Best smartphones To Purchase Now

Best smartphones To Purchase Now


Handsets from Samsung, LG, and Apple make up the top flagships on sale this year

Apple's iPhone 7 is among the hotly anticipated new smartphones for 2016, but there is a large range of top handsets available to buy right now. Here are some of the most popular among tech critics:

iPhone 6S

Launched in September 2015, the handset features a host of new features over the iPhone 6, including a force-sensitive touchscreen, upgraded 12-megapixel rear-facing and front-facing cameras and a faster processor, in the form of Apple's A9 chip.

It may look similar to its predecessor, writes Macworld's Lewis Painter, but its 3D Touch will "change how you interact with your iPhone".

Cnet calls the feature "a touch of the future", while The Verge is unequivocal in saying the 6S is "right now the best phone on the market".

If the 4.7ins screen isn't quite good enough, the 6S Plus model boasting a 5.5ins display is also available. It's £539 for the smaller handset SIM free, while the Plus will set you back £619.

The 6S may be one of the best and most popular smartphones for sale right now but it will be replaced by the iPhone 7 in September, so its stay at the top will only live on for a few months more.

The introduction of the iPhone 7 is hotly anticipated. The rumour mill for the handset is in full swing and you can read the latest news on Apple's next smartphone here.

Samsung Galaxy S7

The handset many tip as the main rival to the iPhone, Samsung's newest flagship smartphone is the "most capable smartphone on the market today", says Alphr.

In terms of features, the Galaxy S7 steps forward in a number of ways compared to the S6, while bringing back some old favourites. For instance, the camera hardware is entirely new - it's a 12-megapixel setup, a smaller count than on the Galaxy S6, but mated to optimised hardware and software additions.

A MicroSD card slot is useful for upping the standard 32GB memory and the phone is rated IP68 water and dustproof.

Samsung's phones have always been renowned for their displays and the S7 is no different. On the standard phone is a 5.1ins OLED panel which, according toDisplayMate, delivers "absolutely stunning and beautiful images".

An Edge version of the phone uses a 5.5ins screen curved at the edges.

The S7 is also a good choice for power users. It gets a Snapdragon 820 processor chip mated to 4GB RAM. Prices start at £569, SIM free.

LG G5

At £500 SIM free, the LG G5 is an Android flagship likely to tempt people looking for something a bit different. It's a modular smartphone which users can really dig their teeth into and customise by unbuttoning parts and panels and attaching accessories.

The "modular expansion system" allows users to drop the battery out and load a new one, or use it to attach the likes of additional camera hardware.

The screen is a 5.3ins QHD display - slightly smaller than the LG G4's screen, which measured 5.5ins – and offers a pixel density of 544ppi and a resolution of 2560x1440. A dual camera sits on the back, with a 16-megapixel sensor joined by an eight-megapixel camera with ultra-wide viewing angle capabilities. Powering the G5 is a Snapdragon 820, mated to 4GB RAM.

Google Nexus 6P

PC Advisor is full of praise for the Nexus 6P, saying it is "arguably the best Android phone to buy at the moment" and while it may not be on par with rivals such as the Galaxy S7 or iPhone 6S, the competitive price makes it a compelling choice.

It's an all metal case, made of CNC-machined aluminium, with a 5.7ins OLED display with Gorilla Glass 4 fitted flush within it. The resolution is 2K, nothing out of the ordinary but "it looks gorgeous, with eye-popping colours and detail".

Inside is a Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor mated to 3GB RAM, so compared to rival flagships, it's down on power. Most users won't notice, but PC Advisor did come across moments of hesitation when launching apps.

Camera hardware is a 12.3-megapixel Sony sensor, capable of most flagship handset tricks, such as recording 4K video playback as well as 240fps slow-motion capture. It's a camera which performs "admirably". It comes in at £439.99, SIM free.

HTC 10

While most of the specs on Taiwanese brand HTC's latest release are what you'd expect on a flagship android handset – 4GB RAM, Snapdragon 820, removable MicroSD card slot – the HTC 10 is the best smartphone the company "has made in years" thanks to significant camera revisions, says Alphr.

The 12-megapixel sensor with a wide f/1.8 aperture, laser autofocus and optical image stabilisation (OIS) moves the game on considerably from the HTC One M9. The front-facing camera is a big improvement, too, a five-megapixel sensor also boasting OIS which HTC calls an "ultraselfie" camera.

The phone gets a 3,000mAh battery with quick charging capabilities, a MicroSD card slot so the 32GB internal memory can be upped easily and it can record in 24-bit audio for high quality sound. It's £570, SIM free. 

Sony Xperia Z5

While not perfect, the Xperia Z5 moves the game on from the Xperia Z3+ significantly, with a great new design and some much needed hardware additions, says TechRadar.

"After the mess of the Xperia Z3+ it's good to see some real change", adds the site. Design wise, it's a fairly flat slab, now with a frosted glass backplate and far subtler branding, while some buttons have been re-positioned. It comes in four colours – green, white, gold and black. It appears to be a tidy, flush handset, but Sony warns is isn't waterproof.

As for the display, it's a 5.2ins LCD job with full 1080p HD resolution. That's behind the 2K OLED panels offered on rivals such as the Samsung Galaxy S7, but those hungry for pixels could always upgrade to the Xperia Z5 Premium – it has a 4K display measuring 5.5ins.

Camera hardware comes in the form of a 23-megapixel sensor mated to a new autofocus system which combats shaky hands to give clear shots when other smartphone cameras would come out blurry.

A fingerprint scanner finds its way onto the side of the device while inside sits a Snapdragon 810 mated to 3GB RAM. Prices have been slashed - the standard Z5 is now £469 but a smaller Z5 Compact with a 4.6ins screen can be bought even cheaper.

iPhone SE

While most eyes will be on Apple's iPhone 7 launch in September, the firm has already revealed a new smartphone this year in the form of the entry level iPhone SE.

Design wise, bar the rose-gold colour option, the SE isn't new at all. It uses the same casing as the iPhone 5S released back in 2013, but with good reason: Apple's most recent flagship devices moved away from four-inch displays in favour of larger screens, reaching phablet sizes with the Plus versions of the iPhone 6 and 6S. The SE is for those who stuck around on Apple's older, smaller platforms.

Though smaller and cheaper than the iPhone 6S, the SE is almost as powerful, using the same A9 processor chip mated to 2GB RAM.

There's a spate of other new additions, too, the camera hardware being a particular coup. The little SE gets a 12-megapixel iSight main camera like the big 6S and so is able to record video in 4K with Live Photos support. Users also get Apple Pay as a near field communications chip is installed.   

Available with either 16GB or 64GB internal memory, the SE starts from £359.

Samsung Galaxy Note 6

While the Galaxy Note 6 hasn't been officially announced or revealed yet, many anticipate the device will arrive this autumn and will feature a huge phablet style display, as well as massively powerful internals.

The display is tipped to be a 5.8ins super AMOLED panel and it could even be a curved one – rumours have suggested that Samsung is testing two Note 6 devices ahead of reveal, one of them with a curved EDGE display similar to the one seen on the company's Galaxy S7 Edge smartphone. 

Camera hardware could be overhauled – it could get the same 12 megapixel camera as the Galaxy S7, though with the addition of infrared focus capabilities. In terms of processing power, some have suggested that Qualcomm's as yet unreleased Snapdragon 823 chipset will be mated to 6GB RAM. 

A bigger, 4,200mAh battery could be on the way, as well as a near Gear VR headset – it's said that the Note 6 will have a USB-C port over Micro USB, beginning Samsung's transition to the new standard and hinting that the current Gear headset will become obsolete. Software rumours are still up in the air. The prospective launch window for the device sits awkwardly alongside the expected release of Android N if the new operating system has a quick turnaround.