The best new Android handsets 2016, from LG, Huawei and HTC
Here's the lowdown on which Android phone to pick up right now this very second… Go.
HTC 10
The HTC 10 isn’t the thinnest or lightest Android on the market. But it’s a loveable little chunkster with reassuringly expensive heft and a rounded and outrageously chamfered backside that fits nicely in the palm. It’s an incredibly handsome phone, all industrial and outer spacey, the kind of thing an astronaut might use to phone the moon.
What’s special about this one? There’s a beefy one-volt amplifier built into the headphone jack, which coupled with high-res, 24-bit audio hardware makes the HTC 10 the ideal phone for music fans.
Pros: Top audio hardware. Bloat-free OS.
Cons: Patchy camera focusing and underperforming battery life.
£569, web: htc.com/uk
LG G5
Before you even get to the LG G5’s attention-grabbing party trick, you’re looking at a top-end Android device for attractive young people. A dual camera design allows for wide-angle photography, the 5.3 inch screen is scalpel-sharp and black as the night, and the battery life will chug through an entire day with some breath to spare.
What’s special about this one? The LG G5 is one of the first real modular phones to market, allowing you to swap out and replace the guts of the handset to add new functions. By holding a button on the phone’s edge you can rip the bottom of the thing right off, leaving it vulnerable to upgrades such as an increased battery capacity, a functional camera grip or a high-res Bang & Olufsen audio converter.
Pros: It’s a great phone to begin with. Modules could stave off obsolescence.
Cons: Modules will cost money. And they won’t be made if this thing doesn’t sell.
£529, lg.com/uk/G5
Huawei P9
A smidgen thinner than an iPhone 6s, and equally as impressive in terms of build quality and materials, the Huawei P9 is the Chinese giant’s new flagship handset. For my money the phone most likely to kill you if it was hurled full force at your face, this is a sturdy handset that’s all about power.
What’s special about this one? Huawei partnered with the camera wizards at Leica to “co-engineer” a world class, dual-lens camera into something as thin as a biscuit. But exactly how involved Leica has been in the entire process (beyond simply putting its respected name to it) has come into question since the phone launched. Which is a shame, because the P9 has an astonishingly good camera regardless of who built it, with shots that leave even Apple’s latest lenses in the dust. [Update: Huawei and Leica have, since this story was published, attempted to outline the specifics of their co-operation in a joint statement. In short, yes, Leica has done more than simply lend its name.]
Pros: Super-powered processor, battery life and dual-lens camera.
Cons: Operating system is ugly as hell and riddled with apps you don’t need.
£449, huawei.com