2016 is well behind us, and that means it’s time to look back at the best smartphones of year in our annual Bandwidth Blog Awards!
2016 was a bumper year for smartphones; manufacturers slowed down their aggressive assault on the market space and instead crafted meaningful additions to the market that highlighted efficient design, creative photography prowess, and even better battery life.
While there were some bumps along the road – the Galaxy Note 7 didn’t quite make it, for example – we’ve had a thrilling year testing out some of the best smartphones available on the market.
Now that 2016 is well and truly over, it’s time to wind back the clock and proceed with our annual awards, where we christen the favourite handsets to have graced our desks with a Golden Pixel.
In our awards category this year are a number of smartphones competing in our five categories; best design, best battery, best camera, best budget smartphone and best overall smartphone.
Be sure to check out the latest episode of Bandwidth Blog On Air where we took to the airwaves to announce our favourite smartphones of 2016!
There can only be one winner and one runner-up; so, without further ado – let’s get to it!
Best design: Xiaomi Mi Mix
While for a majority of the year we were expecting to be able to crown the likes of the iPhone or the latest Galaxy S device with the title of the best smartphone design of 2016, Xiaomi managed to slip in an ultra sexy concept phone that utterly turned our heads.
Read: Xiaomi unleashes the crazy, stylish, near bezel-less Mi Mix
Xiaomi’s Mi Mix showcases a breathtaking design that launches an all-out assault on bezels, rings in a high-quality screen, and uses several clever ideas to bring the technology together under one roof. For instance, Xiaomi embedded a piezo-electric speaker underneath the Mi Mix’s display to handle phone calls, rather than leave an ugly speaker array on the device’s top panel.
The Mi Mix is the boldest vision of the future we’ve yet seen, and sets the pace for what the next iPhone and the Galaxy S8 could look like. For those reasons, the Mi Mix takes home the title of the best smartphone design of 2016.
Runner-up: Motorola Moto Z
While we loved LG’s bullish approach on modular accessories, we feel that Motorola deserves extra acclaim for developing a modular system that actually, well, works.
With a plethora of Moto Mods – which the company claims will work on future devices – as well as a sleek device with a gorgeous form factor, the Moto Z loses out to the Mi Mix’s bold vision, but takes home the title of runner-up.
Best battery: Huawei P9
The Huawei P9 impressed us for a number of reasons. For one, there’s a terrific camera setup that captures some of the best images around.
Read: Huawei P9 Review: Breaking new ground
There’s also a unique design and stonking performance to consider, but one of our favourite aspects of the device was the performance its 3,000mAh battery delivered.
With a stamina quotient that left the device running along at speed for days on end in addition to powerful performance and a form factor that bears little compromise, the Huawei P9 rightfully takes home our Golden Pixel for the best smartphone battery of 2016.
Runner-up: iPhone 7 Plus
For years iPhone users have complained of poor battery life Apple delivers with its devices, and 2016’s iPhone 7 Plus marked the first occaision that there has been little to complain about.
The iPhone 7 Plus’ impressive battery life set us back in a substantial way, and for that reason the device only loses out to the Huawei P9 as the Chinese handset accomplishes more with a smaller frame to work with.
Best camera: Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
For months the Bandwidth Blog team has been trying to suggest a suitable challenger to the image quality that Samsung’s Galaxy S7 Edge delivers.
Read: Hands-on preview: Samsung Galaxy S7 & S7 Edge ““ the stars are shining bright
The fact is, we haven’t been able to find one. While Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Pixel vied for the throne, we were unable to suggest one smartphone that delivered on the promise the Galaxy S7 Edge issued when Samsung debuted it in early 2016.
Delivering exceptional low-light performance, accurate colours, and detailed imagery, the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge takes home our Golden Pixel for the best smartphone camera of 2016. Trust us – it’s a doozy.
Runner-up: iPhone 7 Plus
Apple has long had strong ties to mobile photography movements, and the iPhone 7 Plus brings with it a secondary lens entirely devoted to optical zoom.
While we loved Apple’s revitalised take on imagery, we felt that the Samsung Galaxy S7 wins for its smaller footprint and greater image quality.
Best budget smartphone: OnePlus 3T
As one of our favourite YouTubers – Mr Mobile – often phrases it, smartphones are becoming cheaper and cheap smartphones are becoming better.
Read: OnePlus 3 launches with powerful specs and a $416 USD price tag
That was the premise behind OnePlus’ 3T – a phone one alphabetical letter better than Apple’s trademark S. With great specs, a handsome form factor, a great battery and a solid battery life, the OnePlus 3T’s promises are made that much sweeter by the virtue that this device won’t grind up your wallet.
The 3T is OnePlus’ assurance to fans and general consumers around the world that it is here to stay; and while the 3’s design language might have departed from the classic OnePlus footprint, we feel the 3T cements OnePlus’ foothold more so than ever.
Runner-up: Moto Z Play
We felt that Motorola had a great 2016 – not least because the company is finally back on South African shores.
The Moto Z Play delivers solid specs, a design close to the Moto Z’s form factor, and a great price tag to boot – and is only let down by the fact that OnePlus specializes in frightening high-end flagships with its competitive price points.
Best overall smartphone: Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
Truth be told, in an alternate universe the Galaxy S7 Edge might not have taken home the title of Bandwidth Blog’s best smartphone of 2016; the doomed Galaxy Note 7 might have earned our top acclaim instead.
Read: Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Review: Sleeker, Sharper, Sexier
But we’re living in the here and now, and there’s no denying it; Samsung outdid itself by creating a smartphone with virtually no compromises. Great battery life, an awesome camera, a rich design language and improvements to its user interface made us realise that 2016 didn’t deliver a better alternative than the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.
For that reason, Samsung takes home our illustrious Golden Pixel for the best smartphone of 2016 – a top honour that we feel is well deserved in amongst the tough competition the company faced during the year.
Runner-up: Google Pixel
If there’s a reason that Google’s Pixel didn’t take our top honours, its because the device will never be officially available in South Africa.
With a brilliant, clean design, an acclaimed camera, and some of the most advanced software work Google has ever revealed in the form of Assistant, we feel that the Google Pixel was the smartphone that issued the shot heard round the world in 2016.
We can’t wait to one day get the Pixel in our shores, and when that day comes we look forward to ringing in our smartphone awards once again.
Have your say!
What are your thoughts? What were your favourite smartphones of 2016? Be sure to let us know your opinion in the comments below!
Follow Bryan Smith on Twitter: @bryansmithSA
