The Verge has named the iPhone 6S as the best smartphone you can buy, with Google’s Nexus 6P as their 2nd place finisher. In this article, we’ll analyse the results and pick out a few interesting trends.
The iPhone 6S received a 9.0 score when it was released this September, with editor-in-chief Nilay Patel praising the phone’s new 3D Touch interface, sharp camera and insane performance. Apple’s post-purchase support and the massive iPhone 6S accessory and app ecosystems are also mentioned. The recommendation – which also includes the larger iPhone 6S – is reflected by Apple’s continued success worldwide, particularly in the massive Chinese market. Internet commentators are quick to play the iVerge card, but Apple’s latest smartphone is legitimately great and the ranking makes sense in my eyes.
That 9.0 score puts the iPhone 6S just ahead of the highest scoring Android option, the Nexus 6P, which scored 8.8. The 6P was reviewed by Dieter Bohn, who was impressed with the phone’s camera, metal design and the pure Android Marshmallow experience. It’s a big moment for Google to have outdone all of their manufacturing partners in the eyes of critics like The Verge, and a great sign for the once-shaky future of the Nexus program.
A number of popular and well-selling Android smartphones missed out on the top honours, with Samsung’s Galaxy S6 and Note 5 scoring 8.8 and 8.7, respectively. These phones were released a little earlier than the Nexus 6P and still cost more, but both offer solid hardware and newly gorgeous designs after years of shiny, crummy plastic.
The best of the rest included a wide range of other manufacturers, from the Moto X Pure at 8.6, the OnePlus 2 at 8.5, the Nexus 5X at 8.3 and the LG V10 at 8.1. It’s worth noting that four of the top seven Android phones run stock or near-stock Android, a far cry from the early days of the Nexus program and the era of third-party UIs like Samsung’s TouchWiz and HTC’s Sense.
The big losers? HTC and BlackBerry’s latest efforts, the HTC One A9 and the BlackBerry Priv, who received middling scores of 7.7 and 7.4, respectively. Both companies are struggling massively right now, and desperately needed a hit phone in order to stay afloat. BlackBerry even mentioned that it needs to sell 5 million phones to stay in the game, and the high-priced Priv doesn’t look like it will be enough. Meanwhile, HTC have stopped releasing earnings guidance, a sure sign that their future financials won’t impress investors.
So there we have it – the iPhone 6S and Nexus 6P at the top of the pile. Do you agree with the rankings? What’s your pick for the best smartphone on the market? Let us know in the comments below.