GSMArena smartphone buyer's guide: 2016 Holiday edition

22 October 2016
We've had an exciting year in the smartphone world and for those that haven't upgraded in a while, it's time to answer the question - what should you put in the letter to Santa? Sure, it might be a bit early for the holiday shopping, but we don't expect any new major phones launching to market this year so this buyer's guide will probably be the last one for 2016.

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  • D
  • Dual heatpipes
  • thv
  • 27 Oct 2016

[deleted post]with that kind of design, most people will not even want to touch it.

    • D
    • Dual heatpipes
    • thv
    • 27 Oct 2016

    striker , 27 Oct 2016Atleast it didn't explode and lose a 95% profit in the thir... moreeven after the explosion most people still ignore sony. so sad.
    my deep condolence for sony. i wanna cry.. so sad.

      • s
      • striker
      • teX
      • 27 Oct 2016

      Anonymous, 27 Oct 2016xz is just a stup!d overpriced piece of plastic frame. son... moreAtleast it didn't explode and lose a 95% profit in the third quarter...hahahahahaha Samsung is the biggest fail of this year

        • ?
        • Anonymous
        • thv
        • 27 Oct 2016

        [deleted post]xz is just a stup!d overpriced piece of plastic frame.
        sony will fail again. lol.

          • A
          • AsusTech
          • vxs
          • 27 Oct 2016

          How to pick., 27 Oct 2016Look at the picture above. Which one looks cool? Only S... moreI would pick iPhone 6S Plus over any iPhone 7 series

            • H
            • How to pick.
            • uJD
            • 27 Oct 2016

            Look at the picture above.

            Which one looks cool? Only Sony and iPhone. The rest looks like toys.

            And of the 2, who knows about the model built? only iPhone7 plus

            So pick iPhone7, you never go wrong.

              • D
              • AnonD-102946
              • LbC
              • 26 Oct 2016

              eyes on samsung galaxy s7 .. the perfect balance .. but screen always-on feature kills battery

                • O
                • Oh-fark
                • GPY
                • 26 Oct 2016

                AnonD-503868, 24 Oct 2016Missed the Lumia 950. Priced at $300 (amazon.com), it packs... moreWindows mobile is a train crash.

                  • X
                  • Xtream
                  • IWS
                  • 25 Oct 2016

                  If Xperia XZ with,

                  3500mah or much battery
                  Wireless fast charging
                  4GB Ram

                  And for 600$

                  Definitely it will be my next phone

                    • j
                    • juanceballos
                    • 8%x
                    • 25 Oct 2016

                    lmao my5

                      • D
                      • AnonD-292154
                      • nIE
                      • 24 Oct 2016

                      joly, 22 Oct 2016The Xperia xz is the weakest and poorest in the above company That's why is the fastest and strongest in all test on youtube against Samsung ; google pixel ; htc ; lg. You know nothing...

                        • D
                        • AnonD-314089
                        • L0a
                        • 24 Oct 2016

                        Most smartphones showed are Chinese made.Im thinking in a near future...

                          • ?
                          • Anonymous
                          • 3SI
                          • 24 Oct 2016

                          Ng, 24 Oct 2016Does just for phone? I need tablet guide to replace my tab... moreSorry but 4:3 is standard today. The best tablet today is undisputed iPad. If you don't like iOS, I would buy Nexus 9 (although between this and iPad is a huge difference because most tablet manufacturers abandoned ARM tablets except iPad). If you still don't want 4:3, only Xperia Z4 Tablet comes to my mind. But one thing in the end: most people use their tablets for veeeery light use. What about trying to install a ROM like AOSP or CM? It will sure run faster (newer, lighter android version and no bloat touchwiz) and that should be enough for daily tasks then. Here you go http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-tab-2

                            • A
                            • Anonymous
                            • teX
                            • 24 Oct 2016

                            AnonD-564674, 24 Oct 2016"5.2 is more than sufficient for most people today" Y, for... moreThe way you answer I can only imagine what kind of person you are. The S7 has NOTHING cutting edge. Please enlighten me on what new features have they added? Another round..hahahaha please grow up

                              • N
                              • Ng
                              • sF}
                              • 24 Oct 2016

                              Does just for phone?
                              I need tablet guide to replace my tab 2 7.0.
                              Now Samsung only have ratio 4:3 tablet, i do not want 4:3.

                                • C
                                • Christian
                                • 8ns
                                • 24 Oct 2016

                                AnonD-454153, 24 Oct 2016galaxy s7 far better screen than iphone 7 ,camera is also b... moreYour wishfull thinking can't change the reality.
                                Get over it,iPhone is finaly better on hardware/features.

                                  • D
                                  • AnonD-503868
                                  • Ju}
                                  • 24 Oct 2016

                                  Missed the Lumia 950. Priced at $300 (amazon.com), it packs some pretty great hardware for the price. It also comes with a fine 20MP camera, which matches (outperforms?) the more expensive models compared. If one can live with popular apps then Windows can't be a bad pick.

                                    • G
                                    • Glock24
                                    • 8x1
                                    • 24 Oct 2016

                                    Anonymous, 23 Oct 2016they included the redmi note 4 thoYes, but it has worse battery life than the Note 3, weaker GPU and Qualcomm SoCs are better supported on the long run. The Note 3 even has an official status in CM.

                                      • D
                                      • AnonD-476243
                                      • tDD
                                      • 24 Oct 2016

                                      AnonD-600084, 23 Oct 2016Lol maybe for you iphone 7 with just 720p,2gb of ram,averag... moreso you mean xperia trying to become the samsung or apple with a very expensive price no one would buy the stupid and costly most people in this world like something cheap and coolest like i hahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

                                        • D
                                        • AnonD-564674
                                        • 61q
                                        • 24 Oct 2016

                                        Anon, 23 Oct 20165.2 is more than sufficient for most people today. 3 gb ram... more"5.2 is more than sufficient for most people today"
                                        Y, for u and few SONY fanboy. Many people, including me, prefer either 5.5" or 5", so if I want a COMPACT one, I'll get the 5", and if I want a phablet, I'll go for 5.5"
                                        Moreover, a universal case, screen protector, or hardened glass is ONLY available for those two size, so it'll be another pain in the ass to search for one.

                                        "3 gb ram runs apps buttery smooth so not really an issue"
                                        DUMB answer. Have I ever said XZ with 3GB RAM will LAG or something similar?
                                        I said, 3GB RAM for US$700 is downright CHEAPSKATE of Sony. Most of US$500 and above device have been equipped with 4GB RAM at least, and Sony expect XZ will sell like this?
                                        FYI, ALL ur social networking apps, launcher, games, 3rd party music & video apps ARE RAM-hogging. No matter how what u said, 3GB RAM will run out of space VERY QUICK like this.
                                        THIS IS THE REASON WHY MANUFACTURER WILL BOTHER TO ADD 6GB RAM in their device, so that u won't get 'bottlenecked' by out-of-RAM situation later whenever u use ur FLAGSHIP phone.
                                        (The only reason why iBomb user always make fun of Android device, and u don't realize that!)

                                        "Stamina mode gives you enough juice to last a day and a half"
                                        LOL, another DUMB answer.
                                        Think, WHY SONY NAMED THAT FEATURE 'STAMINA MODE'?
                                        Because that feature is expected to be used when UR XZ ARE ALMOST OUT OF JUICE.
                                        When u are using 'Stamina mode', ur device's hardware performance are lowered by Sony's software-wise; the CPU will be low-clocked, ur GPU will also be down-clocked, and most of battery-consuming apps and system will be terminated to keep the usage of battery aslow as possible.
                                        Think that what I said bullshit? Use Antutu benchmark to bench the performance of XZ when using normal mode and when using stamina mode. U'll get different score in BIG MARGIN.
                                        But still, u won't believe what I said, right? because u are fanboy, and fanboys are BLIND and DEAF to critics.
                                        "Your opinions clearly show you know nothing about Sony"
                                        I know Sony VERY MUCH, from when they buy Ericsson's stock and become Sony-Ericsson, until they feel like Sony-Ericsson brand don't improve their sales, hence buying all Ericsson's share, becoming Sony brand that u know today.
                                        Btw, Sony become known as Sony since February 2012, and u don't even know that, right?
                                        So much for ur "you know nothing about Sony" crap.

                                        Still care for another round?