L Lists

Gizmo Times 2015 Ratings: Best Flagships of the Year

Dec 26, 2015

Flagships are just overrated. At least, the devices in 2015 would tell that with ease. Companies come up with their best efforts to launch their flagship, to pack what all they can, but this time, it was more about competing with others than delivering for the end users. Samsung had its strong approach, and that can be well appreciated, but others stuck to their own is usual self, making their own mid-range devices look better than the flagships.

Just to talk about a couple of examples, Sony and HTC failed to deliver, while Xiaomi kept everyone waiting while they waited to see the best inclusions in their flagship phone. OnePlus raised our expectations with its first flagship last year, thus, the OnePlus 2 even with a decent overall performance raised some eyeballs.

Looking at how users don’t keep the word flagship in mind and end up buying what is good for their need, we hope companies change their approach and concentrate on what users like to see and not be in their world of competition. Nevertheless, here is our list of the best flagships of the year 2015 in India, according to Gizmo Times team.

Nexus 6P

Although made by Huawei, the Nexus 6P is Google’s flagship. After a failed Nexus 6 last year, Google chose a new player to make the new top-end Nexus, and it is Huawei who did so well in coming up with a perfect Nexus device. Frankly, this could be one of the best Google Nexus smartphones till date, followed by the Nexus 5 and 5X. Gone is the time when Nexus used to be affordable. But the phones are still worth the price when so much is offered with it, including the seamless Android experience offered with years of software support and updates.

Samsung Galaxy S6

Samsung disappointed a lot with its Galaxy S5 last year, especially with the design. It’s a complete overhaul this time, with the company coming up with a dual side glass body, with the glasses meeting a metal frame on the side.

The Exynos chipset used turned some fortune for good since the Snapdragon 810 chipset this year wasn’t good on performance. The cameras and display for Samsung flagships have always been top-notch, and the Galaxy S6 was no exception. An icing on the cake, Samsung came up with the Galaxy S6 Edge with the dual-side edge screen that put even more focus on the aesthetics.

LG G4

Although the LG G4 seemed quite high on price when it was launched, the recent price drops make it quite a good value for money device, and probably one of the best smartphones this year regarding the camera aspect.

The phone was quite comfortable to hold despite the 5.5-inch screen, and even though the battery is as good as the competition, the G4 is a winner in certain important aspects where flagships from some well-known brands could not do so well.

Samsung Galaxy Note 5

The Galaxy Note series has been the usual best from Samsung throughout the year, but it was the glass body that backfired here, and we felt that the Galaxy S6 was better than the Note 5, thanks to the uncomfortably large glass body, and if that wasn’t enough, Samsung had come up with a Galaxy S6 Edge+ variant. If you don’t really care about the design, the Galaxy Note 5 still is one of the top 5 in our list for obvious reasons.

Honor 7

The Honor 7 from Huawei did so well in almost every department except for the battery, and the fingerprint scanner recognition is one of the best for any smartphone. The phone also had decent cameras, and the performance was top-notch on the Honor 7. This phone certainly has a lot to be one of the top 5 flagships of this year.

OnePlus 2

The reason why we have the OnePlus 2 above Apple’s and Sony’s flagships is because it offers more value for money, at least for us. Again, keep the expectations aside because its predecessor did so well last year. The OnePlus 2 still has a good design, and the only issue from the phone was a little with the performance, as OnePlus is still working to make its Oxygen OS better with performance.

iPhone 6s Plus

To be frank, we’ve used the iPhone 6s Plus for not more than a few days, and we quite liked the smartphone. Let’s not compare it against the predecessor. The iPhone 6s Plus with 3D touch, a very good camera and quite appreciable decent life. If it is an iPhone, it is going to cost you a lot, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worthy. The iPhone 6s Plus is still a worthy choice for those who can afford it and are looking at Apple’s ecosystem for the time ahead.

Sony Xperia Z5

The Xperia flagship series doesn’t follow one-device-per-year strategy, and in fact, we might even see the Xperia Z6 in a month or two if we have to go with Sony’s approach. Sony’s Xperia Z3+ took a lot of criticism, but the Xperia Z5 seemed like a complete smartphone, of course with some flaws that keep it this low on our list.

The phone has excellent cameras, a beautiful display and the only issue is with the body getting uncomfortably heated up on heavy tasks. Otherwise, the Xperia Z5 has all what it needs to be called a great flagship.

Other Worthy Mentions

Gionee Elife E8: The Chinese smartphone manufacturer didn’t have a great year except for its Marathon series, but the Elife E8 although priced a little higher than what was expected, did so well with the performance and camera, but it cannot be an ideal smartphone for most with its awkwardly big size. Check the Gionee Elife E8 review.

Gizmo Times 2015 Ratings: