The 2017 Phone Awards

[Aneres11]

Hey all.

So I thought I’d start a thread for us all to cast some votes and have some nice discussion about the phones released in 2017!
Here’s how I propose it to work:

4 Categories

• Favourite phone of 2017
• Best looking phone of 2017
• Biggest surprise of 2017
• Biggest disappointment of 2017

You can use the same phone in more than one category should you wish!

Once Christmas has passed I will count up votes and we shall cast our ‘official’ awards .
Unless this thread gets locked for some silly reasoning.

I’ll start.

• Favourite phone of 2017 - BlackBerry KEYone.
• Best looking phone of 2017 - iPhone X for me. Yup even with the notch!
• Biggest surprise of 2017 - The numerous Pixel 2 issues seen.
• Biggest disappointment of 2017 - The Essential Phone.

 

[AustinIllini]

Hey all.

So I thought I’d start a thread for us all to cast some votes and have some nice discussion about the phones released in 2017!
Here’s how I propose it to work:

4 Categories

• Favourite phone of 2017
• Best looking phone of 2017
• Biggest surprise of 2017
• Biggest disappointment of 2017

You can use the same phone in more than one category should you wish!

Once Christmas has passed I will count up votes and we shall cast our ‘official’ awards .
Unless this thread gets locked for some silly reasoning.

I’ll start.

• Favourite phone of 2017 - BlackBerry KEYone.
• Best looking phone of 2017 - iPhone X for me. Yup even with the notch!
• Biggest surprise of 2017 - The numerous Pixel 2 issues seen.
• Biggest disappointment of 2017 - The Essential Phone.

Good idea!
Favorite (USA!, lol!) of 2017 - iPhone X
Best Looking Phone of 2017 - Pixel 2 XL (Panda)
Biggest surprise of 2017 - Essential Phone
Biggest disappointment of 2017 - Pixel 2 XL

That screen was such a disappointment on the Pixel 2 XL

 

[Aneres11]

Oh yeah I forgot you guys will spell it different haha. It’s like the whole grey / gray and colour / color thing.

 

[KingslayerG5]

Favorite - Pixel 2 (Taimen)

Best design - KeyOne, Note8, or panda Pixel 2 XL

Biggest surprise - Essential or 5T

Biggest disappointment - iPhone 8 or iOS11 for that matter.

^ It's why I couldn't get the X. Hasn't improved enough to match my workflow.

I was also kinda disappointed by the LG G6.

 

[tbayrgs]

Had to come out of retirement to chime in (great idea for a thread @Aneres11):

Favorite: Pixel 2 XL
Best Looking: Essential
Biggest Surprise: HTC U11/U11+
Biggest Disappointment: Pixel 2 XL

I really like the Pixel 2 XL as a total package--blend of small bezels, dual speaker, awesome camera and unique design. The pull of iOS and the iPhone was still just too strong for me to switch (iPhone X was a VERY close runner up for me). That being said, the hardware issues simultaneously made it the most disappointing.

I think the Essential phone hardware is stunning both visually and in the hand.

I was happily most surprised about the excellent hardware HTC put out considering considering how their smartphone business has floundered the last few years.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

Favourite phone of 2017: Note 8 ... Feels like the most complete package of any smartphone, and even the most harsh critics praise it's performance, which is huge achievement for a Samsung phone.

Best looking phone of 2017: Essential Phone (The HTC U11 came close though)

Biggest surprise of 2017: ZTE Axon M ... Dual Full Screens. I played with one at the AT&T store and it's not just a gimmick like I thought it would be. If it was available for T-mobile, I would have gave it a try.

Biggest disappointment of 2017: iPhone X ... Not really a disappointment, but more of shrug shoulders feeling for it. I expected Apple to wow me with this one, but the closest thing they had to wowing me was animojis.

 

[Tsepz]

* Favourite phone of 2017 - Galaxy Note8, the most complete device I have ever come across, it reminds me of the Nokia E90 and N95, but with an incredible User Experience, it does both Productivity and Multimedia so damn well.

* Best looking phone of 2017 - Blue Galaxy Note8, part of my purchase decision is definitely the look of a device and the Note8 has a real presence about it, especially in that Blue. I went for Black as I like y devices all black with Matte Black covers, but if I were to get a 2nd Note8 for whatever reason I'd get it in Blue.

* Biggest surprise of 2017 - Huawei Mate10 Pro, this phone has truly surprised me, it performs incredibly well, the battery life is phenomenal, and the Display, and overall package of this device really gives other top devices a run for their money.

* Biggest disappointment of 2017 - BlackBerry KEYOne, mainly due to the whole Screen Falling Out situation, it is utterly shocking that a device that was priced so high has this issue, going into the CB forum I still shocked at the number of people going through this, some of them experiencing it even on the replacement.

 

[jamezr]

Here are my thoughts....

• Favorite phone of 2017

The Note 8 is my favorite phone of the year. It is a powerful workhorse that can handle anything I throw at it. It is like carrying a laptop with me. Battery and camera are impressive. My runner up would be my iPhone 8 Plus

• Best looking phone of 2017

The Essential Phone and HTC U11. These 2 phones are stunners

• Biggest surprise of 2017

The iPhone X. I was surprised at how much I liked the phone. It is too small for me personally. But a nice phone overall

• Biggest disappointment of 2017

The Essential Phone and Pixel 2 XL. The Essential phone was plagued by delays and then QC and performance issues. After last years Pixel XL I was excited for the Pixel 2XL only to be disappointed with the overall hardware choices. Google should have gone with HTC and better displays. It took me 3 Pixel 2 XLs before I got one that is defect free so far. Unacceptable from a company like Google. Camera and battery are impressive but I am disappointed with the overall hardware.

 

[widgeteer]

Great thread.

I'm gonna split "Fav" into two categories:

• Best Phone of 2017

Galaxy Note8. I can't imagine a more perfect package. Unless the size is off putting, this thing is a slam dunk in every way. It not only has everything you'd want in a smartphone, it all works pretty flawlessly. Anyone still going on and on about "Lagwiz" simply hasn't used the phone. The stylus is one of those items where even if you don't use it all the time, when you need it, it does exactly what you want it to do and you're thrilled you have it. For next year I'd kinda like to see less curve to the screen but otherwise BEAST.

Honorable mention: Pixel 2 XL. I'm in the camp that the screen "issues" are overblown, so let's put that to the side. The phone improves on the best phone of last year, the OG Pixel XL. Oreo might not be the flashiest upgrade but it refines an already great user experience. Best camera on the market, full stop. The Panda edition gives the hardware some personality too.

• Favorite Phone of 2017

iPhone X. I simply love using this device. The gestures are incredibly intuitive and make an already slick OS that much faster. One tech blogger stated the phone was straight up "fun" to use, and I get it. Face ID blows every other biometric I've ever used out of the water. It's a revelation. iOS 11 seems to run much better on the X than it does the 8's too. Camera is sick, I've never seen better video recording from a smartphone.

• Best Looking Phone of 2017

Essential. It's a striking device.

Honorable mention: iPhone X, silver.

• Biggest Surprise of 2017

iPhone 8 Plus. The phone was shrugged off at announcement due to the X hype, but using it tells a much different story. As much as I enjoy using the X, the truth is the 8 Plus is probably the better bet of the two. Apple makes much better use of the screen real estate on the 8 Plus and the phone feels amazing with the new glass back. Battery is insanely good.

• Biggest Disappointment of 2017

Essential. I started the thread for the device in this forum, I was sooooo hyped for it. A pure Android experience on exquisite hardware, brought to us by Andy Rubin. I thought this would be a dream phone. NOOOOPE. It's bad enough that everything that could have gone wrong went wrong for the company launching the phone. It didn't help that they released a beta product that didn't even (initially) run stock Android well. And while not every camera needs to be best in class, is there any excuse in 2017 for not releasing at the very least a *good* shooter?

What a great year for smartphones all in all. Note8, LG V30, HTC U11, iPhone X, OP 5T. Razer's first go has issues but offering a 120h refresh rate might change the game for other OEM's too.

2018 better have it's stuff together.

 

[Klyster]

I've only really used the Note 8 but feel Ive read enough about the other phones to form an opinion.

Favourite Phone: Note 8, why else would I own it?
It lacks nothing.

Best Looking Phone: Galaxy S8 (not +). Cleanest smartphone design by far.

Biggest Surprise: LG V30, the phone I would have purchased if not for the Note, LG really stepped it up this year, great job.
Also the razor phone gets a nod..

Biggest disappointment: Pixel 2 XL. WTF Google?
Great camera, great software, but startup levels of quality control, inexcusable imo, image retention within a week! That would be inexcusable on a 200 dollar phone....pass

Bonus disgust award to anyone cutting into screens to implement cameras ala iPhone X and essential.
It's fugly, don't do it.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

Bonus disgust award to anyone cutting into screens to implement cameras ala iPhone X and essential.
It's fugly, don't do it.

LOL ... I gave the Essential a pass on that, cause it's like small water drip vs the super obvious notch on the iPhone X. I agree, I don't wanna see no more manufacturers doing that.

 

[Sparky2012]

Hey all.

So I thought I’d start a thread for us all to cast some votes and have some nice discussion about the phones released in 2017!
Here’s how I propose it to work:

4 Categories

• Favourite phone of 2017
• Best looking phone of 2017
• Biggest surprise of 2017
• Biggest disappointment of 2017

You can use the same phone in more than one category should you wish!

Once Christmas has passed I will count up votes and we shall cast our ‘official’ awards .
Unless this thread gets locked for some silly reasoning.

I’ll start.

• Favourite phone of 2017 - BlackBerry KEYone.
• Best looking phone of 2017 - iPhone X for me. Yup even with the notch!
• Biggest surprise of 2017 - The numerous Pixel 2 issues seen.
• Biggest disappointment of 2017 - The Essential Phone.

Favourite Phone of 2017: Has to be the iPhone 8 Plus since that's the only new phone I've actually bought and used. Great phone, just iOS needs work.

Best looking phone of 2017: I think it's the Huawei Mate 10 Pro. Think it looks premium and sleek. Before that was shown off, I'd of said Galaxy S8 or Note 8.

Biggest surprise of 2017: The Razer phone. Didn't expect them to come out with a phone. It looks terribly boring, and the camera is poor, but that 120hz screen and speakers are enticing.

Biggest disappointment of 2017: Apple software quality Nah, phone wise I'd say the Essential phone. It's made well with premium materials, but that's about it. It is improving due to a lower price, but it's not got a lot of the essentials. No waterproofing, poor camera.

 

[convergent]

4 Categories

• Favourite phone of 2017 - Galaxy Note 8
• Best looking phone of 2017 - Galaxy S8
• Biggest surprise of 2017 - Gear S3 (that I liked it more than Apple Watch)
• Biggest disappointment of 2017 - iPhone X (enough that I switched to Android)

 

[soulreaver99]

• Favourite phone of 2017 - Note 8 (no doubt, no question)
• Best looking phone of 2017 - Galaxy S8 /S8+ (going to be hard for even Samsung to top the design)
• Biggest surprise of 2017 - iPhone X (I thought I'd hate it, but I like it a lot)
• Biggest disappointment of 2017 - Pixel 2XL (would have been awesome in 2015)

 

[bashster]

Best = iPhone X. Beautiful screen and great camera in a good size.

OK= Pixel 2. If better screen would of been great.

Worst = note 8. Oversized POS phone ever used.

 

[Klyster]

Andddddd, Robster is back

 

[Tig Bitties]

- Best looking phone = iPhone X
- Best OS = stock Android 8.1
- Biggest surprise = LG V30
- Favorite phone = Pixel 2 XL
- Best budget phone = OnePlus 5t
- Biggest disappointment = iOS 11

 

[KingslayerG5]

I was checking Best Buy yesterday out of boredom and must say my favorite design of 2017 is now exclusively the BlackBerry KeyOne. A retro design of the BlackBerry Classic mixed with Bold 9900. If only TCL offered it with removable battery.

Erica Griffin share the same taste! I wouldn't use iPhone X as my daily driver but as my secondary. But with the recent throttle scandal even if this forum or other sites is blowing it out of proportion, it still isn't cool if it's deliberate and Apple didn't tell us.

With that said, Erica likes to have BOTH platforms with her which I can perfectly agree with it since I need two phones with me at all times. So she did say she switches around with iPhone X and Pixel 2. The smaller Pixel 2 because it's more manageable and doesn't have the bad display. So High-Me Rivera-like.

OnePlus 5T gets alot of love as well as Note8. Consensus Top 4 from YouTubers is Note8, Pixel 2 XL, iPhone X, and 5T.

Note8 is best all-around hardware.

Depending on your OS preference, Pixel 2 XL and iPhone X is for software.

Camera is Pixel 2 / 2 XL.

Best value is 5T.

The favoritism among YouTubers' daily driver if Android is kinda split between Pixel 2 XL and Note8. Erica is fairly split between Pixel 2 and Note8. MKBHD claims Note8 is better but uses panda Pixel 2 XL as his daily driver. I would go that route since it is a little more rarer to see than iPhone and Galaxy.

Erica and I really do see eye-to-eye although my feelings for Apple is a little tarnished knowing I have to check Coconut Battery as the timer for when throttlegate hits.

Finally the unsung hero Pixel 2 gets love.

 

[5105973]

• Favourite phone of 2017
• Best looking phone of 2017
• Biggest surprise of 2017
• Biggest disappointment of 2017

* Favorite phone of 2017: iPhone X. It does everything I need it to do very well. I am not crazy about the display for reading on due to pwm flicker, but that’s my only complaint of any weight. It’s also very attractive and a nice size to carry and use (for me).

* Best looking phone of 2017. I’m going to have to give the nod to my orchid grey Samsung Galaxy S8+. I am not a fan of curved displays and think they are impractical and annoying to use. But there’s no doubt this phone is gorgeous and the display does make you want to dive in. My second choice would have to be the silver Blackberry Key One. I love that retro style that reminds me of a vintage camera.

* Biggest Surprise of 2017: Pixel 2/2XL. I honestly didn’t think Google had its supply chain secured in time to put out a phone for 2017. There were rumors, sure, but we all knew HTC struggled to meet demand last year and Huawei didn’t want to get involved. LG seemed really busy with some very impressive phones of their own. I wasn’t really expecting Google to follow up on the Pixel line. It would not be the first time they abandoned an endeavor. But they did it. And their customer service surprised me with how well it worked when I needed it to under some very trying circumstances: a lost return.

This is not a phone but is related to the iPhone and deserves honorable mention as a surprise to me: the loose lips that sink ships for Apple turns out not to be a drunken employee in a bar, and not even the breezy Californian daughter of an Apple Engineer who wanted to do a feature for her YouTube channel. No, it’s a little device masquerading as a roll of toilet paper named Home Pod. It gave more leaks than Julian Assange. And like Julian Assange, seems to be locked away somewhere instead of making its grand debut during the holiday. Home Pod gave away pretty much everything and made Apples biggest keynote surprise rather a flat one.

* Biggest Disappointment of 2017. Jeez there were so many, like the Essential phone. But the one that impacted me personally was the very poor QC on the Pixel 2/2XLs. Having surprised me with their existence and having wowed me at their debut, the actual ownership experience was a letdown due to the hardware issues. I was also dismayed Zack of JerryRig Everything snapped one like a graham cracker. My disappointment is tempered by the fact I didn’t expect these phones to even be made at all and the camera performance is astounding...on a non defective model, unlike the one I had.

 

[Macalicious2011]

• Favourite phone of 2017: Pixel 2 - Brilliant software and incredible camera.
• Best looking phone of 2017: Galaxy S8 - Pebble like shape coupled with a stunning screen.
• Biggest surprise of 2017: Essential Phone - Tech and design doesn't have to cost a fortune.
• Biggest disappointment of 2017: iPhone 8 Plus - Heavy, expensive and looking dated.

 

[Shanghaichica]

Favourite phone of 2017- iPhone X
Best looking phone: iPhone X silver
Biggest supprise of 2017: iPhone X given best display by display mate - really thought the note 8 would win this. Although Apple individuality calibrate their displays, I wouldn’t have expected them to out do samsung on their first time with oled displays. I think I’ve lost a bit of faith in dsiplay mate.
Biggest disappointment of 2017-None of the 2017 flagships having a finger print sensor under the display.

 

[mi7chy]

Windows 10 on Snapdragon DeX didn't materialize this year so no flagship award from me. Perhaps Galaxy Note 9 next year.

Two devices worthy of 2017 awards are $50 Huawei Ascend XT2 and $40 Moto E4 that demonstrate that they do 80%+ of flagship phones at 5% of the price. Huawei Ascend XT2's build quality and 4000mAh battery life and Moto E4 fingerprint scanner rival if not surpass some flagships.

What I'd like to see in 2018 flagships to earn my money. Windows 10 and Linux DeX on Snapdragon, better battery technology/life, in-screen sensors and space age materials.

 

[Fernandez21]

Had to come out of retirement to chime in (great idea for a thread @Aneres11):

Favorite: Pixel 2 XL
Best Looking: Essential
Biggest Surprise: HTC U11/U11+
Biggest Disappointment: Pixel 2 XL

I really like the Pixel 2 XL as a total package--blend of small bezels, dual speaker, awesome camera and unique design. The pull of iOS and the iPhone was still just too strong for me to switch (iPhone X was a VERY close runner up for me). That being said, the hardware issues simultaneously made it the most disappointing.

I think the Essential phone hardware is stunning both visually and in the hand.

I was happily most surprised about the excellent hardware HTC put out considering considering how their smartphone business has floundered the last few years.

Wait, you retired too? Man, I stop paying attention to these forums and now seems everyone is leaving. Best of luck. While I may not be around as much I used to, ive enjoyed your posts and hope you keep stopping by from time to time.

As for my awards:
Favorite phone 2017: iPhone X
Best Design: Essential Phone
Biggest surprise 2017: Essential Phone (wasn’t even on my radar until a week before preorders.)
Biggest Disappointment 2017: Galaxy Note 8 (I know many will disagree, but my Note 8 has basically been in the drawer in favor of my Essential Phone and S8 Active, heck in the past month I’ve used my Note 5 more than I have my Note 8)

 

[JakeT85]

• Favourite phone of 2017
  • iPhone X - Apple family paired with that screen and overall design is top notch. The pixel 2 XL is def a close close second and would be my daily if iMessage and FaceTime with my kids wasn't a priority.

• Best looking phone of 2017
  • Samsung Galaxies - edge to edge display with no notch looks amazing.

• Biggest surprise of 2017
  • Going with two on this one;
    • OnePlus 5t - perfect refinement of the 5. Flagship specs and a near perfect form factor. I really wish this phone would work on Verizon.
    • Essential Phone - new OEM that seems like they are in it for the long run and plan to offer great customer support. To top it off they crushed it with the hardware. I see great things with the PH-2

• Biggest disappointment of 2017
  • iOS still being locked down and archaic. It's 2017 and this operating system needs a major features/capabilities upgrade. Here's hoping they focus on software in 18.
  • Hardware-wise I'd say Oneplus 5t not having all carrier compatibility, but hey if that's the most negative hardware flop I can think of I'd say it has been an amazing year for smartphones.

Happy New Year Everybody.

 

[Ralfi]

• Favourite phone of 2017: iPhone X.

• Best looking phone of 2017: iPhone X (Space Grey).

• Biggest surprise of 2017: Razor Phone/OnePlus 5T.

• Biggest disappointment of 2017: Google Pixel 2 (non XL).