Hello smartphone guide, long time no see!
In the coming days I'll be making a proper update to the guide with the several new phones that have been released in the last couple of months so here's a tldr update. However given my lack of regular internet access I may have missed something significant, so if there's a glaring omission in the list below, please let me know to remind me of it!
*The Xperia X will not be making it into the guide. As much as I love Sony, they've released a phone that barely escapes mid-tier specs and priced it to compete with flagships, and reception has been suitably mediocre. Here's hoping the X Performance can make a better impression.
*The LG G5 will be joining the Audiophile category for it's quality sounding yet well implemented DAC module. The 6S sticks around for its superior support of external audio products, but for audio quality in a standard smartphone form factor, the G5 with its HiFi "Friend" sits at the top of the pile.
*The OnePlus 3 will be entering the Budget and Giant smartphone categories and getting an honourable mention in the Flagship category. It may still only be a 1080p panel, but as an overall package it's a superb quality and value proposition. And there's no invite system to mess with either!
*The many new offerings from Motorola will also be assessed and added to guide if warranted, but I haven't been able to look through them properly yet.