Can you believe that 2016 is nearly at an end. And what a year 2016 has been. World events have been seismic and so has the technology.
So what are my top 5 phones for 2016?
5th Place – Asus Zenfone Zoom – What a phone and what a clever piece of hardware. With 3 x optical zoom, this was a fabulous phone and camera. As Apple has shown, having optical zoom is so useful.
4th Place – LG G5 – the phone that has every technical specification. Replaceable batteries, micro sd card slot, dual lens system with a super wide lens (so cool), one of the best Bluetooth music using HD APT-X and so much more. Just let down by its build quality versus its competition. If the LG V20 had been sold in the U.K., this would have replaced the G5.
3rd Place – HTC 10 – the phone that everyone forgot about, yet is the phone that has the best audio quality with a headphone jack, solid premium build and super fast. I was going to put the Google Pixel phone in 3rd, but the HTC 10 is a lot less to buy.
2nd Place – Honor 8 – with its dual lens system, infra red blaster, gorgeous hardware and £300 price point, sometimes even less, this is a killer choice and a deserved second place.
1st Place – Apple iPhone 7 Plus. Apple was helped towards this win due to Samsung suffering a PR disaster with their faulty Note 7. However, IMO there isn’t a single phone on sale at the moment that can offer everything that the iPhone 7 Plus provides. Great camera. Superb audio. iOS 10 and the Apple eco system. For me using the Apple Watch, with an iPad Air, MacBook Pro and AirPods is a dream setup. HomeKit integrates tightly and Siri for me works very well.
To catch up on my reviews on all the above phones, and all the other top phones of 2016, click here REVIEWS . Using that link, you can also get to all my Bluetooth headphone reviews and more.
Now in case anyone thinks I am an Apple fanboy or sheep, this is not the case. I just want the best of what’s available. Prior to the iPhone I was using Samsung S7 as my main phone with every Samsung accessory possible. However, after going through a horrific Samsung customer service experience with my Note 7, I have vowed never to use anything with a Samsung logo on it. Following my Note 7 saga I also sold every Samsung piece of hardware I owned.
The Holidays
As we are approaching the holiday period, news and reviews will be slower. This will allow me to look at the website design and try and improve it in a few places. I will also spend more time with family and friends. So whatever you are doing at this time of year, enjoy the next few days if you can and I wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous new year!
In the meantime, if you are buying anything on Amazon UK, using my affiliate link helps me towards the increasing running costs of the website. The good news shopping via my link costs you nothing extra.
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If you wish to make a one off dontation (thanks to everyone who has so far) please do so using my PayPal account.
Happy Christmas/Holidays to you Gavin. Brilliant year of articles and reviews and keep up the fantastic work on the site.
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Hi Lutin. Many thanks for the kind comments. Wishing you a happy Christmas and New Year too.
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Have a well earned break!
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Thanks Jah. And you too !!
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Hi Gavin, have really enjoyed your articles this year, you also helped me get my AirPods this year! Have a great Christmas and a happy New Year.
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Thanks Ian. Have a good Xmas and New Year too!
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Thanks for another year of great articles Gavin. HTC 10 and iPhone 7 my 2 best phones of the year so can;t argue with your positions for them. Hope you and everyone here has a great Xmas 🙂
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Thanks and you too 😀👍
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