This was another year of transition for the smart phones. Nearly a decade since Apple introduced the iPhone and changed the world, the smartphone has become a common device, the limits of their capabilities have been very clear and almost all of the brands are designed and manufactured to feel comfortable with it. Well, almost all.
During the little more than 11 months of 2016 that is going on Forbes Mexico we had the chance to try all of the phones relevant and, as expected, we found few significant differences between the vast majority of them.
So, 2016 was a year of incremental changes. More RAM. More processing speed. More megapixel. More zeros in the price tag. The same batteries.
Well, more or less. This was also a year to forget for Samsung, whose Galaxy Note 7 will go down in history as one of the great scandals of the world of technology.
The words of Tyrone Liu, CEO for Latin america of the Device Business Department of Huawei’s Consumer Business Group, are today more true than ever: "The smartphone industry is very high risk. Smart phones are products which are so small and have so many details in its interior, we have to be very careful. What happened with Samsung can serve as a lesson for the entire industry."
In that sense, it is understood that many brands are committed to the safe before you try to revolutionize an industry whose growth continues to decelerate (in the third quarter, sales of smartphones increased by only 7%, compared to 14.4% in the same period of the previous year, according to data from Gartner).
And the winner is…
The competition is not low. This year we tested 10 flagships, and between them there is everything: big and small screens, cameras that double as phones, swiss knives of digital and even keyboards physicists, all struggling to win over consumers.
however, in the end the decision as to which of them is worthy of the title of the best phone of the year was relatively simple. The criterion that we have used since 2013, when we first started doing this exercise, is the following: Given that the career of incremental updates erases the distinctions between the brands, we value above all things the intention of offering a different experience and fun to the user, the value of venturing to experiment with new things and surprise, and this year no one did it better than Motorola.
The Bike Z, the first smartphone modular Motorola, you can be a genius or an absurd idea, that is something that only time will tell, but today, in December of 2016, there is no other phone that has been combined with so much grace a computer with great features, impossibly thin, and so versatile, but above all so friendly.
also Read: Review: Moto Z, a phone ambitious
Although LG launched its G5, the first smartphone modular in getting to the market, it failed to take off in sales, or create a partner network robust enough to support its development. In the end, the Korean company still has not confirmed the version that will not keep the factor to modulate in the G6.
Motorola, for its part, presented the Moto Z with four modules, including three developed by Incipio, JBL, and Hasselblad, those who join more at the beginning of 2017. Perhaps just as important is the fact that the integration of the modules with the phone is almost natural, without the need for cumbersome configurations, in a couple of seconds.
it Is true, is not the modular telephone that we had offered, but the Project Ara is among the projects that died in the year, so this is the closest thing that we have. \_(ツ)_/
And what about the others?
despite the fact that the Moto Z is our phone of the year, there were many others that left us with a very good impression, and definitely recommend it. The reality is that not all phones are for everyone, and there is no better smartphone than the one you held captive.
Even so, we believe that it is relevant to do a quick review of all the equipment that we tested in the year, in alphabetical order:
Apple iPhone 7/7Plus: what The best iPhone up to now? Definitely, although it feels more like an extension of the 6S that as a generational change. The advantage of the iPhone over its competitors is that it is the only with iOS, and there are millions of people that is unlikely to change for an Android. The addition of a second camera in the Plus version is a success.
pros: dual Camera (7 Plus), operating system and performance.
cons: Price, battery and the lack of a USB port-C.
Review complete: iPhone 7, Apple makes it once more
BlackBerry Priv: In full year 2016, there are still those who want a physical keyboard. No, seriously, and BlackBerry gave it to them. Although it is a phone of 2015, came to Mexico until this year, and the reality is that it is better than we imagined.
pros: it Is one of the Android more secure and its design is surprisingly fun.
cons: it Is somewhat bulky and the relation price-benefits is a little sexy.
Review complete: PRIV, the Android that needs to save BlackBerry from the death
Google Pixel/Pixel XL: One of the surprises of the year was that Google took the leap to the manufacturing of hardware (yes, we know that the maquila is from HTC, but all the control and the branding is from Google). Despite all the hype, the Pixel turns out to be fairly conventional. Yes, it has a great camera and the performance of a high-end, but for that price I could not expect less. The fact that Google Assistant is not yet available in English will also subtract points.
pros: Camera and performance.
cons: Design is very conventional, that Google Assistant is not available in Mexico and price.
Review complete: Pixel, the first smartphone manufactured by Google
LG G5: Presented at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona with great fanfare, the first smartphone modular promised more of what he was able to deliver. Despite having good performances and a handful of modules (or Friends, as they called LG), the integration was pretty awkward, both from the perspective of both software and hardware. In addition, LG opted to bring the version IS, decaffeinated, with a processor less powerful.
Pros: Its dual camera and its design.
Cons: poor integration with the modules and their price.
Review complete: LG G5, the first smartphone modular
Huawei Mate 8: surprise surprise. While many believe that the technology china is synonymous with poor quality, Huawei proved that it is made with several impressive models during the year, among them the Mate 8, a phone, a solid and powerful delivery of two effective days of operation with one battery charge.
Pros: Resistance, battery and screen.
Cons: Lack of a USB port-C
Review complete: Matt 8, a phablet-balanced
Huawei P9/P9 Plus: The other flagship of the chinese company and the first with a dual camera developed in conjunction with Leica. In addition to its ability to photo, your design is clean and elegant.
Pros: Camera, performance and design.
Cons: battery could be better.
Review complete: P9, the first smartphone with a Leica camera
Nexus 6P: The inclusion of another Huawei is justified by the fact that the design of it was under the control of Google. Powerful, sexy, and tough, the 6P is a worthy successor to the 6X from Motorola and, with the arrival of the Pixel, it may be the last of its kind.
Pros: A great camera and a lot of power under the hood.
Cons: The battery performance is not about the Mate 8.
Review complete: 6P, the Nexus more powerful up to now
Samsung Galaxy S7/Galaxy S7 Edge: Our Galaxy favorites until now. Almost everything in the S7 are hits: their dimensions, the cameras, the display, the wireless charging and the quick charger, expandable memory and water resistance.
Pros: Great camera, great design, great display.
Cons: Lack of a USB-a port C and a high price.
Review complete: Galaxy S7, Samsung to correct the course
Sony Xperia XZ: As a former user of Xperia Z3, we must say that we feel puzzled. Even though the XZ is de facto the Z6, there is little that we can relate between the two phones. The camera, which used to be the strong point of Sony, is far from being a protagonist in this season. A penalty.
Pros: An interesting design.
Cons: standard Camera and a very, very high.
Review complete: Xperia XZ, the first Sony with auto focus laser
Our winners past:
2013: Moto X, first generation
2014: LG G3
2015: iPhone 6s
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