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Here are the top-performing phones of 2016, according to Antutu

In Phones by Ramon LopezLeave a Comment

ANTUTU closed the year by publishing its latest charts featuring the top-performing Android and iOS devices that have been put through their paces last year using the company’s own Antutu Benchmark app.

And can you believe it? Apple’s iPhone once again rules the charts. Even more surprisingly — though maybe not so much because of how the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 saga unfolded — no Sammy phone has made the cut.

According to Antutu, the top-scoring handset of 2016, based on its average score for the year, is the iPhone 7 Plus, followed by the iPhone 7, and then the OnePlus 3T. The current-gen iPhones lead the way with 181,316 and 172,001 points, respectively. Representing Android at third place is the OnePlus 3T with a score of 163,013. Behind it are the LeEco Le Pro 3, (Lenovo’s) Moto Z, and OnePlus 3, in that order.

Antutu's 10 fastest smartphones of 2016

Antutu’s top 10 performance smartphones of 2016

Note that the iPhones are powered by Apple’s made-to-order A10 Fusion processor, while the rest of the handsets use either Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 821 or 820 chip. The iPhones also come with far less RAM than Android’s fastest, with the iPhone 7 Plus packing 3GB of memory, as opposed to the 3T’s 6GB. Plausibly, the RAM difference is the reason the Plus version notched more points than the iPhone 7, which sees 2GB of RAM under the hood.

SEE ALSO: 10 smartphones powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 821

Another thing to keep in mind: All devices here have been tested at least 2,000 times in order to arrive at a credible average. And as always, benchmarks do not necessarily reflect real-world performance. Though in the case of the iPhone 7, we feel confident in giving it our seal of approval; it really is the most responsive and capable handset ever made.

As to why Samsung models — the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, in particular — do not appear in any of the rankings, the answer shouldn’t surprise you: After prematurely retiring the Note 7, Sammy chose not to release a semi-successor to the S7 line with upgraded specs. In other words, it didn’t pull a Xiaomi or OnePlus, which could have put the company at ends with more fans.

And those chart-topping iPhone numbers? They likely won’t remain chart-topping for very long. Expect upcoming Android flagships to retake the lead at some point, even temporarily. If history is any indicator, we know which company will come out on top by the end of the year.

Image via Independent

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Ramon Lopez

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Reviews editor: Ramon "Monch" Lopez has 16 years of professional experience creating and editing content for print and digital publications such as Yahoo. He headed the gadgets-merchandising division of one of the Philippines’ largest retail operators somewhere in between.