). The always active screen will display useful information on the locked device. This feature is advanced enough to automatically turn off when the smartphone is in a pocket or bag, with the screen facing down, or when the smartphone is almost empty.

2nd place. ASUS Zenfone 3 ZE552KL 64Gb

The average price is 25,690 rubles. The flagship from the leading Taiwanese manufacturer, released in June 2016, was so popular with users that today it has scored 100% of the top fives in reviews in Yandex-Market. Specifications: Android 6.0 OS, 5.5-inch screen with a resolution of 1920x1080, 64 GB of built-in and 4 GB of RAM, there is a slot for a memory card up to 128 GB. Battery capacity 3000 mAh. ASUS Zenfone 3 is made of high-strength Corning Gorilla Glass with rounded edges (2.5D technology).

The main camera is 16 megapixels, the front camera is 8 megapixels. The slogan of this model is "Created for photography", thus it is positioned as a camera phone. As the sensor of the main camera, the same sensor is used as in last year's flagship Samsung Galaxy S6, which became the best camera phone in 2015, even surpassing the 6th iPhone. ZenFone 3 features a fast f / 2.0 lens and TriTech triple-servo AF with an AF speed of 0.03 seconds or less. Add to this the highly efficient optical and electronic image stabilization system and color correction sensor, you can be sure that you can get clear pictures and movies with natural, rich colors with just one touch. When taking photos, 4-Axis OIS detects camera shake and compensates for image blur, while 3-Axis Electronic IS helps you capture smooth videos even when shooting handheld or on the go.

Using 5-magnet speakers, a metal-framed voice coil and a specially designed resonance chamber, it delivers rich and clear sound. Plus, by connecting headphones to ZenFone 3, you can enjoy audiophile sound at 24-bit / 192 kHz - 4 times better than regular audio CDs.

Of course, this model implements the proprietary Asus user interface ZenUI, this time the latest version 3.0.

1st place. LG G5 SE H845

The average price is 36,900 rubles. The flagship of the South Korean manufacturer, released in April 2016, received 83% of the top fives in reviews in the Yandex market. Specifications: 5.3-inch screen with a resolution of 2560x1440, 32 GB of internal memory and 3 GB of RAM, there is a slot for memory cards up to 200 GB. Operating system Android 6.0. Battery capacity - 2800 mAh. And as many as three cameras: a 16-megapixel main camera, an 8-megapixel wide-angle camera (viewing angle - 135 degrees) and an 8-megapixel front camera. The wide-angle camera is located in the same place as the main one - on the rear panel. Unlike the dual camera of the 7th iPhone, where the image is analyzed by two sensors at once, which can affect the quality of the frame for the worse. blurring of the image may occur in some areas, the LG G5 is taking a different path: two pictures are taken at once with two different cameras: wide-angle and main, from which you can choose the best one.

The hi-tech.mail.ru resource conducted a comparative test of the LG G5 SE and Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge cameras, the results were as follows: “Flagship Samsung still shoot better, which is especially noticeable at night. advantage: the ability to take wide-angle shots with a viewing angle of 135 degrees. " Phonearena.com conducted several camera comparisons between the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and the LG G5, where the quality of the images was assessed by both visitors and experts. In a blind vote, the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge won, but experts explained this victory with brighter, unnatural colors in the Samsung camera and preferred the LG G5. Therefore, it would be fair to say that the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and LG G5 have the main cameras on the same level, while the LG G5 has an advantage in shooting with the front camera, as well as an additional plus in the form of a wide-angle camera.

This model is the world's first smartphone with a modular equipment principle. The user can replace the battery in a few seconds or install one of the LG Friends modules: a special LG Cam Plus unit with additional camera control buttons or LG Hi-Fi Plus with an audio chip. With the first module, the smartphone becomes a full-fledged compact camera with a comfortable grip, and with the second it turns into a real audio player. The LG Cam Plus module has its own 1200mAh battery. But don't just add up the capacities, everything is a little different: as soon as the smartphone's battery runs out, it is immediately recharged from the battery in the LG Cam Plus unit. So, in fact, we have in front of us an additional external battery.

LG G5 SE H845 can be safely called the best smartphone on the Russian market today (there is a slightly more advanced model LG G5 H860N, but it is not supplied to Russia) in terms of price-quality ratio. If we compare this model with another Korean flagship Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, then with similar technical characteristics, the price of the flagship from LG is 40 percent lower, while the percentage of enthusiastic reviews is twice as high.

Every year, smartphone companies hold a presentation of their new product before the start of sales. Every company has flagships - phones that sell best and have more functionality. Every year, the innovative technologies used in smartphones are becoming more sophisticated to please the sophisticated user, exceeding all expectations.

The best phones of 2016 have similarities in terms of display size, average performance, but each of them has its own “something innovative” that makes each one of the leaders among the flagships of 2016.

1. Samsung Galaxy S7

The time difference between the announcement of the model and the release on sale was minimal - a month and a half. Samsung Galaxy S7 could be purchased at the end of March 2016.

Galaxy S7 is the leader among 2016 flagship phones in terms of functionality and design. S7 has the most complete package of functionality, several times exceeding the capabilities of the latest Apple 6S.

The Samsung Exynos 8890 octa-core processor, coupled with enhanced graphics and 4GB of RAM, allows the phone to process data at flawless speed, whether it be gaming or streaming video.

slot for 2 Sim cards, which is quite rare for phone models of this class;
the ability to use an SD card up to 200 GB;
increased battery capacity: 3000 mAh for S7 and 3600 mAh for Samsung Galaxy S7 edge;
the camera, in comparison with the previous model S6, has not undergone moderation by megapixels (for the main 12 and 5 megapixels for the front one), but stabilization, focusing with "Dual pixel" and light sensitivity are improved, which contributes to excellent and high-quality pictures at any time of the day;
protection from dust and water, which gives the gadget 30 minutes of life under water without further failure;
"Always on display" is a new feature that is often lacking in the phone. All important information - time, date, weather, dollar rate, etc. - constantly on the screen. This will not affect "eating up the battery", but on the contrary, will reduce energy consumption, since there is no longer a need to activate the display to view this information;
fast and wireless charging;
the ability to use virtual reality glasses, a fitness bracelet, and other accessories from Samsung with the phone.

On the Samsung Galaxy S7, the price is quite high (from 47 thousand rubles), but when choosing a phone of this class and price category, you should pay special attention to the "stuffing" and functionality that make the Galaxy S7 a leader among mobile devices.

2. Apple iPhone 7

Apple iPhone 7 was presented recently and has already gone on sale. Powerful parameters put the new model on the list of the best phones of 2016.

Apple iPhone 7, framed by its ideal body, has:

4.7-inch screen - iPhone 7; 5.75 ″ - iPhone 7 Plus / Pro;
RAM 2 and 3 GB in 7 and 7 PRO respectively
in addition to the standard volumes of internal memory of 32 and 128 GB, a volume of 256 GB will be added to choose from;
cameras in phones will remain the same, with improved light sensitivity, plus a dual camera will appear, which will allow photo / video shooting with an extended viewing angle;
Apple A 10 processor;
iOS 10, which was also released;
lack of a headphone jack;
sapphire crystal;
water resistance of the phone case.

The price of an iPhone has always been within the cost of an equivalent Samsung product and starts from 57 thousand rubles for a 7-ku, and from 67 thousand for a 7 Plus. So the eternal question of the buyer - "what to choose: iOS or Android, App store or PlayMarket, etc.?" - will remain without a specific answer.

3. Sony Xperia Z5 Premium

Rounding out the top three mobile devices in 2016 is the Sony Xperia Z5 Premium, a new phone from Sony with an innovative display. The 5.5-inch screen has a resolution that is not usual for almost all modern Full HD models, but the new 4K Ultra HD, which displays 3840x2160 pixels, which is a very high indicator for a mobile phone.

In addition to a bright, colorful and rich display, the Sony Xperia Z5 Premium Dual is equipped with a 23MP camera and 8x zoom. This is a great option for anyone looking for a phone with a better camera.

The "filling" of the Z5 Premium is quite powerful: 8 cores, 3 GB of RAM, 32 GB of built-in memory and there is a slot for SD cards with a capacity of up to 200 GB, a rather capacious 3430 mAh battery and a stylish minimalist design of a metal and glass case with additional moisture / dustproof cover.

The price for this phone model ranges from 36,500 to 60,000 rubles.

4. LG G5

LG has taken a step further with the new G5, making it one of the best phones this year. New materials for the case - aluminum and fourth-generation Gorilla glass - have reduced the weight of the phone to 157 grams, despite the rather large 5.3-inch screen with a resolution of 2560 × 1140 pixels. At the same time, there is also a slot for 2 SIM cards and SD cards with support for up to 2 TB.

The 16 megapixel camera with an extended viewing angle has received laser autofocus and improved stabilization system. Like the Galaxy S7, the LG G5 is equipped with an "always on" function.

The G5 has 3GB of RAM with a quad-core processor and 32GB of onboard storage.

The new phone from LG is packed with all kinds of sensors and navigation modules. But the big minus is that the battery is only 2800 mAh, which will be no more than 12 hours of real, active use until the battery is completely discharged. But, considering that the phone is "modular", it will not be difficult to replace the removable battery and continue working further.

The LG G5 starts at 39,990, which can be justified by a good camera and a removable modular battery.

5.HTC One M10

The HTC One M10 is a long-awaited phone for HTC enthusiasts. All shortcomings have been removed and the inconvenient Home button is implemented differently in the new model. Under the all-metal body and 3rd generation Gorilla glass, there are 4 cores with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MSM8996 processor, 32 GB of internal memory (of which, unfortunately, only 23 are available, since the rest is occupied by the system), an SD card slot up to 2048 GB and, of course, a fairly capacious battery that will last 27 hours of talk time.

The camera deserves special attention, as this is one of the few phones that allows you to capture images in RAW format, having only 12 megapixels, but at the same time laser autofocus and stabilization.

HTC One M10 has a fast charging system and a capacious 3000 mAh battery can be fully charged in a matter of minutes.

According to user reviews, although the model is not moisture resistant, it is considered "unkillable" because of its all-metal body. All these parameters make the HTC One M10 one of the best phones for 2016.

On the HTC One M10, the price varies from 38,000 to 47,000, depending on the selected amount of internal memory of 32 or 64 GB. If you are a fan of RAW format, then 64 GB will be relevant, since files in this format take up a lot of space.

6. Nokia Lumia 950 XL

Nokia Lumia 950 XL is the largest phone (phabletphone) among its family. An alternative to iOS and Android is Microsoft Windows 10 Mobile. The Lumia 950 XL is the best phone this year for Microsoft lovers.

The advantages lie in the use of Windows 10 and easy synchronization of the phone and data of the multitasking office software of the PC, which has not yet been fully implemented in either iOS or Android.

The powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor, 8 cores (64 bits) and 3GB of RAM keep your phone running fast, even in multitasking mode. The 5.7 ″ (WQHD) touchscreen display with a 2560 × 1440 resolution produces rich images that can be captured with the 20 megapixel main camera or the 5 megapixel front camera. The removable 3,340mAh battery is definitely a plus, but Microsoft claims the 950 XL can last up to 75 hours of talk time.

7. Xiaomi Mi 5

The seventh position of the list of the best phones for 2016 is the Xiaomi Mi 5. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 (MSM8996) processor in combination with 4 GB of RAM and the GPU Adreno 530 accelerator give this device a rather powerful "stuffing".

The 16 megapixel camera has focusing and optical image stabilization, plus a wide range of useful settings and presets. The front / front camera has 4 megapixels, which is also not bad for a flagship.

The 3000 mAh battery may not be quite capacious for a gadget of this class, but the "fast charge" function is able to return the battery to a full charge in just an hour.

The software has a proprietary shell Xiaomi MiUi, claiming its design and style for iOS from Apple.

You can buy Xiomi Mi 5 with different amounts of internal memory (16/32/64/128 GB) and the price, accordingly, will differ depending on this parameter. In any case, the flagship from Xiaomi with 32 GB costs 2 times cheaper than its competitors, having the same functionality and, so beloved by everyone, a laconic and even austere design.

8. Huawei P9

The 5.2-inch 1920 × 1080 resolution screen is covered with 4th generation Gorilla glass. Hidden inside the Huawei P9 is an eight-core Huawei Kirin 955 processor with a graphics accelerator and 3 GB of RAM.

Quite a powerful combination, but the main thing in this phone is the cameras: there are two of them with 12 MP each on the front side and one front one for 8 MP. Any Huawei P9 review showcases quality photos and videos. This phone is a photographer's dream!

The built-in memory of Huawei P9 is 32 GB, but it is possible to expand the memory with an SD card up to 128 GB. Strict design, high-performance stuffing, non-standard approach to cameras - creates a pleasant impression of the phone, considering the fact that the price of Huawei P9 starts from 30,000 rubles, depending on the amount of internal memory and the selected version of Huawei P9 / Huawei P9 Plus.

9. ASUS Z1 Titan

ASUS Z1 Titan is a novelty on the market of the most popular mobile phones, expected by millions! The manufacturers decided to create a smartphone that would be close to a PC in functionality, but on Lollipop (Android 5.1).

Gaming, as it was conceived, the ASUS Z1 Titan smartphone has 4 speakers for high-quality sound and an ergonomic design for a comfortable position in the user's hands. Inside ASUS Z1 Titan as much as 6 GB of RAM, coupled with 8 cores Snapdragon 830. Photo / video materials shot on the main 16 megapixel or 5 megapixel front camera, are reproduced on the Super AMOLED screen with a size of 5.5 inches and a resolution of 2560 × 1440 pixel pixels ... The 5th generation Gorilla Glass display. The model's release date was scheduled for August 8, 2016.