TOP 3 SMART PHONE

                                Samsung Galaxy S7

The good Polished design. Awesome camera. Long battery life. microSD storage slot and water-resistant (again!).

The bad Annoyingly reflective. Smudge magnet. Plastic-looking selfies even with no filter. No removable battery, which isn't surprising, but is still a compromise compared to 2014's S5.

The bottom line The fast, powerful, beautiful Galaxy S7 phone is 2016's all-around phone to beat.

CNET REVIEW

The ultimate way to test a new phone? Travel with it. When you're seeing sights and losing yourself to the moment, there's no room to tolerate a poor camera or buggy software, slow speed or short battery life. If there's a flaw, you'll find it.

So I tested the Samsung Galaxy S7 in London and Berlin, while colleagues also took it for a spin in San Francisco and Sydney. And you know what? It did great. Better than great. In fact, the S7 was an awesome phone that never cracked under the pressure of being the only way I take pictures and navigate completely unfamiliar terrain, all while keeping battery life going during long days out.

Straight up: the Galaxy S7 is the best all-around phone out today. It's superior to the excellent Google Nexus 6P, Apple iPhone 6S, LG G5 and HTC 10. In fact, the only phone that surpasses it is its own fraternal twin, the larger, curvy-screen S7 Edge, which is technically my top pick -- but only if you're willing to splurge. Sure, there are some potentially worthy rivals out beyond the horizon -- the iPhone 7, the next Nexus model, and the Galaxy Note 6. But none of them will likely be on the market for months to come. So, for now, the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge remain the best phones money can buy.

Here's what I found (along with fellow S7-testers) while using the S7 around Europe. You can also scroll to the end for a specs comparison chart.

Editors' note: This review was originally posted on March 8, 2016 and last updated on April 16, 2016

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                         Appple IPhone 6ss  

An excellent all-arounder and the midsize of three iPhones, the 6S is well-built and easy-to-use, and it's the obvious choice for anyone who also uses an iPad or Mac. Another perk? You can buy it straight from Apple.

The good Improved speed everywhere (new processor, faster wireless, quicker Touch ID sensor); a sturdier body; better front and rear cameras; a bold new 3D Touch pressure-sensitive display that could end up being a really useful tool in apps down the road, and which already offers new iOS shortcuts.

The bad Same battery life as the iPhone 6. The 6S Plus model remains the only way to get optical image stabilization for photos and video, plus better battery life. You'll need to pay extra to vault past the too-small storage of the entry-level 16GB version.

The bottom line The newest iPhones are top-to-bottom better phones with lots of enhancements; iPhone 6 owners don't need the upgrade, but everyone else should seriously consider it

My  REVIEW

When I showed the iPhone 6S to one of my wife's friends, she got nostalgic. She waxed emotional about its predecessor, the iPhone 6 . It changed her life. Bigger screen, better camera, and Apple Pay. Everyone wanted these things. It was as close to a perfect phone as I've ever seen. All it ever really lacked was a better battery (Plus notwithstanding).

I showed her 3D Touch, Apple's newest technology on these iPhones. She pressed on the hypnotically-animated lock screen, a swimming fish. She watched it dance under her finger. And yes, she was impressed. But when I showed her everything else 3D Touch does, she said, "I'm not sure I'd really use this."

This year's follow-up iPhone, the iPhone 6S, doesn't improve on that battery. And its newest features aren't as instantly game-changing, at least not on the surface. That's obvious: it's an S-year iPhone, and Apple always uses these subtle every-other-year S upgrades to tweak design and ramp up processor speeds. It's the phone for people who didn't get the iPhone 6 last year. And for the past few years, S phones have introduced evolutionary changes that seriously evolved the phone; the iPhone 4S added Siri, and the iPhone 5S debuted the Touch ID fingerprint sensor.

The new iPhone 6S and 6S Plus look the same (except for the metallic-pink rose gold model) as last year's iPhones. In a lot of ways they also feel the same. But there are hidden advantages at play. The newest, boldest tech is a new pressure-sensitive touchscreen technology called 3D Touch. There are lots of other improvements, too: better cameras. Better overall system speed. And always-on (and I mean always-on -- unless you turn it off) Siri. And, something I didn't even get a chance to test fully: a completely redesigned construction with a reinforced glass screen, which Apple promises is sturdier all-around. We'll get to that in the next few weeks, but that alone could make a difference for a lot of would-be buyers.

3D Touch might be the "Next Big Idea" in touchscreens and interfaces. But does it make these new iPhones must-haves for that reason alone? I think it will, down the road, when more apps are here. But right now, its software advantages are subtle.

victor/blogger

I spent a week with the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus (in rose gold and gold, respectively), taking them everywhere I went, from farmer's markets in New Jersey to tailgating at a New York Jets game, to commuting on New Jersey Transit through the Meadowlands and to my kid's meet-the-teacher night. I showed them to my friends, my family, anyone I met and got their opinions, too. (For on-the-fly impressions, check out my weekend diary.)

I might take the miracle of tiny, powerful smartphones for granted, but I can't shake the feeling that the iPhone 6S doesn't, at this moment, have the "one big thing" to make people want to upgrade from the 6. That doesn't mean it's not a better phone, of course it is. Right now, however, it's a promising upgrade from the iPhone 6, not a revolution.

But if you've been holding off on getting an iPhone for a while, don't wait anymore. Get this one (or its big-screen sibling, the 6S Plus). Just make sure you don't buy the 16GB model.

             LG G5 

The modular add-ons you can snap onto its battery aren't the main reason to get an LG G5. Instead, it's all about the removable battery and an extra rear camera lens for taking wide-angle shots.

  The good The LG G5's unique modular design lets you swap in fun accessories. It has (two!) great rear cameras, expandable storage and a replaceable battery -- a rarity in high-end phones.

The bad Although you can swap out some parts, there aren't enough to make this feature compelling. You can only access the phone's app drawer in a specialized theme.

The bottom line This is the phone to get if you want a removable battery, but it fails to live up to its world-changing Swiss Army Knife potential.

My REVIEW

LG phones often play it safe, but this modular G5, which lets you swap out some parts, is all risk. I love the innovation -- no other company has gotten this far with a modular phone -- but unfortunately the device falls short on execution.

Swapping out parts means you turn off your smartphone each time, and there just aren't enough modules right now to make this truly captivating. (LG is selling two components, but they don't pique my interest all that much.) Maybe if there were more inspired modules, and more partners on board lining up cooler add-ons -- I love the idea of a swappable camera lens, for example -- I could be more excited about the G5, or at least more forgiving of its growing pains.

But it's not all bad news. Forget the modules and the device is the best handset with a removable battery, which is becoming a rarity in the phone world. Its aluminium build looks and feels great, and the two cameras on its back are a pleasure to use.

Overall, the G5 still isn't as good as Samsung's Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge when it comes to processing speed and battery life, but it'll work very well for all the things you really need to do: take photos, browse the internet, and watch videos throughout the day.

(For more on the G5's hardware specs and how it compares to other flagship handsets, scroll to the end of the review.)

 

 

LG's elegant and unorthodox G5 (pictures)

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

Design: This is not your modular fantasy

When LG first showed off the G5, it made a big deal of it being the first phone with modular capabilities. This ability to swap out and customize certain hardware parts has been a longtime fantasy for mobile users. Like building a personal computer, you can upgrade certain components that are important to you or fit a certain need. If you're going somewhere where you're going to take a variety of photos, for example, you might want to swap out your handset's stock lens for a fisheye or macro lens.

To use the feature, you'll need to push the small button on the device's left edge. The bottom of the G5 will pop out, allowing you to yank the attachment off the battery, clip the battery into the new module and push it all back together. Because the battery is attached to the bezel, the handset powers down every time you swap something out. This isn't a huge deal, but it takes time to fire up the phone after a switch, and if you swap parts often throughout the day it can be a power drain.

The G5's bottom bezel can be removed and swapped out for another accessory

Google attempted to make a modular handset with its Project Ara, but development on that stalled. The fact that LG got this off the ground is a win, but the feature is limited for now because there are only two accessories (so far) that take advantage of it.

One is called the Cam Plus. It's a camera grip that has a physical shutter button to record and capture video, and a zooming wheel. It also has a built-in battery, which you can use on top of the phone's battery for extra juice. The other accessory is the Hi-Fi Plus, a portable digital-to-analog converter (DAC) that boosts audio playback for high-definition sound files. Because the Hi-Fi Plus includes an audio grill, a USB Type-C port and a 3.5mm headphone jack, you can leave it attached to your G5 and use it all the time.

The LG Cam Plus camera grip, which can attach to the handset.

OKIKA VICTOR / BLOGGER

Swapping out the bottom bezel was a bit di