Ranking the best Android phones

[effreyj]

Here's how I'd rank the current available Android phones. Shoot away! (Disclosure: I have a Nexus 6P and my wife has a Nexus 5x)

1) GS7/GS7 Edge (Pros: waterproof, best screen, best all-around camera, Samsung Pay; Cons: Touchwiz, bloatware, no USB-C)
2) Nexus 6P (Pros: Stock Android, great low-light camera, monthly updates, battery life; Cons: large, camera slow to focus)
3) HTC 10 (Pros: Sound, mostly stock skin, fast, USB-C 3.1; Cons: trailing the GS7 in camera and screen for similar price)
4) Note 5 (Pros: camera, screen, stylus, Samsung Pay; Cons: expensive for last year's specs, Touchwiz)
5) LG G5 (Pros: wide-angle camera, removable battery, modules; Cons: build quality, screen, ugly
6) BB Priv (Pros: physical keyboard, security; Cons: a little niche, slow updates)
7) Moto X Pure (Pros: Price, stock android with Moto's great customizations, Moto Maker; Cons: bulky, camera not competitive with other top phones)
8) LG V10 (Pros: better build quality than G5, camera; Cons: LG UI, bulky)
9) Nexus 5X (Pros: Stock Android, great low-light camera, monthly updates, price; Cons: Underpowered/laggy, battery life, plasticky build quality)
10) Droid Turbo 2 (Pros: Battery life, Moto Customizations; Cons: Verizon Bloat, slow updates, bulky, only on one carrier)

 

[bwinds]

Nice overview - I'd also rank the S7 as the best Android (any platform?) there now, I actaully prefer the non edge - due to bent egdes catching light sources from all directinons and thus also creating a striped glare. I wont use anything else than AMOLED screens having had it for several generations.

Do miss a USB-C, that would make it easier to charge with a cable. Maybe the home button could be semi capacitive / physical so there was no need for the click to get home.

 

[scourrgen]

a great list and the phone listed are great ones. From my own opinion, HTC One 10 shouldn't be ranked so high.

 

[Mooncatt]

My list would consist of only one or two phones. Give me removable battery, SD card slot, non-AMOLED screen (unless one comes out that displays true white), an IR Blaster, and I'll be happy. So right now, that pretty much limited me to LG (currently on a G4).

 

[SactoKingsFan]

I think all the phones except the Priv have a good case for top 10. There's probably at least 15 Android phones I'd use as daily driver over the Priv.

 

[effreyj]

a great list and the phone listed are great ones. From my own opinion, HTC One 10 shouldn't be ranked so high.

I'm curious what you don't like about the HTC 10 and which phones would you have ahead of it.

I think all the phones except the Priv have a good case for top 10. There's probably at least 15 Android phones I'd use as daily driver over the Priv.

Priv is definitely a niche phone and not for everybody. I too would rather have a bunch of the phones that I ranked lower than it as my daily driver, such as the Moto X Pure, Nexus 5X, and LG V10. I do think that the Priv is a great piece of hardware, and for the people that it does appeal to, it's a really great option.

 

[effreyj]

My list would consist of only one or two phones. Give me removable battery, SD card slot, non-AMOLED screen (unless one comes out that displays true white), an IR Blaster, and I'll be happy. So right now, that pretty much limited me to LG (currently on a G4).

Right, so for coming up with a list of top phones, I tried to separate personal preference from what I thought was an overall appeal and quality of the phone. I personally have a Nexus 6P and definitely prefer the 6P to a Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge, which I have ranked higher than it. However, I have to admit that the S7 is probably overall a better phone for most people. For example, I recommended the S7 to my brother and my dad, who both have Verizon upgrades available, because I think that they'd be happier with the phone than they would a Nexus. If someone told me that having a removable battery was important, I'd absolutely recommend the G5 or V10.

 

[Mooncatt]

Right, so for coming up with a list of top phones, I tried to separate personal preference from what I thought was an overall appeal and quality of the phone. I personally have a Nexus 6P and definitely prefer the 6P to a Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge, which I have ranked higher than it. However, I have to admit that the S7 is probably overall a better phone for most people. For example, I recommended the S7 to my brother and my dad, who both have Verizon upgrades available, because I think that they'd be happier with the phone than they would a Nexus. If someone told me that having a removable battery was important, I'd absolutely recommend the G5 or V10.

My feelings are personal preferences, but they are based in what I feel are objective features for a phone.

Removable battery: if you have a battery/charging issue on a phone without a removable battery, you have a fancy paperweight. You can't simply swap the problematic battery out, meaning it's an additional failure point that would cost a lot to fix. (I've been burned by this already with an M8, lesson learned)

SD card slot: the amount of data you can put on a phone is outpacing the internal storage options. Apps are taking up large amounts of space, the same with music and pics (especially if shooting RAW). While cloud storage is an option, it's not ideal because it can chew through limited data plans unless you download whatever you need ahead of time on Wi-Fi.

AMOLED screens: Doesn't display accurate colors. Enough said. With the growing numbers of shutterbugs and doing photo editing on their phones, this becomes more important.

IR blaster: This one may be the most subjective, but there's plenty of demand for this feature.

 

[effreyj]

My feelings are personal preferences, but they are based in what I feel are objective features for a phone.

Removable battery: if you have a battery/charging issue on a phone without a removable battery, you have a fancy paperweight. You can't simply swap the problematic battery out, meaning it's an additional failure point that would cost a lot to fix. (I've been burned by this already with an M8, lesson learned)

SD card slot: the amount of data you can put on a phone is outpacing the internal storage options. Apps are taking up large amounts of space, the same with music and pics (especially if shooting RAW). While cloud storage is an option, it's not ideal because it can chew through limited data plans unless you download whatever you need ahead of time on Wi-Fi.

AMOLED screens: Doesn't display accurate colors. Enough said. With the growing numbers of shutterbugs and doing photo editing on their phones, this becomes more important.

IR blaster: This one may be the most subjective, but there's plenty of demand for this feature.

I do agree with you on removable battery and I think it's really the main thing that LG has going for it. I had a G4 previously and had an extra battery with a battery charger, and there were times when I was traveling where it came in handy. I do worry about how the battery in my Nexus 6P holds up over time. While I usually only hold onto phones for 1 year, I realize most people hold onto them for 2 years, and over a 2 year period there's a lot higher likelihood of the battery having an issue. However, I don't think this feature makes up for LG's questionable build quality, look and feel, and software experience enough to put it ahead of the top phones in my list. It also seems like this is a dying feature, and I wouldn't be surprised if the G6 doesn't have a removable battery.

In terms of an SD card slot, I do agree that it's a plus to have. I like to store music and photos on my phone, which eats up a lot of space. IMO, a 32GB phone with an SD card slot is the sweet spot, but most phones that don't have an SD slot usually offer a few different storage space configuration options. This isn't optimal because the price can increase significantly for more internal storage, but on the other hand internal storage is safer and faster than external storage. Most of the non-Nexus phones in this list do have an SD card slot, and the Nexus phones are significantly less expensive than the Galaxy S7/HTC 10/LG G5, and are still cheaper even after upgrading the internal storage, so I can't detract too much.

In terms of the AMOLED/LCD screen debate, this is more of a matter of personal preference. AMOLED tends to be more vibrant and have blacker blacks, while LCD has whiter whites. I also think outdoor visibility is very important. While I agree that AMOLED screens don't have the most accurate colors, they give other benefits like outdoor visibility and the ability to only light up portions of the screen for "Always-on" type features, which save battery life. Again, this is personal preference more than anything else and which trade-offs you're comfortable with.

I don't have much to say on IR blaster as it's not a feature that I've ever used. While I agree that there's a demand for it, it's too niche for me to take into account when ranking the phones.

 

[datum9]

For me, LG V10 ranks as #1..

removable battery

2560x1440 screen

SD card

a pretty basic device really that gets the essentials correct.

Before that, I kept Optimus G Pro for 3 years so I suppose I am loyal to LG.

 

[Morty2264]

Not a bad roundup and I agree overall with your placements. Nice job!

I especially like the 6P being near the top of the list.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[datum9]

Phones that have non-removable batteries are automatically out.

non SD card is also out.

Not much left after you remove non-viable choices.

 

[effreyj]

Phones that have non-removable batteries are automatically out.

non SD card is also out.

Not much left after you remove non-viable choices.

I'm trying to separate out personal preferences from this. Those are personal feature preferences. For me, I only like unlocked phones that work on Verizon, but that's a personal preference for me.

 

[TheSimplestNet]

Cool list, but where is Huawei P9?

 

[RemovableBatteryFTW]

You requirements are different than mine. I would rate as follows:

1. LG G4
2. LG V10
3. LG G5
4. Samsung S7 Edge
5. Samsung Note 7
6. Whatever...

My requirements include - feature packed, removable battery, ergonomics, cost, practicality for day-to-day use, maintainability. Note, I did not mention TOP END processor (which only helps in gaming), Water resistance (yes NONE are waterproof) - i always use a water proof pouch and how useful is this feature really come on, nonsense biometric data harvesters like iris or fingerprint scanners. Also AMOLED are not 'best' screens, they are still inferior to LCD in many respects namely organic degradation and white points.

 

[RemovableBatteryFTW]

The Nexus 6P bent somehow and I have no idea how, worse designed phone ever, the thing is like butter and it shouldn't be on the list for that.