**The Best Smartphones of 2016: A Review**

In this article, we'll take a closer look at four smartphones that stood out from the rest in 2016. These devices may not have been the top-of-the-line flagships of their time, but they offered exceptional value for money and impressed us with their performance, design, and features.

**The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge**

One of the standout smartphones of 2016 was the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. This phone boasted a powerful processor, the Exynos 8890, which may not have matched the Snapdragon 820 or 821 in terms of raw power, but delivered smooth performance in real-world usage. The device also featured a large 5.1-inch screen, a good battery life, and support for microSD cards. Additionally, it had water resistance, making it a great option for those who want a rugged phone. However, our only complaints were the poor speaker quality and the fragility of the device. Despite these minor issues, the S7 Edge was an excellent choice for anyone looking for a top-of-the-line smartphone.

**The Google Pixel XL**

Next up was the Google Pixel XL, which impressed us with its exceptional camera capabilities. The phone's 12.3-inch screen was a joy to use, and the device's snappy performance was thanks in part to the Snapdragon 821 processor and 4GB of RAM. Android 7.1 made for a smooth experience, and we were amazed by the phone's ability to take stunning photos with ease. The Pixel XL also had great battery life and a solid build quality, making it a top choice for those looking for a pure Android experience. However, some people may find the design a bit questionable, and there are some notable omissions, such as the lack of an SD card slot and water resistance.

**The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4**

At just £130, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 offered incredible value for money. Despite not being a flagship device, it delivered performance comparable to more expensive phones, thanks to its fast Helio X20 processor. The camera was also impressive, with a decent shutter time and good depth of field. Additionally, the phone had a large 5.2-inch screen, a huge battery, and sturdy build quality. Xiaomi's decision not to include water resistance may seem like a drawback, but it still managed to deliver an exceptional experience without breaking the bank. In fact, our testing showed that it held its own against more expensive phones in terms of performance.

**The Apple iPhone 7**

Last but not least, we have the Apple iPhone 7. While it may not have been as powerful as some of the other devices on this list, it delivered a faultless experience thanks to Apple's closed ecosystem. The device's performance was seamless, and we were impressed by the camera's capabilities, which made taking great photos accessible to a wide audience. The battery life could be improved, but the build quality was extremely sturdy, making it a great choice for those who value durability. Overall, the iPhone 7 showed that even without some of the bells and whistles found on Android devices, Apple can still create an exceptional smartphone experience.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enso what's up guys Mr who boss here and welcome to four of my favorite smartphones of 2016 I really hope you enjoy the video and you find it useful and with that being said let's get started so we're going to kick things off with the Galaxy S7 Edge now not only does it have an awesome display resolution the colors the contrast all top of the line but the real thing that keeps me coming back to this phone is a bezeless design not only does it look incredibly futuristic but it's also functional it really adds a sense of immersion that you just don't get with other phones even after migrating to the new pixel XL this is something I thoroughly Miss on top of that the camera is still one of the best it takes detailed photos in a lot of different lighting conditions and the video is one of the steadiest to date on an Android smartphone it's one of the faster phones too with the exos 8890 it is on paper at least beaten out by the Snapdragon 820 and the 821 but in real life performance you literally can't tell the difference this is a top-of-the-line processor it's awesome for gaming and it just flies through the UI and not only does the S7 Edge have some personality some character to it but it also ticks all the boxes it's got a good battery SD card support as well as water resistance my only two complaints would be the poor speaker and the fragility of it if you drop this thing it's done for so next up is the Google pixel XL and whilst my first impressions of the phone were good the more I start to use it the more I've grown to love the phone and the first thing worth mentioning is its camera and Google really should be applauded here because this is probably the first Android smartphone where I'd say not only is it capable of taking amazing photos but it makes it really easy to do you simply swipe open this camera app and almost anything you shoot just looks amazing in all lighting conditions with the Snapdragon 821 and 4 GB of RAM this is basically the fastest smartphone on the planet combine that with Android 7.1 and you basically get the slickest smoothest experience ever available on a mobile device it's truly impressive no game is going to pose a threat to the pixel XL it's got a great screen great battery life and a very solid build quality although the design of it is a little bit questionable some people have said it looks a bit like a toy there are some questionable emissions like the lack of SD cards port and the lack of water resistance but for those you who want a pure Android experience there's no better place to have it so then we've got the xiaomi redmi Note 4 and you might be thinking hey wait a second this isn't really a flagship smartphone well no but this is on the list because of its sheer value proposition at just £130 today you're basically getting an experience that's indistinguishable from what most £400 phones can offer you've got a 1080p screen which doesn't have the highest contrast or the highest color saturation but compared side by side with the 719b pixel XL there's honestly not that much difference the camera won't blow you away but at the same time it's really quite impressive it's got a fast shutter time you don't get too much blur in the photos a decent amount of aperture good depth of field and generally speaking a high amount of detail and part of this at least is in thanks to The Helio X20 on the inside and that's a 10 core processor so yeah the red Note 4 is very very quick and in fact when I was using this phone it was probably one of the few times I've ever used a budget smartphone and felt free to do whatever Android had to offer without really worrying about if it was going to slow down or if it could cope with it company's done a lot of other things right too such as bundling and micro SD card support building a huge battery inside and making the build quality all around just very substantial it doesn't have some of the bells and whistles like water resistance that more expensive phones might but in terms of core functionality the fact that it can even hold its own in all these different categories against phone costing four times as much is Just unprecedented so I don't use apple but I do my best to be as Fair as possible all the time and credit we due the iPhone 7 is an awesome phone I mean yes in some aspects it is further behind a lot of the current gen smartphones for example its screen resolution almost to the point where it seems like apple is just being arrogant about it the company has invested a lot in their software and yes while there are some glaring emissions when compared to Android there's also a lot of innovation going on here that is genuinely useful on top of that when it comes to Performance the 7 honestly offers a faultless experience part of the benefit of this closed ecosystem that Apple's created is just that everything works when you download a game you know it will play perfectly on the iPhone 7 and it will look amazing while it's at it the battery could be better but the build quality is extremely sturdy and the camera is arguably one of the best on the market the fact that Apple has made it so easy to take good photos makes it accessible to a really wide audience so guys there you have it those were four of my favorite smartphones for 2016 not only great smartphones in their own right but also great value for money I really hope you enjoyed the video and if you did be sure to smash that like button these videos take me ages to make and with that being said I'm Mr who the boss and I'm signing outso what's up guys Mr who boss here and welcome to four of my favorite smartphones of 2016 I really hope you enjoy the video and you find it useful and with that being said let's get started so we're going to kick things off with the Galaxy S7 Edge now not only does it have an awesome display resolution the colors the contrast all top of the line but the real thing that keeps me coming back to this phone is a bezeless design not only does it look incredibly futuristic but it's also functional it really adds a sense of immersion that you just don't get with other phones even after migrating to the new pixel XL this is something I thoroughly Miss on top of that the camera is still one of the best it takes detailed photos in a lot of different lighting conditions and the video is one of the steadiest to date on an Android smartphone it's one of the faster phones too with the exos 8890 it is on paper at least beaten out by the Snapdragon 820 and the 821 but in real life performance you literally can't tell the difference this is a top-of-the-line processor it's awesome for gaming and it just flies through the UI and not only does the S7 Edge have some personality some character to it but it also ticks all the boxes it's got a good battery SD card support as well as water resistance my only two complaints would be the poor speaker and the fragility of it if you drop this thing it's done for so next up is the Google pixel XL and whilst my first impressions of the phone were good the more I start to use it the more I've grown to love the phone and the first thing worth mentioning is its camera and Google really should be applauded here because this is probably the first Android smartphone where I'd say not only is it capable of taking amazing photos but it makes it really easy to do you simply swipe open this camera app and almost anything you shoot just looks amazing in all lighting conditions with the Snapdragon 821 and 4 GB of RAM this is basically the fastest smartphone on the planet combine that with Android 7.1 and you basically get the slickest smoothest experience ever available on a mobile device it's truly impressive no game is going to pose a threat to the pixel XL it's got a great screen great battery life and a very solid build quality although the design of it is a little bit questionable some people have said it looks a bit like a toy there are some questionable emissions like the lack of SD cards port and the lack of water resistance but for those you who want a pure Android experience there's no better place to have it so then we've got the xiaomi redmi Note 4 and you might be thinking hey wait a second this isn't really a flagship smartphone well no but this is on the list because of its sheer value proposition at just £130 today you're basically getting an experience that's indistinguishable from what most £400 phones can offer you've got a 1080p screen which doesn't have the highest contrast or the highest color saturation but compared side by side with the 719b pixel XL there's honestly not that much difference the camera won't blow you away but at the same time it's really quite impressive it's got a fast shutter time you don't get too much blur in the photos a decent amount of aperture good depth of field and generally speaking a high amount of detail and part of this at least is in thanks to The Helio X20 on the inside and that's a 10 core processor so yeah the red Note 4 is very very quick and in fact when I was using this phone it was probably one of the few times I've ever used a budget smartphone and felt free to do whatever Android had to offer without really worrying about if it was going to slow down or if it could cope with it company's done a lot of other things right too such as bundling and micro SD card support building a huge battery inside and making the build quality all around just very substantial it doesn't have some of the bells and whistles like water resistance that more expensive phones might but in terms of core functionality the fact that it can even hold its own in all these different categories against phone costing four times as much is Just unprecedented so I don't use apple but I do my best to be as Fair as possible all the time and credit we due the iPhone 7 is an awesome phone I mean yes in some aspects it is further behind a lot of the current gen smartphones for example its screen resolution almost to the point where it seems like apple is just being arrogant about it the company has invested a lot in their software and yes while there are some glaring emissions when compared to Android there's also a lot of innovation going on here that is genuinely useful on top of that when it comes to Performance the 7 honestly offers a faultless experience part of the benefit of this closed ecosystem that Apple's created is just that everything works when you download a game you know it will play perfectly on the iPhone 7 and it will look amazing while it's at it the battery could be better but the build quality is extremely sturdy and the camera is arguably one of the best on the market the fact that Apple has made it so easy to take good photos makes it accessible to a really wide audience so guys there you have it those were four of my favorite smartphones for 2016 not only great smartphones in their own right but also great value for money I really hope you enjoyed the video and if you did be sure to smash that like button these videos take me ages to make and with that being said I'm Mr who the boss and I'm signing out\n"