2017 is set to be a year which sees positive design changes and new technologies appear on smartphones. Technology, and design which will ultimately change the communication devices from the all too familiar, too something worthy of our excitement. However, while we wait for that to happen, we’re going to talk about the best smartphones of the year so far.
Best Smartphones Of 2017
When picking a smartphone, what do you look for? Could it be a big screen, fast processor, great rear camera, lots of RAM, storage space, or even battery capacity? Maybe you have loyalty to a particular brand, or you just buy what you can afford at the time. However, you go about it, one thing is certain, it’s not easy. Especially, when you consider every manufacturer claims theirs is the best among all that are available.
As such, you may find yourself disagreeing with some of our choices below, and that’s fine. After all, we’re all individuals and not exactly looking for the same spec and features. So, here we go, here are our Top-4 best smartphones of 2017 so far.
Apple’s iPhone tends to take the top spot in most of our lists, with Samsung in a close second. Although, continued improvements in Android handsets and much of the same from Apple, have led to a changing of the guard this time.
Galaxy S8
Yet to be released, the Galaxy S8 is the first on to our best smartphones list because it offers an edge-to-edge display. In fact, it’s an edge-to-edge infinity display using Super AMOLED technology, and it looks beautiful.
Along with its typically Samsung good looks, there’s an assortment of internal features that make it an extremely power device. Such as the Snapdragon 835 chipset, the most powerful Qualcomm chip ever to be incorporated into a handset. Additionally, there’s 4GB of RAM, which the South Korean giant believes to be ample to support day-to-day operations. Furthermore, both variants come with 64GB of storage and a MicroSD card slot for further expansion.
However, what could be a game changer for the Galaxy S8, isn’t its IP68 water resistance, or USB Type-C port. It’s the promise of a truly AI assistant in the form of Bixby, for which a hardware button exists on the device. Samsung believes its assistant will truly revolutionize the way you use its smartphones.
The Galaxy S8 64GB is available Unlocked to Pre-order on Amazon for $999.99, with free shipping.
iPhone 7 Plus
When Apple launched the iPhone 7 Plus back in September, it took the world by storm, with its dual-lens camera and bokeh effect. However, since then it has gone on to be a true great, one of the best smartphones around. Offering real stability thanks to iOS 10 and its many updates, along with other camera software improvements. However, that’s for us, not the most important, as for many years people had complained about iPhone battery life. Often taking to forums to air their grievances. With the iPhone 7 Plus, Apple has created a device which not only has the best camera but also has one of, if not the best battery life.
Yes, its capacity isn’t the largest 2900mAh, but the included A10 Fusion chipset is so efficient that 9.5-hours battery life is possible. Meaning, that it beats the competition on this list by a clear one and a half hours.
The Black iPhone 7 Plus is available Unlocked (refurbished) on Amazon for $709.99, with free shipping.
LG G6
Has LG finally put to bed its rather lackluster software support for its devices? Only time will tell, but, it was the first manufacturer to launch an early 2017 flagship. A handset with all of the required features to make it on to this best smartphones list. Features such as a 5.7-inch display with 18:9 aspect ratio and 564 ppi, which means it gives detailed images and near perfect colors.
However, where the LG G6 falls down compared to the S8, is with its chosen chipset. For whatever reason LG decided on 2016’s Snapdragon 821. Yes, it’s a great chipset, one that is more than capable coupled with 4GB of RAM, but it’s not the latest 835. Meaning there are performance differences which are in the Galaxy S8’s favor, not the LG G6’s.
Additionally, where the S8 and the iPhone 7 Plus are good looking devices the G6 just doesn’t stand out. A negative which can be placed upon many of the companies handsets going back over some years. Finally, on a positive note, there’s the 13MP dual-cameras these make-up for other deficiencies with features such as dual-LED flash.
The LG G6 is available Unlocked to buy on Amazon for $755.00, with free shipping.
Google Pixel
Being the first smartphone to carry the Google brand name, the Google Pixel and its larger sibling took the market by storm in October. In fact, at that point, it seemed fortuitous that the Note 7 was going through its recall creating a void for Google to fill. And fill them they did, becoming so popular that even now half a year after their release theirs still a backlog of orders.
As for the handset itself with its 5-inch display, it has the smallest on this best smartphones list. However, it has a suite of specs and features which make it a formidable device. Such as the Snapdragon 821 chipset, the most powerful when the handset released. Also, theirs the relatively standard (for today) 4GB of RAM, which with the Snapdragon makes the Google Pixel is as fast as any handset currently available.
If you’re looking for big positives to own one of these, there are at least two. One is the fact that since this is a Google device, you can expect to get regular Android updates. As well as be updated to the latest version of the operating system when Google has it ready. Lastly, there’s the camera; it’s probably 2nd only to the iPhone 7 Plus. Followed by the LG G6, and then the Galaxy S8 cameras. In fact, when launching Google compared it to the 7 Plus camera suggesting theirs was superior. And while it does take fantastically detailed images, we feel the iPhone camera is just that little bit better.
The Google Pixel 32GB is available Unlocked to buy on Amazon for $760.00, with free shipping.
