The 3 best Android phones available in 2016 - Does the Pixel make the cut?

By , on October 7, 2016
Last modified 7 years, 5 months ago

Are you a fan of slightly glitchy interfaces? Love holding cheap materials in your hand? Like your devices in the explodey variety?

Then you'll love Android phones!

Nah, I'm kidding - Android is alright. I've got nothing against them. I've got one myself, in fact, because I can't afford an iPhone. Oh well.

But if your heart's set on getting a 'Droid, or you just can't quite scrape enough together to go for an iPhone, then check out our list of the best Android phones out there today.

Google Pixel

Google Pixel

Cost: £599 / £719

Where better to start than what Google hopes is the iPhone's new nemesis? The Pixel comes with iPhone grade prices, but also iPhone grade specs.

It's armed with 4GB RAM, Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon processor, a 5in / 5.5in AMOLED screen, 32GB or 128GB storage, a 8MP selfie camera and a 12MP rear camera. Phew, that was a mouthful.

It's also boasting Google's answer to Siri, Google Assistant, built in, and it's the only phone currently built for Google's new VR headset, Daydream.

Oh, and it has a headphone jack ;)

OnePlus 3

OnePlus 3

Cost: £329

You may not have heard of OnePlus, but if you haven't, you soon will have.

Well I guess you've read it, on the line above. That counts, I suppose. Anyway.

OnePlus is a relatively small Chinese phone manufacturer that's grown astronomically in the two years since its debut, the OnePlus One - a phone built on the philosophy of top end specs for mid-low range prices. And how it delivered!

I have a OnePlus One myself and love it - as do many. It was improved upon with the OnePlus 2, and more recently the 3, which flaunts a monster 6GB RAM, as well as the same processor as the Pixel, a 5.5in AMOLED screen, 64GB storage, amazing battery life, and a 16MP rear camera.

Oh, and its headline feature (other than the price) is Dash Charge, which nets you seven hours worth of battery life in 30 minutes of charging (a feature the Pixel also boasts, but in 15 minutes).

Samsung Galaxy S7

Samsung Galaxy S7

Price: £639

Some people call the Samsung Galaxy S7 the greatest phone on the market today. For that money, it better be!

The S7 is packing 4GB RAM, the Quall HD processor, a 5.1in screen, only 32Gb storage, a 12MP rear camera, and wireless charging - oh and that weird overhang on the edges of the screen that make it look nice but probably don't help when it comes to scratches or marks when you drop it!

One advantage it does hold over its competitors here is expandable storage - a feature that I think should be in every phone, but there you go. That's capitalism, probably!

Oh and, like the iPhone 7, it's waterproof. Useful for protection from all your salty tears from my opening paragraphs.

Overall winner: OnePlus 3

The Pixel may look gorgeous, but you could just buy an iPhone for that money.

The S7 may feel premium, but you could probably buy a yacht for that money.

The OnePlus 3 may have a cheap price, but certainly doesn't look or feel it. For that money, you'd have enough left over to buy a yacht!