

Definitely worth the extra pocket real estate required.The Mobile phone is your reliable companion and indispensable connection to the world, helping you to stay on top of the email and instant message, deliver video and stream music, organize your life with dozens of apps, all at a swipe of a finger. Sure, it doesn't have a fancy curved edge, but the Note is 5.7-inches of super high-res screen in a surprisingly slim and stylish package. With the Note 5, Samsung has delivered something smoother and sleeker than ever before, and given that all-important stylus even more to do. It's a shame then, you won't see this phone being sold outside of China (Xiaomi can be a tad shy with its higher-end devices.) But if you're willing to fork out a bit more through online resellers, this gorgeous glass-clad smartphone could be yours.įor fans of big-screen phones - and please, let's leave the term "phablet" back in 2013 where it belongs - then Samsung's Note range has always been a popular choice. The Mi Note Pro is no different - it features a Snapdragon 810 processor, a 2K 5.7-inch display and 4GB of RAM - specs that definitely rival other flagships. While Xiaomi is generally known for its high-quality low-cost phones, its flagship devices also tend to outshine competitor offerings with similar high-end specs but incredibly low retail prices. A few software additions, and better-than-normal audio speakers help the 5.5- and (slightly different) 4.7-inch versions exceed expectations. It continues to be one of the best value phones of the year, with a camera, design and operating speeds that swing well above its price point.

You certainly don't need the Edge's curved screen or mostly-gimmicky software extras, but among the year's hypnotically same-same phones, this one felt truly different - in a way that actually worked.įrom the first moment we saw it, the Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 intrigued us. The fact that nobody else has made anything like it proves that Samsung has something to offer besides routinely checking features off a list. It manages to be far more elegant-looking and more immersive than any other phone out there, a realization that comes when you hold the Edge in your hands. Ok, so it's the more expensive, curvy-sided version of Samsung's first all-metal-and-glass flagship phone, but what Samsung did with the Galaxy S6 Edge goes beyond taking an S6 and bending its sides.
