In the year 2016 we have witnessed a huge number of smartphone launches from existing as well as some new manufacturers. In this post we are going to share the list of top 5 flagship smartphones of 2016 that flaunt their premium designs and are equipped with top-notch features and specifications. Read on to see our top picks and why they deserve a spot in this list.

Top 5 Flagship Smartphones of 2016

Here is our list of top 5 flagship smartphones of 2016 (Note: This list does not follow a ranking or preference order):

Apple iPhone 7 Plus

The Apple iPhone 7 Plus was launched alongside iPhone 7 in September 2016 and has been a hot favorite ever since. The price of the smartphone starts at 72,000 for 32GB storage version and goes up to Rs. 92,000 for the 256GB storage model. It comes with a quad-core A10 Fusion processor, 5.5-inch IPS 3D Touch display and 2900mAh battery.

Coming to the camera department, it comes with a dual camera set up on the rear. It sports a 12 mega pixel wide-angle+telephoto lens with quad LED two-tone flash and 4K video recording. There is also a 7 mega pixel front camera with Retina Flash. The smartphone comes with water resistant capabilities but lacks standard 3.5mm headphone jack. Besides powerful hardware, the device also boasts a premium design constructed with strong 7000 Series aluminum.

The Apple iPhone 7 comes with excellent features, uncluttered UI, high-end hardware and an exceptional camera combination. If you find the iPhone 7 Plus too big to hold and too expensive for your pocket, then you can also opt for the iPhone7. Read more about Apple iPhone 7 Plus here.

Apple iPhone 7 Plus: Specifications & Features

• Processor: 64-bit quad-core A10 Fusion (M10 motion co-processor, six-core GPU)
• Operating System: iOS 10
• Display: 5.5-inch IPS 3D Touch (1920×1080 pixels resolution)
• Storage: 32GB / 128GB / 256GB
• Rear Camera: Dual camera set up: 12 mega pixel wide-angle +telephoto lens with quad LED two-tone flash, f/1.8 aperture, OIS, 6-element lens, High-speed Sensor and 4K video recording
• Front Camera: 7 mega pixel with Retina Flash
• Battery: 2900mAh
• Connectivity: 4G with VoLTE, Wi-Fi with MIMO, Bluetooth, GPS and NFC
• Dimensions: 158.2×77.9×7.3 mm
• Weight: 188 grams
• IP67 rating
• Fingerprint sensor

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is another gorgeous flagship smartphone of 2016. On design front, it looks very similar to the predecessor, Galaxy S6 Edge. There are however, a lot of internal upgrades which Samsung’s current year’s flagship smartphone brings with it. It comes with a new UI mode, called Edge Single Plus which has an additional row of notifications. Besides, the smartphone also comes with always on display, heart rate sensor and IP68 certification for resistance against dust and water.

The gorgeous display, outstanding camera capabilities and a lot of other features that Galaxy S7 is equipped with, are ought to temp you to buy it. Read more about Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge here.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge: Specifications & Features

• Processor: Quad-Core Snapdragon 820 processor / Octa-Core Exynos 8890 (2.3GHz Quad + 1.6GHz Quad)
• Operating System: Android 6.0 Marshmallow with TouchWiz UI
• Display: 5.5-inch Quad HD (2560×1440 pixels resolution, 534 ppi Super AMOLED, Always-on curved edge display)
• RAM: 4GB
• Storage: 32GB/64GB (expandable up to 200GB via microSD card)
• Rear Camera: 12 mega pixel Dual Pixel with LED Flash, f/1.7 aperture, Smart OIS, PDAF
• Front Camera: 5 mega pixel with f/1.7 aperture
• Battery: 3600mAh with Fast Charging & Wireless Charging
• Connectivity: 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC
• Dimensions: 150.9×72.6×7.7 mm
• Weight: 157 grams
• IP68 certified: Water and dust resistance
• Heart Rate Sensor
• Fingerprint Sensor
• Hybrid Dual SIM

OnePlus 3T

It is no wonder that OnePlus 3T has also made it to our list of top 5 flagship smartphones of 2016. It is a refreshed variant of the OnePlus 3 and comes with a few upgrades like faster chipset, improved front camera, bigger battery and more storage. Rest of the specifications of both phones are identical. This is one of the best smartphones for the buyers looking for a device with excellent multitasking capabilities. Read more about OnePlus 3T here.

OnePlus 3T: Specifications & Features

• Processor: 64-bit 2.35GHz quad-core Snapdragon 821
• GPU: Adreno 530
• Operating System: Android 6.0 Marshmallow with Oxygen OS
• Display: 5.5-inch full HD Optic AMOLED (1920×1080 pixels resolution, 2.5D Curved Corning Gorilla Glass 4)
• RAM: 6GB
• Storage: 64GB / 128GB
• Rear Camera: 16 mega pixel with LED flash, f/2.0 aperture, EIS 2.0, PDAF, OIS, Sony IMX298 sensor, 1.12 micron pixel size and 4K video recording
• Front Camera: 16 mega pixel with f/2.0 aperture, PDAF, Samsung 3P8SP sensor, 1.0 micron pixel size
• Battery: 3400mAh with Dash Charge technology
• Connectivity: 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, NFC and USB Type-C
• Dimensions: 152.7×74.7×7.35 mm
• Weight: 158 grams
• Dual SIM
• Fingerprint sensor

Google Pixel XL

The Google Pixel XL and Pixel were launched back in October 2016. Both devices share identical design and similar specs and are differentiated only on the basis of display size and battery capacity. Both devices feature a fingerprint scanner on the back and come with unlimited cloud storage. The Pixel XL comes with a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor, 5.5-inch QHD AMOLED display, 12.3 mega pixel primary camera on the back with LED flash, 8 mega pixel front camera, 8 mega pixel front camera and a 3450mAh battery.

The Pixel XL is a combination of beautiful display, amazing camera, long battery life, excellent camera and flawless performance. Read more about Google Pixel XL here.

Google Pixel XL: Specifications & Features

• Processor: 2.15GHz Quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 821
• GPU: Adreno 530
• Operating System: Android 7.1 Nougat
• Display: 5.5-inch QHD AMOLED (2560×1440 pixels resolution, Corning Gorilla Glass 4)
• RAM: 4GB
• Storage: 32GB / 128GB
• Rear Camera: 12.3 mega pixel with LED flash, f/2.0 aperture, PDAF, LDAF, Sony IMX378 sensor
• Front Camera: 8 mega pixel
• Battery: 3450mAh
• Connectivity: 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, USB Type-C
• Dimensions: 154.7×75.7×8.6 mm
• Weight: 168 grams
• Color Options: Quite Black and Very Silver
• Fingerprint scanner

LG G5

LG’s G5 smartphone boasts of a very transformative design. The USP of the device is its modular design that lets users swap and replace components. The G5 comes with LG Friends, a series of accessories like LG 360 VR, LG 360 CAM and LG Rolling Bot that can be attached to the phone. The ability to swap the parts helps users to upgrade the smartphone according to their needs. Read more about LG G5 here.

LG G5: Specifications & Features

• Processor: 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
• GPU: Adreno 530
• Operating System: Android 6.0 Marshmallow
• Display: 5.3-inch Quad HD IPS (2560×1440 pixels resolution)
• RAM: 4GB
• Storage: 32GB (expandable up to 2TB via microSD card)
• Rear Camera: Dual camera setup: 16 mega pixel and 8 mega pixel with dual-tone flash, Laser Auto Focus, 4K Video Recording
• Front Camera: 8 mega pixel
• Battery: 2800mAh with Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0
• Connectivity: 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, NFC and USB Type-C
• Dimensions: 149.4×73.9×7.7~8.6 mm
• Weight: 159 grams
• Fingerprint sensor

Is there any other impressive flagship smartphone that we missed? Share with us in the comments section below.

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