It’s been an extremely productive year for Android manufacturers, thus resulting in so many different devices to choose from. cking out the right one for you from the long list of devices can be tough, but we’ve reviewed tested each every one of the major Android device releases this year in search of the best. thout further ado, here are our choices for the best Android smartphones, tablet, smartwatch of the year.
Best all-around smartphone
About halfway through the year, we were convinced that Samsung’s Galaxy S6 would rule the category of best smartphone for the year, but things quickly turned once the Nexus 6came onto the scene.
The Nexus 6is this year’s best Android phone.
Now, the Nexus 6isn’t entirely perfect. It’s missing a few flagship features, like wireless charging OIS, but this is the phone to get if you’re looking for a pure, premium Android experience. And for about $200 less than the current crop of high-end phones, you’re getting a phone directly from that works on any cellular network receives software updates weeks or months ahead of others.
Best mid-range device
The Moto X re ition offers flagship specs at a mid-range price.
The Moto X re ition is a high-end device at a mid-range price. It comes with a Snapdragon 808 processor, 3GB of RAM, a 5.7-inch Quad HD display, stereo streakers, all wrapped in a package that you can customize to your liking, starting at $400.
Motorola doesn’t pack its phones with a ton of bloatware, either. Its version of Android sticks close to the stock design, but adds helpful features software add-ons, like Moto Display Moto Voice. The Moto X re ition may not be as powerful or as polished as some other flagship devices, but if offers a whole lot at a fraction of the price.
Best inexpensive phone
eviously, Motorola’s Moto G managed to fulfill the criteria for the category of best bang for your buck, but this year we like the Oneus X a little more.
The Oneus X offers the most bang for little buck.
The Oneus X is a 5-inch phone with last year’s hardware at this year’s budget price. For $250, you get a 1080p AMOD display, a Snapdragon 801 processor, 3GB of RAM, a 2,535 mAh battery pack, a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera that’s finicky, but capable. Oneus also kept its version of Android, dubbed Oxygen OS, close to ’s, with just a few added extras.
The only drawback of this stylish little device is that it’s missing support for two of T-Mobile AT&T’s E bs, so you’ll be somewhat limited if you’re using this phone in the U.S. It also doesn’t work on Sprint or Verizon reless. But as a world phone, or traveling companion, it’s a pretty good deal.
Best camera phone
The V10 is the best camera phone, period. Its rear-facing, 16-megapixel camera offers full manual controls, since you can shoot in RAmode, you can take the original photo file into Adobe ghtroom or a similar editing program spruce it up.
The V10 also offers the best low-light performance out of all the flagship devices this year, manual controls for recording video, dual front-facing cameras, so you can choose between a stard 80-degree selfie, or a wide-angle 120-degree group selfie. It’s nice to have options.
The V10 is a durable smartphone with amazing camera abilities.
The V10 is a solid smartphone, too. It comes equipped with a Snapdragon 808 processor, 4GB of RAM, a 3,000 mAh battery pack, a 5.7-inch QuadHD display. It also has NFC, a fingerprint scanner on the back, an expansion slot, so you can easily store all those large photo files on a MicroSD card.
Best phablet
Bigger phones are still the best phones for some situations, though most smartphone manufacturers have shifted towards making phablet-sized devices, they’re not equipped with useful software the way Samsung’s are.
Samsung continues its reign as phone-tablet hybrid king with the Galaxy Note 5.
The Galaxy Note 5 is the best phablet device that Samsung’s ever produced. It boasts a beautiful 5.7-inch display, powerful innards, including an octa-core processor 4GB of RAM, a suite of helpful productivity apps that take advantage of its dockable stylus, the S-n. It’s also got a killer 16-megapixel camera with a ton of neat features, including granular manual controls live YouTube broadcasting. This phone-tablet hybrid puts even its smaller sibling, the Galaxy S6, to shame.
Best tablet
Even with ’s xel C just hitting the market, running circles around most Android tablets in its benchmark scores, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S2 is still the best Android tablet available—Touchwiz all.
The 8-inch 9.7-inch Galaxy Tab S2 are two of the best Android tablets available.
The Galaxy Tab S2 doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s for Android users who want something a little more premium than ’s Nexus offerings, but don’t particularly care about whether or not it runs stock Android. It runs on an 1.9GHz octa-core Exynos 5433 processor 3GB of RAM, features a stunning Super AMOD display, comes in two very thin, very comfortable-to-hold sizes. Both tablets also have expansion slots, so you can pop in a MicroSD card for more storage space.
Best smartwatch
The second-gen Moto 360 comes in a size for any wrist.
If you want an Android ar smartwatch with a great experience inside out, look no further than Motorola’s second-generation Moto 360. This year’s model features a Snapdragon 400 processor with much better battery life. Better yet, the Moto 360 now comes in three different styles two sizes—including one for the ladies—all of which are completely customizable.
