ET review: Honor 6x will appeal to users looking for a feature-rich phone with a good camera

Huawei's sub-brand Honor is one of the few betting big on dual camera smartphones. They already have the Honor 8 with dual cameras in the premium segment and it's now time for the inexpensive Honor 6x. It is a mid-range phone but it's the cheapest smartphone today with a dual camera setup, dethroning the recently launched Coolpad Cool 1 (launched in December 2016). The Honor 6x dual camera system includes a 12MP primary sensor and 2MP secondary sensor.The 2MP sensor is for depth sensing and only activates when you enable the wide aperture mode.Once activated, you can tap on the area you want to focus on and adjust the simulated aperture between f0.95 to f16. You can even adjust the aperture and focus area after the image is captured. In daylight, the Honor 6x will impress you with you with its quality in the standard mode as well as wide aperture mode. Indoors, the images appeared great on the phone, but on a larger screen we could see noise and lack of details. Also, the Honor 6x lacks image stabilization of any kind which would have been a welcome addition.Compared to the Coolpad Cool 1, the autofocus speed is the same but the Honor 6x is faster when it comes to speed in the wide aperture mode.However, while the Cool 1 is capable of recording 4k videos, the Honor 6x is limited to full HD videos only . Overall, if you are looking for a smartphone that can give you a shallow depth of field at a mid-range price, the Honor 6x should be amongst your top choices.

The design of the Honor 6x is like other phones in this price range -a full glass front with a unibody metal back. The Honor 6x feels good to hold thanks to the curved design. The 5.5-inch full HD d isplay offers rich colours, wide viewing angles and slim bezels. The dual camera setup is placed vertically on the rear while the fingerprint scanner is under the camera mod ule. A big benefit of the Honor 6x is that it feels much lighter compared to other phones in this price range.

Hardware specifications include an octa core Kirin 655 processor, 3GB RAM, 32GB storage and a 3,340mAh battery. Performance for normal usage like multimedia, social network and calling is butter smooth. The phone had no issues running games such as Asphalt 8 as long as you don't have anything running in the background. As for the software benchmarks, the Kirin 655 is about par with the Snapdragon 625. What impressed us more was the excellent battery life of the Honor 6x -a full charge easily lasted a day and a half. However, there is no proper fast charging support, so it takes a good 2 hours plus to charge the battery from 10 to 100% using the provided charger.

Honor 6x comes with EMUI 4.1 based on Android 6.0 -the interface is loaded with features and works great. All your apps and widgets are placed on multiple home panels (there is no app drawer) and you can swipe down to bring up the search box. You also get a split screen fea ture, display customization, one hand mode, power saving mode and an easy mode. A handy feature that deserves special mention is called WiFi bridge -you can use the phone as a WiFi extender to boost your WiFi's range when required. Even the camera mode is loaded with multiple shoot modes including a Pro mode for manual settings. The EMUI 5.0 update for an upgrade to Android 7.0 is expected in Q2 2017.

Overall, the Honor 6x will appeal to users who are looking for a feature-rich phone with a good camera. A direct competitor to the Honor 6x is the Coolpad Cool 1 (Rs 13,999). The CoolPad (by LeEco) has 4GB RAM, 4k video recording and fast charging support via USB Type-C.

Source: ET review: Honor 6x will appeal to users looking for a feature-rich phone with a good camera

The Importance of a Better Front Camera which is the Latest Trend in Smartphones

Smartphones are evolving every single day as the manufacturers are trying to make their devices better to keep up with the growing technological needs of the consumers. Back in the days when smartphones were initially making their way into the lives of people, they were not nearly as close to what we have right now in our hands. They have evolved in every possible way you can think of like display technology, battery, the processor inside them, etc. One of the most relevant feature to consider here is the camera. Cameras on smartphones have gotten so much better now as compared to what we had about 4-5 years ago. We have seen smartphones with 2MP rear facing cameras and 0.2MP(VGA) front-facing cameras as well in the past but now the story to be told is something very different.

Today if you are in the market for a smartphone with best cameras, then you have so many offerings which will give you near DSLR quality images which are more than enough for an ordinary person who is willing to simply pointing the camera at the subject and shoot. Even the front facing cameras have gotten so much better. There are smartphones out there in the market with better cameras on the front rather than the rear camera as well. In a way, it can be said that the focus has now completely shifted to the front facing cameras from the rear facing camera which is also dubbed as "Primary camera." The smartphone manufacturers are not to be blamed here, and as a matter of fact, no one needs to be blamed since it is just a trend that people are falling for. We are living in an era where instead of taking photos of people, food, and places around you to create beautiful memories, taking self-portrait a.k.a selfies is given much more importance as it holds more value in social medi a.

While this is not a bad phenomenon by any means but it is worth acknowledging. And hence the smartphone manufacturers getting onboard to provide a valuable piece of technology to go with this trend. Focusing more on the cameras rather than the smartphone also makes senses in certain scenarios. The various smartphones that are available right now in the market in comparison to what we had earlier are also very different. Nowadays, the focus has completely shifted to front facing cameras to cater the needs of consumers. For instance, a lot of Chinese smartphone manufacturers have are now coming up with smartphones having a better front facing cameras, which was not the case earlier. This clearly shows how manufacturers are ready to offer exactly what people wants. This also shows how the focus has shifted from internal hardware to camera, to shoot pictures of the person in the outside world and that too upto a point where the front-facing camera is called "Selfie camera" instea d of a secondary camera and has become a USP of a smartphone.

Talking about people's growing selfie obsession let's take a moment and talk about the smartphone which we are testing right now, which is the Vivo V5 Plus. Before we talk anything about this smartphone and it's camera capabilities, it is definitely worth noting that it has one of the best smartphone cameras out there if not the best, for taking selfies with. The Vivo V5 Plus is the latest smartphone from Vivo which they have just launched here in India a couple of weeks back. The highlights of this smartphone are the cameras, in fact, the front facing cameras. Yes, you read it right, it is mentioned cameras with a 's' since the smartphone has a dual camera setup on the front. The Vivo V5 Plus sports a 20MP + 8MP setup on the front which should allow you to take some stunning selfies. The 20MP sensor is the Sony IMX376 sensor that is responsible for the stunning quality whereas the other 8MP sensor adjusts the depth-of-field information.

Both the cameras work together to fetch you some awesome selfies with a bokeh effect as well, where the background will be completely blurred out keeping your face on focus. This effect makes the images resemble from that of a DSLR camera. The camera interface is also pleasingly simple with no complicated options to fiddle with. Once you open the camera app and get into the selfie mode by tapping the camera switch icon, you will be greeted with a couple of simple options to choose from. The very first option which you will see on the top is called Bokeh mode, which as mentioned earlier will blur your background to give a nice feel to the image. Other than that you have a "Face Beauty" mode as well which needs no introduction by any means. Tap on the options and make add buffing effect, make your skin tone fairer or brightness to your image as a whole to make you look flawless for those Instagram selfies.

There is also a front-facing flash which is not something you get on every smartphone out there. The front facing flash should allow you to take selfies even when it is pitch black in your surroundings. The flash manages to stay true to your skin tone and nicely balances the color. You can check out the images below to give you a better idea of what exactly this smartphone camera is capable of capturing. Even the rear-facing camera or the primary camera as you would refer is also quite good on this smartphone. The Vivo V5 Plus has a 16MP rear-facing the camera with a f/2.0 aperture, PDAF, and a LED Flash. As mentioned earlier, you can check out the camera samples to find out the camera capabilities of this camera. But long story short, this is one those smartphones which promise to get you the best selfies than in any given condition so that you always stay on top of your selfie game on social media.

Few Camera Samples

Talking about the hardware that is powering the Vivo V5 Plus internally, it comes with a 5.5″ display with an FHD resolution on the front. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 2.0GHz octa-core processor which is coupled with 4GB of RAM. It also has a couple of other features which are worth noting like Hi-Fi music which is basically a custom made AK4376 chip to deliver great music. On the software of side things, it is running FunTouch 3.0 OS which is based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Overall, if you are in the market for a selfie-centric smartphone with good all round performance, then the Vivo V5 Plus is a steal.

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Source: The Importance of a Better Front Camera which is the Latest Trend in Smartphones

Top trending phones of week 5 at CES: 4GB RAM, 4100mAh

It's been 5 weeks since the first time we saw the first new phone at CES. Let's have a look at the article below to find out what is the top trending phones of week 5 at CES!

1. Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (MediaTek)

The winner of top trending phones of week 5 is a Chinese name that is very familiar to us, Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 with MediaTek chipset. In terms of Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 specs, there is a 5.5-inch Full HD display and a powerful Deca-core 2.1GHz Mediatek MT6797 Helio X20 processor.

Besides, it is available in two version: standard edition with 2GB of RAM, 16GB of ROM and high edition with 3GB of RAM, 64GB of ROM. Both are able to expand by microSD. For photography, it sports a 13MP main camera paired with a 5MP front shooter. It also has a big 4,100mAh battery inside. Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 price is at least $150.

2. Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime

The next in our list of top trending phones of week 5 is Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime. As for Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime specs, it mounts a 5.5-inch Full HD display, a 13MP rear camera along with an 8MP selfie snapper. It is powered by an Octa-core 1.6GHz Exynos 7870 Octa processor and a 3,300mAh battery. Moreover, it offers 3GB of RAM and 16/32GB of internal storage which is expandable. Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime price comes at around $245.

3. Nokia 6

Nokia 6 is the name that can not be listed in our list of top trending phones of week 5. Nokia 6 specs include a 5.5-inch Full HD display, an Octa-core 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor and a 3,000mAh battery. It is packed with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of ROM which can be expanded up to 256GB via microSD. As for the cameras, it comes with a 16MP shooter on the back and an 8MP front-facing camera. Nokia 6 price is about $252.

4. Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)

Next, let's meet another Samsung device named Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016). In terms of Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) specs, it features a 5.5-inch HD display, a 13MP rear camera along with a 5MP front camera for photography. Galaxy J7 (2016) derives its power from an Exynos 7870 Octa chipset or a Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 chipset, both are clocked at the speed of an octa-core CPU. It offer 2GB of RAM and 16GB of ROM. J7 (2016) is fueled by a 3,300mAh battery inside. Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) price is around $210.

5. Oppo F1s

Position number 5 in our is of top trending phones of week 5 is Oppo F1s. As for Oppo F1s specs, it comes with a 5.5-inch HD display, a MediaTek MT6755 or MTK7650 chipset clocked at the speed of an Octa-core 1.5GHz CPU. It has two variants: 3GB RAM, 32GB ROM and 4GB RAM, 64GB ROM. Both are expandable. For photography, it supports a 13MP primary camera and an amazing 16MP selfie snapper. It also has a 3,075mAh battery. Oppo F1s price comes at about $252.

Top trending phones of week 5 at CES: 4GB RAM, 4100mAh

Those are top trending phones of week 5 at CES. Keep following us to know the latest information in the smartphone world!

Source: Top trending phones of week 5 at CES: 4GB RAM, 4100mAh

Do you think that Philippe Starck’s Alo Smartphone is the Phone of the Future?

Well, do you think that Philippe Starck's Alo Smartphone is the phone of the future? This smartphone could change the game completely!

It was imagined by French designers Philippe Starck and Jerome Olivet, who have proposed a radical concept for the future of phones based on holograms and voice control.

Designed for the future when voice-activated technology dominates, this smartphone has a "gelatinous", translucent and elongated case designed to fit naturally in the hand.

Instead of having a touchscreen like you see on the other smartphones, this one, projects any movies or messages you want to see as a 3D holographic image.

"Alo provides a fully vocalised interface in all phone functions, reads SMS and emails, and even allows them to dictate their messages rather than typing them," said Olivet, who specialises in product design for new technologies.

"The phone's camera acts as an 'eye'. Among other things, it allows the reader to read the texts he detects or to identify the faces. It also allows you to project a 3D hologram to view a movie or message."

Do you think that Philippe Starck's Alo Smartphone is the Phone of the Future?

It is entirely operated by voice commands and its center is moulded aluminium alloy core.

The pliable casing is designed to function as a haptic interface, giving feedback through heat as well as vibration.

Do you think that Philippe Starck's Alo Smartphone is the Phone of the Future?

"Its translucent skin emits vibrations or communicates by producing heat depending on its activity," Olivet told Dezeen. "Its skin repairs automatically as soon as it is damaged."

The recent launch of smart assistants Amazon Echo and Google Home has brought voice-controlled smart assistants into many homes. Alo is designed for a time when speech recognition is so high-performing that other controls are not necessary.

Do you think that Philippe Starck's Alo Smartphone is the Phone of the Future? |pics via: dezeen.com|

While it is currently only a concept, Olivet plans to develop Alo, or a version of it, into a prototype. It is attached to French electronics brand Thomson.

"It is a true artificial intelligence," said Olivet, who led the project, facilitated by Starck. "We can no longer separate from this device."

Olivet and Starck plan to develop Alo into a prototype for Thomson later this year. So, stay tuned for more information.

Starck, although he has expressed some criticism of contemporary screen culture in the past, his first creation, the Mi Mix for Chinese electronics company Xiaomi, was praised for its near-edgeless display that covers 91 per cent of the phone's front surface area.

Do you believe that this might me the phone of the future?

Source: Do you think that Philippe Starck's Alo Smartphone is the Phone of the Future?

How to fix Samsung Galaxy Note 5 errors “Unfortunately, Camera has stopped” & “Warning: Camera failed” [Troubleshooting Guide]

The Camera in your #Samsung Galaxy Note 5 (#Note5) is one of the features that's more complicated than others. It is almost inevitable that it will act up from time to time because imagine that the app, the services, the firmware and the hardware itself must run in perfect harmony the moment the owner uses the camera app to snap pictures.

In this post, I will tackle two of the most common camera related issues that many Note 5 owners complained about. The first one is the error message "Unfortunately, Camera has stopped," which is talking about the app while the second one is the "Warning: Camera failed" error that may be a sign of a hardware problem.

Continue reading the post to understand more why these error messages show up and learn how to troubleshoot your phone if one of them happens to you. Click on the link below to jump to a specific issue or section.

But before we jump right into our troubleshooting, if you have other issues with your phone, make sure you drop by our troubleshooting page for we have already addressed a lot of issues with this device. Try to find problems that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If they don't work for you and if you need further assistance, contact us by filling up our Android issues questionnaire.

How to troubleshoot your Note 5 that shows "Unfortunately, Camera has stopped" error

This error message hints us about an app problem and while the camera cannot function without its sensor, it's operation can be disrupted when one of the components failed to load. For instance, in this error message, it might be just the app that crashed or, at least, our troubleshoot will start there. To try to fix this problem or get rid of this error, here's what you're going to do…

Step 1: Reboot your phone a few times

Had the problem started without apparent reason and if it's the first time you're seeing this, then it's possible it's caused by a firmware, hardware or an app glitch. To begin your troubleshooting, you just have to try to reboot your phone a few times to see if the error still shows up after that. If it still does, then we might be facing a more serious problem.

Step 2: Clear the cache and data of the camera app

Let's try to rule out the possibility that it's just an app problem by resetting the camera app. By doing so, we will bring the app back to its default settings or a configuration that once worked. It's a pre-installed app and you cannot uninstall it, so try to follow these steps and see if the issue gets fixed…

From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.

Find and tap Settings.

Under the 'APPLICATIONS' section, find and touch Application manager.

Swipe to the left or to the right to display the appropriate screen but to display all apps, choose the 'ALL' screen.

Find and tap Camera.

Touch Clear cache to delete its cached files.

Touch Clear data and then OK to delete downloaded data, login information, settings, etc.

After clearing the cache and data of the app, reboot your phone and then try to take pictures again to see if the error still shows up. If it does, then move on to the next step.

Step 3: Try to boot your phone in safe mode and open the app again

We've already tried resetting the app but to no avail, so in this step, we will try to see if one or some of your third-party apps have something to do with it. Boot your phone in safe mode and try to use the same app to see if the error still shows up…

Turn off the phone completely.

Press and hold the Power key.

Once 'Samsung Galaxy Note5' shows, release the Power key and immediately press and hold the Volume Down button.

The phone will restart but keep the Vol Down button pressed.

Once the phone has finished restarting, 'Safe mode' will be display in the lower-left corner of the screen.

You may now release the Volume Down button.

Opening the app while in this mode means, all services by other third-party apps won't be loaded together with the core services so if the problem disappeared, then one of those apps is causing the problem. You need to find it and try to clear it's cache and data and if that won't work, uninstall it.

Follow the steps above to clear the cache and data of the suspected app but to uninstall it, here's how you do it…

From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.

Find and tap Settings.

Under the 'APPLICATIONS' section, find and touch Application manager.

Swipe to the left or to the right to display the appropriate screen but to display all apps, choose the 'ALL' screen.

Find and tap the app that has issues.

Touch Uninstall, then OK.

Step 4: Perform the Factory Reset on your phone

After doing the first three steps and the error message didn't go away, it's time to do something that will bring the phone back to its former glory–reset. The error message alone tells us that it might be just an app problem so a reset can fix it. But before doing so, try to backup your files and data first as they will all be deleted. Once you've done that, follow these steps…

From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.

Find and tap the Settings icon.

Under the 'Personal' section, find and tap Backup and reset.

Tap Factory data reset.

Touch Reset device to proceed with the reset.

Depending on the security lock you used, enter the PIN or password.

Tap Continue.

Touch Delete all to confirm your action.

You will have to set up your phone again after this but for a problem or error that occurred without apparent reason, this is all you have to do to fix it.

How to troubleshoot Galaxy Note 5 that's giving your "Warning: Camera failed" error

Unlike the first error, this one may be referring to the hardware itself and not just the app. The thing is that the app, services and the hardware run in-sync with each other and if one failed to initialize after you open the app, errors like the first one and this may occur depending on which component has a problem. So, in this case, it seems like it's the hardware and you can only do two things about it…

Step 1: Try to delete the system cache

The system relies on the caches to smoothly call upon the hardware to be used by the app that the user has opened. So, when the camera app is launched, the sensor will automatically initialize and that's because the system called for it and caches are used to make everything smoother. So, if the cache used got corrupted, then things like this might happen and this is how you try to fix it…

Turn off your Samsung Galaxy Note 5 completely.

Press and hold the Volume Up and the Home buttons first, and then press and hold the Power key.

Keep the three buttons pressed and when 'Samsung Galaxy Note5' shows, release the Power key but continue holding the other two.

Once the Android logo shows, release both the Volume Up and Home buttons.

The notice 'Installing system update' will show on the screen for 30 to 60 seconds before the Android system recovery screen is shown with its options.

Use the Volume Down key to highlight the option 'wipe cache partition' and press the Power key to select it.

When the process is complete, use the Volume Down key to highlight the option 'Reboot system now' and hit the Power key to restart the phone.

The reboot may take a little longer to complete but don't worry and wait for the device to become active.

While this procedure is effective, there's no guarantee. So if the problem continues after doing this, then the next step might take care of it.

Step 2: Perform the Master Reset on your phone

We're dealing with a hardware problem and so after wiping the cache partition and the issue remained, then it's time to reset your phone. However, you have to make sure you've backed up your files and data you don't want to lose as they will all be deleted once you perform the reset.

Turn off your Samsung Galaxy Note 5 completely.

Press and hold the Volume Up and the Home buttons first, and then press and hold the Power key.

Keep the three buttons pressed and when 'Samsung Galaxy Note5' shows, release the Power key but continue holding the other two.

Once the Android logo shows, release both the Volume Up and Home buttons.

The notice 'Installing system update' will show on the screen for 30 to 60 seconds before the Android system recovery screen is shown with its options.

Use the Volume Down key to highlight the option 'Yes — delete all user data' and press the Power key to select it.

When the process is complete, use the Volume Down key to highlight the option 'Reboot system now' and hit the Power key to restart the phone.

The reboot may take a little longer to complete but don't worry and wait for the device to become active.

I hope that this troubleshooting guide can help you.

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We are always open to your problems, questions and suggestions, so feel free to contact us by filling up this form. We support every Android device available and we are serious in what we do. This is a free service we offer and we won't charge you a penny for it. But please note that we receive hundreds of emails every day and it's impossible for us to respond to every single one of them. But rest assured we read every message we receive. For those whom we've helped, please spread the word by sharing our posts to your friends or by simply liking our Facebook and Google+ page or follow us on Twitter.

Source: How to fix Samsung Galaxy Note 5 errors "Unfortunately, Camera has stopped" & "Warning: Camera failed" [Troubleshooting Guide]

Gionee P8W with 5″ HD Display & 8MP Camera to Launch Soon in India

Earlier this year, the Chinese smartphone company, Gionee teased the launch of a new smartphone called Gionee P8 Max as the successor to the 2016 launched Gionee P7 Max. Now, the company will also bring the entry-level smartphone called Gionee P8W. It will be the successor to Gionee P5W that was launched here in India in December 2015. As seen with the other entry-level smartphones, the Gionee P8W comes with a polycarbonate shell. It has the curved rear edges which the company calls 3D back-arc design that offer a nice grip to hold the device.

On the front of the P8W is a 5-inch IPS display with HD (1280 x 720 pixels) resolution, this is the same display we have seen on the Gionee P5W. Under the hood is the MediaTek MT6735 quad-core processor clocked at 1.3GHz and coupled with Mali T780 GPU. There is 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage that can be additionally expanded upto 128GB. Compared to P5W, the P8W pack upgraded camera sensors, there is an 8MP autofocus rear camera with LED flash and a 5MP fixed focus front camera for selfies. It runs on the in-house Amigo 3.5 based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS.

As seen with the other Gionee devices, the P8W also includes a lot of bloatware apps which take the available storage further down. The 2,300mAh removable battery on this device might not last more than a day of usage. On the right edge of the device, we can find the volume rocker and the power button. The dual SIM slots and MicroSD card can be found under the removable back cover. Gionee also offers a screen protector and a transparent case for free within in the package. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, 3.5 Audio port, and a MicroUSB 2.0 port.

On the bottom edge of the Gionee P8W is the stereo loudspeaker. While the Gionee P5W powered by MT6735 SoC didn't support 4G LTE connectivity, the P8W at least comes with LTE compatibility. Additionally, we expect it to support VoLTE for using with Jio 4G SIM. Even the Gionee P8 Max also comes with the same 3D back-arc design as on the Gionee P8W. While the P8W sports a 5-inch display, the P8 Max comes with a larger 5.5-inch display but with the same 720p resolution. Both the P8W and P8 Max lacks the fingerprint sensor which can be seen on most of the other budget smartphones.

Compared to P8W, the P8 Max will feature better specifications and also a higher price tag. The sports 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. On the camera front, there is a 13MP rear camera and an 8MP selfie camera. The battery on this device will be bumped up to 3,150mAh capacity. Take these details with a pinch of salt as they are to be made official. Stay tuned on Phone Radar for the official details about the availability and pricing of both the Gionee P8W and P8 Max smartphones.

Source: Gionee P8W with 5″ HD Display & 8MP Camera to Launch Soon in India

11 best smartphones 2017: our pick of the very best phones

© Courtesy of T3 T3 image Welcome to T3 Elite's roundup of the very best smartphones money can buy. We only include the best phones in this list, so you can be sure you're always geting the very latest cutting edge tech.

The T3.com team has tested every handset under the sun, and this page is designed to provide you with all the key info you need so you can choose the best smartphone for you. And we've listed in order of preference too, so there's no confusion. The first is the best.

So whether you're after the best Android smartphone money can buy, an iPhone upgrade or a new Windows 10 mobile to pair with your laptop, we've seen and extensively tested them all so you don't have to.

Take a look and we guarantee you'll find the best smartphone for you, beginning with the very best phone currently available...

1. Best smartphone - iPhone 7 Plus

© Provided by Future Publishing Ltd.

Here we have the iPhone 7 Plus - probably the best-looking smartphone around. Some feel its sheer size does make it tricky to hold, but there's no denying Apple's beautiful 5.5-incher is a winner. If you're an iPhone user and you fancy picking up the best smartphone around, this should definitely be your first choice. Apple has chosen to stick with the iPhone 6S design, improving it with rerouted antenna lines and a more integrated camera bump. There are glorious new colours available, and to top it off, the casing is now water resistant.

Read: iPhone 7 Plus review

It's inside where the iPhone 7 Plus has received the biggest overhaul - now packing Apple's blazing fast A10 Fusion processor. The camera has also received a significant upgrade, now with two 12MP sensors capable of 2x optical zoom. To finish it off, the iPhone 7 Plus comes running iOS 10, Apple's latest and greatest mobile OS.

It is expensive, and may be too large for some, so the standard iPhone 7 with a 4.7-inch display is also worth your consideration.

2. The other best smartphone - Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge

© Provided by Future Publishing Ltd.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is so close to being the best smartphone in the world right now. It boasts the brilliant dual curved display, with the screen bending around on both sides so it looks like no other phone ever made (apart from the S6 Edge last year). Yep, this futuristic smartphone is a looker, and it'll have your friends begging for a chance to play with it.

Read: Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge review

That combined with industry leading power, an amazing display, decent battery life, an excellent camera and amazing performance make it not only the best-looking smartphone, but one of the top two smartphones in the universe. Of course, if you're not a fan of the curved display, the regular S7 is close to perfection as well.

3. Google Pixel XL

© Provided by Future Publishing Ltd.

We can't tell you how close it is between the Google Pixel XL, iPhone 7 Plus and S7 Edge for the title of 'best smartphone in the world.' All three are beautiful, but the sleek design, intuitive UI, and leading ecosystem puts the iPhone 7 just in front. The Google Pixel XL is still an amazing smartphone - especially if you adore large screens and virtual assistants.

Read: Google Pixel XL review

Whether it's the excellent camera, the metal-and-glass chassis, the oodles of power involved (from Qualcomm's newest Snapdragon processor) or just the fact that the software and virtual assistant work in perfect harmony with the hardware, Google's got a lot right here and this is a brilliant phone. Of course, if you don't like large screens the 5.0-inch Pixel is also available, which is identical the XL (apart from size).

4. iPhone SE

© Provided by Future Publishing Ltd.

Notice how all of these smartphones have 5+ inch screens? What if you have small hands? You can't reach all four corners of the screen. It's a problem not many of us face, but the truth is -- some people just prefer smaller phones but don't want to sacrifice high-end specs. The iPhone SE is for you. With a 4-inch screen and guts which match the iPhone 6S, including the 12MP rear camera, 2GB RAM, Apple Pay, Retina display, and Apple A9 chipset, this thing is a little pocket rocket.

Read: iPhone SE review

There are a few drawbacks - the design isn't beautifully curvaceous like the iPhone 7 (the SE is based on the iPhone 5), the front-facing camera has fewer megapixels, and the Touch ID fingerprint sensor is older and therefore slower. The best thing about it? Despite its range-topping specs, the iPhone SE is also one of the cheapest smartphones Apple has ever released. What's not to love?

5. OnePlus 3T

© Provided by Future Publishing Ltd.

Looking to upset dominance by the big brands is OnePlus, who took the mobile world by storm in 2014 with one goal, to be the flagship killer. It's fourth smartphone, the OnePlus 3T, has finally achieved that goal. With a slightly more expensive price tag of £399, you'll get all the mod-cons of much more expensive handsets, including an HD screen, fingerprint sensor, a decent camera and powerful specs. And, whereas previous OnePlus phones lacked finesse - the OnePlus 3T as a genuine premium feel and the software is rock solid.

Read: OnePlus 3T review

6. Nexus 6P

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The Nexus may have been superseeded by the Google Pixel, but that only makes the highly affordable Nexus 6P a steal. The phone is made by Huawei and includes a 5.7-inch 2K display, 2GB of RAM and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chipset inside. The battery life is very impressive for a phone this size but sadly there's no wireless camera. The camera offers a 12MP sensor and there's a fingerprint sensor on the back for the very first time.

Read: Google Nexus 6P review

The design is especially lovely this year with a metal back and a rounder design than before - but it may prove too big for some.

7. LG G5

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This phone is aimed at those who want a truly innovative, gadgety smartphone, and while it doesn't look as special as the Galaxy S7 Edge, it does have a kick-ass unique feature. This phone, you see, has a modular design, letting you add optional attachments (such as a camera grip or high-res audio). It's also the only flagship smartphone in 2017 which lets you swap the battery. Sure, it doesn't feel as premium as the Samsung or iPhone, but if you want to make a geeky statement, this is the phone for you.

Read: LG G5 review

With leading specs, an excellent screen and the latest version of Android, this is definitely LG's best smartphone ever and comes highly recommended.

8. HTC 10

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The HTC 10 is a phone that takes the design heritage, DNA and all the other good bits of last year's One M9 and, well, does them again, but better. It's again shown the rest of the competition how to make a premium smartphone, and its camera, battery life and performance is right up there too. HTC has really worked on the criticisms of the previous generation devices, and created their best ever flagship smartphone.

Read: HTC 10 review

It would have been nice to see HTC really push the boat out in terms of design, but the minimal tweaks they've made to stock Android are amazing, making this one of our favourite smartphones in 2017.

9. Huawei Mate 9

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If your budget can't quite stretch to a snazzy California or South Korean-designed smartphone, you may wish to consider a Chinese brand instead. The Huawei Mate 9 is the best smartphone to hail from the People's Republic. It has a great 5.9-inch display, and brilliant battery life thanks to the large 4,000 mAh unit. It's not without its flaws though, the Emotion UI isn't great (although, has been improved over previous generations), and the design just isn't as sleek as its rivals.

10. Sony Z5 Premium

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Sony has just made the world's first ever 4K smartphone, but we're not exactly sure if it's necessary yet. It's a huge 5.5-inch screen with a huge 806 pixels-per-inch as well so is perfect for any phablet lovers out there. There's a new fingerprint sensor running along the side of the phone that works perfectly and then there's a great 23MP camera on the back of the phone.

Read: Sony Xperia Z5 Premium review

The battery life may not be perfect, but this is one of the best phones if you love to have the newest tech first.

11. Motorola Moto X Force

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The Moto X Force is a refreshing phone - rather than trying to be elegant and premium - it's durable and will survive a beating. That's mainly down to the screen, which features a thick, toughened outer layer which won't break - not matter how hard you try. The casing is also pretty rugged, our favourite finish being the 'Ballistic Nylon' back. The specs are pretty powerful, and the battery life is also impressive.

Read:Motorola Moto X-Force review

Android is left close to stock which is also good news. It's not as cutting edge as Samsung's or Apple's latest efforts, but it's a great all-rounder.

Source: 11 best smartphones 2017: our pick of the very best phones