Best AT&T Android phones (March 2016)

AT&T and Verizon have been engaged in a bit of a cold war for the top carrier spot in the United States for some time now. While both carriers have a great selection of phones, many folks claim AT&T’s selection is a bit broader. AT&T has everything from the best flagship devices to midrange phones, all the way down to budget friendly options.

Below you’ll find our list of the best Android phones available on AT&T’s network. We’ve also added a couple unlocked options at the bottom of the post if you’re interested in going off-contract. Without any further ado, let’s get started!

Editor’s note – We will be updating this list as more devices hit the market.

Update, March 2016: The Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge have made their way to the top of the list, bumping off the LG G4, Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge.


Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge

Samsung did a killer job with their 2015 flagship smartphones, the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. Design-wise, many would say those two phones were close to perfect. The company forwent a plastic design and instead included glass front and back panels with an aluminum frame. They weren’t without their flaws, though. The S6 and S6 Edge didn’t offer expandable storage or removable batteries — two features Samsung has been known to include in all its smartphones for years.

Now the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge have made their way to the masses, and they fix many of the problems the S6 line introduced last year. While they don’t offer removable batteries, Samsung included expandable storage on both handsets in case the 32GB of on-board storage isn’t enough. Samsung mostly stuck to the same design this time around, though they did shrink down the camera bumps on the back and made the devices a little thicker to make room for larger batteries.

In terms of specs, these are top-of-the-line smartphones. They come with Quad HD Super AMOLED displays, Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processors, 4GB of RAM, great 12MP rear-facing cameras and run the latest version of Android. Instead of featuring the same screen sizes this time around though, Samsung kept the S7 at a smaller 5.1 inches, while the S7 Edge has been bumped up to a larger 5.5-inch panel.

Seriously, these are some incredible smartphones. They are a little pricey, but all in all, we think the high asking price is worth it.

Specs

Samsung Galaxy S7

  • 5.1-inch Super AMOLED display with 2560 x 1440 resolution, 577ppi
  • Quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor
  • 4GB of RAM
  • 32GB of on-board storage, microSD expansion up to 200GB
  • 12MP rear camera, 5MP front camera
  • Non-removable 3000mAh battery
  • Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow
  • 142.4 x 69.6 x 7.9mm, 152g

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge

  • 5.5-inch Super AMOLED display with 2560 x 1440 resolution, 534ppi
  • Quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor
  • 4GB of RAM
  • 32GB of on-board storage, microSD expansion up to 200GB
  • 12MP rear camera, 5MP front camera
  • Non-removable 3600mAh battery
  • Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow
  • 150.9 x 72.6 x 7.7mm, 157g

Read more

Buy the Galaxy S7 from AT&TBuy the Galaxy S7 Edge from AT&T


Samsung Galaxy Note 5

It’s hard denying that Samsung has always been the king of large-screened smartphones, and that still holds true today. With its crystal clear 5.7-inch display, powerful Exynos 7420 CPU and killer 16MP rear-facing camera, the Galaxy Note 5 is one of the best Android phones available on the market right now.

It’s an all-around solid device, boasting an all-glass chassis that’s similar to that of the Galaxy S6. It comes with an improved S Pen and some great multitasking features that will make it easy to get work done. The software is much more clean and simple than we’ve seen from the company in the past, too.

With all of that said, though, this device doesn’t come without its caveats. Samsung’s decision to omit the microSD card slot and removable battery has been a controversial one, especially among Samsung die-hards. Even with these notable omissions, the Note 5 can still be considered one of the best out there.

You can purchase the Galaxy Note 5 from AT&T starting at $24.67 per month with an installment plan or for $739.99 full retail.

Specs

  • 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display with 1440 x 2560 resolution, 518ppi
  • Samsung Exynos 7420 processor
  • 4GB of RAM
  • 32/64GB of on-board storage, no microSD card expansion
  • 16MP rear camera, 5MP front camera
  • Non-removable 3000mAh battery
  • Android 5.1.1 Lollipop
  • 153.2 x 76.1 x 7.6mm, 171g

Read more

Buy now from AT&T


LG V10

If you aren’t completely satisfied with the LG G4, perhaps the V10 will suit your needs. It has the same powerful Snapdragon 808 processor and 16MP rear-facing camera as the G4, but with a few extra features included. Most notably, the V10 sports a secondary “ticker” display LG calls the Second Screen. This extra display aims to provide its users useful information without the need to turn on the main screen. It will display app shortcuts, notifications, and even weather and battery percentage information. Although the placement is a bit wonky, we’re sure you’ll be pretty happy with the added benefit of having a secondary display.

The V10 also has two front-facing cameras for wide-angle selfies, a fingerprint scanner that’s actually really reliable, a MIL-STD-810G Transit Drop Compliant rating for shock absorption, and a 32-bit Hi-Fi DAC electronic processor with support for Qualcomm’s QFE2550 closed-loop antenna tuning solution. It’s also the first smartphone ever to come with a manual mode for taking video.

The LG V10 is available now from AT&T for $23.34 per month with an installment plan or for $699.99 full retail.

Specs

  • Main display: 5.7-inch IPS Quantum Display with 2560 x 1440 resolution, 513ppi
    • Secondary display: 2.1-inch IPS Quantum Display with 160 x 1040 resolution, 513ppi
  • Hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor
  • 4GB of RAM
  • 64GB of on-board storage, microSD expansion up to 2TB
  • 16MP rear camera, 5MP Dual Lens front camera
  • Removable 3000mAh battery
  • Android 5.1 Lollipop
  • 159.6 x 79.3 x 8.6mm, 192g

Read more

Buy now from AT&T


Samsung Galaxy S6 Active

The Samsung Galaxy S6 may be the phone to beat in the design department, but it’s by no means a tough phone. For those who need something that will keep up with the horrors of an active lifestyle, Samsung put together the Galaxy S6 Active.

This device is special in that, unlike most other rugged smartphones, it does not sacrifice in the specs department. It comes with the same Exynos 7420 processor, 3 gigabytes of RAM, 5.1-inch Quad HD display and pretty much everything else that the S6 brings to the table. This thing is powerful in every sense of the word, and it even comes with a whopping 3500mAh battery, meaning it can run laps around the regular Samsung Galaxy S6 without breaking a sweat.

The Galaxy S6 Active is rated IP68, which means it can be submerged under 1.5 meters of water for up to 30 minutes. In addition, it meets MIL-STD-810G standards for shock resistance. And for the workout buffs Samsung has added a direct shortcut button to the Activity Zone, giving you quick access to tools like the weather, a stopwatch, a flashlight an an S-Health overview. Think of this like a Samsung Galaxy S6, but tough and without lackluster battery life.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 Active is available from AT&T for $19.84 per month with an installment plan or for $594.99 off-contract.

Specs

  • 5.1-inch Super AMOLED display with 1440 x 2560 resolution, 577ppi
  • Samsung Exynos 7420 processor
  • 3GB of RAM
  • 32GB of on-board storage, no microSD card expansion
  • 16MP rear camera, 5MP front camera
  • Non-removable 3500mAh battery
  • Android 5.1.1 Lollipop
  • 146.8 x 73.4 x 8.6mm, 150g

Read more

Buy now from AT&T


Going off-contract?

If you’re not keen on spending $600+ on one of the off-contract smartphones listed above, there are certainly some other smartphones out there that are worth your hard-earned money. The top two off-contract smartphones that we’d recommend can’t be purchased from any carrier, which is why they didn’t make our initial list. So if you’re looking for a great off-contract smartphone, you can’t go wrong with the Nexus 6P or Motorola Moto X Pure Edition.

Nexus 6P

As the successor to last year’s Motorola Nexus 6, Google recently unveiled the Huawei-made Nexus 6P. This device is the higher-end of the two Nexus phones announced at Google’s event, and that’s incredibly apparent when looking at the spec sheet.

It comes with a big 5.7-inch Quad HD AMOLED display, super fast Snapdragon 810 processor, a giant 3450mAh battery and an impressive 12MP rear-facing camera. Want to get your hands on one? The Nexus 6P is pretty cheap, considering the specs and build quality. You can purchase it from the Google Store starting at just $499!

This is really one of the best Android handsets we’ve ever seen. If you have a few hundred dollars to spend and aren’t keen on the best from Samsung or LG, get the Nexus 6P.

Specs

  • 5.7-inch AMOLED display with 1440 x 2560 resolution, 518ppi
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor
  • 3GB of RAM
  • 32/64/128GB of on-board storage, no microSD card expansion
  • 12MP rear camera, 8MP front camera
  • Non-removable 3450mAh battery
  • Android 6.0 Marshmallow
  • 159.3 x 77.8 x 7.3mm, 178g

Read more

Buy now from the Google StoreBuy now from Amazon


Motorola Moto X Pure Edition (aka Moto X Style)

With the original Moto X, Motorola proved you don’t need to have the latest specs to get a great user experience. With the second generation, the Lenovo-owned company took no chances and double-downed on the spec side as well, packing the new Moto X (2014) with a dense 5.2-inch AMOLED screen, a beefy processor, and a capable 13MP camera. But with the Moto X Style, Motorola reaches the perfect balance between performance, simplicity, price and… well, style.

By Style we are mostly referring customization capabilities, a factor which has been an integral part of the Moto X experience since day one. Customers can use Moto Maker to manipulate their devices’ aesthetics to their will. You can change the color of the metal areas, engrave the back and even choose from a plethora of back options, including materials leather, wood, rubber and other materials.

The device is not a bad contender in terms of hardware, either. The larger screen puts the phone up with contenders like the OnePlus 2, Nexus 6, LG G4 and the Galaxy Note series. It may not sport the “best” processor in the market, but the Snapdragon 808 is pretty close to the 810, and Motorola has proven time and again they can make a super fast phone without the greatest chipset.

It’s worth noting that the phone will be sold in most markets under the Style branding, though in the United States it will be sold as the Moto X Pure Edition, an unlocked model that will play nice with all U.S. carriers. You can purchase the Moto X Pure Edition from Motorola or Amazon for only $399.99.

Specs

  • 5.7-inch IPS LCD display with 2560 x 1440 resolution, 520ppi
  • 1.8GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor
  • 3GB of RAM
  • 16/32/64GB of on-board storage, microSD expansion up to 128GB
  • 21MP rear camera, 5MP front camera
  • Non-removable 3000mAh battery
  • Android 6.0 Marshmallow
  • 153.9 x 76.2 x 11.06 mm, 179g

Read more

Buy now from MotorolaBuy now from Amazon


How did you like our list? Do you have any other suggestions? If so, feel free to voice your opinion in the comments below!

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By | 2016-03-21T17:00:16+00:00 March 21st, 2016|Android Related, Just the Tablets|0 Comments

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