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Holiday Gift Guide 2016

Intro Phones Accessories Etcetera Comments  1  

Best Flagship

Flagships offer leading specs and the best all-around performance in top-notch hardware.

Our recommendation this year for the best all-around flagship smartphone is the Apple iPhone 7. Apple did a great job pushing this phone to the forefront of the industry with its attractive metal-and-glass design, waterproof enclosure, and excellent camera performance. The iPhone 7 is comfortably sized, offers good-enough battery life, and is compatible with perhaps more accessories than any other phone in the market. For many people, this is simply the best phone to get, even at $650.

If you want slightly better camera and battery performance, and don't mind the larger size, check out the iPhone 7 Plus for $780.

Our Review

Best Camera

Exhibits the absolute best camera performance, even among other flagships.

There's no denying that the Galaxy S7 has the best camera available from a current smartphone. The Galaxy S7 is Samsung's powerful flagship for 2016 and it produces amazing photos thanks to its 12-megapixel sensor, large pixel size, and low-light sensitivity. Toss in the high-quality hardware, luscious screen, and Gear VR compatibility, and you have a well-rounded winner at $650.

Looking for something with more personality? Try the Galaxy S7 Edge, which has the same camera plus a curved screen, for $770.

Our Review (Editor's Choice award winner)

Best Battery Life

The absolute longest-lasting smartphone at any price.

Motorola's Moto Z Play is one of the company's most capable products, and, thanks to the 3,510 mAh battery, one of its longest-lasting, too. The Z Play is a $400 sub-premium Android smartphone that delivers close to two full days of battery life. It's wrapped in a slick package and is compatible with Motorola's Moto Mods modular accessories. We like Motorola's thinking here, and the Z Play delivers the best battery life of the year. The Z Play is sold by Verizon, but is also available unlocked from Motorola.

Sprint customers might want to check out the HTC Bolt. This fresh handset from HTC crushed our battery life tests and offers lots of other exciting features for about $600.

Our Review (Editor's Choice award winner)

Best For Virtual Reality

Includes the specs and performance needed to push users into the virtual realm.

Google's Pixel XL was built with VR in mind. It is one of a very few handsets that support Google's brand-spanking-new Daydream virtual reality push. Daydream ties together all of Google's VR efforts into a single platform. Daydream aside, the Pixel XL stands out as a VR beast thanks to its quad HD screen, lightning fast performance, and natural compatibility with Google's vast ecosystem of camera and video software/apps. The Pixel XL also includes one of the best Android experiences available today, and a top-notch camera. It's a good buy despite the high $780 price tag.

The LG V20, which boasts similar specs and performance, is a solid alternative if you're looking to add killer audio powers to your virtual reality experience for a little less at $720

Our Review

Best Under $200

Demonstrates very good performance for the dollar.

The ZTE ZMax Pro is one of the best value-for-the-dollar smartphones on the market. T-Mobile sells it for $130 and MetroPCS sells it for $100. That small amount of cash rewards you with a 6-inch screen, 13-megapixel camera, and superb battery life. The ZMax Pro has a mid-range processor that provides plenty of power to push this penny-pinching phablet forward. Toss in the nice design and solid build quality and you have a winner for the prepaid crowd.

If you want a stylus with your inexpensive big-screened phone, check out the LG Stylus 2 from Boost Mobile, which offers an experience similar to that of the ZMax Pro for just a bit more green at $180. Other good options include the LG X Power for Cricket Wireless or Virgin Mobile ($100), or the Samsung Galaxy J7 for Boost Mobile ($180).

Our Review (Editor's Choice award winner)

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