What is the "smartphone that represents 2016" selected by the judges? (Part 2): Smartphone of the Year 2016 (1/2 page)

In early December, ITmedia Mobile held a screening committee for the "Smartphone of the Year 2016" to decide which smartphones will represent 2016.

The smartphones to be selected were released from December 2015 to November 2016, and the following 10 models remained in the final selection (listed in order of model release date, manufacturer name in parentheses).

The selection committee members for 2016 are Mr. Atsushi Ishikawa, Mr. Junya Ishino, Mr. Yuriko Ota, Mr. Masahiro Sano, Mr. Toru Shima, Mr. Suzumari, Mr. Asako Fusano, and Mr. Masatake Muramoto, who have covered the mobile phone industry throughout the year. , Yasuhiro Yamane, Raira (in alphabetical order) and ITmedia Mobile editorial department (two people are treated as one person).

Prior to the judging, the selection committee listed 5 nomination candidates for each model. The five models recommended by each committee member are as follows.

At the judging committee, we asked the committee members, except Mr. Yamane, who could not attend, to look back on the trends in the mobile phone industry in 2016 and talk about the recommended models and their reasons. In this article, we would like to introduce the comments of Yuriko Ota, Suzumari, Raira, and Satoshi Tanaka, Editor-in-Chief of ITmedia Mobile.

Mr. Ota I think 2016 was a hit year with many exciting products. Among them, I chose the one that is gimmickly interesting. However, the Robophone you are talking about feels like "this is not a phone" (laughs).It's an interesting new form of communication, and it's a connection between seniors and their families, but I wasn't sure what to choose.

This year is Huawei's breakthrough year. A customer center has also opened in Japan, and we have strategically released a large number of terminals. I think it was the most memorable manufacturer in line with the rise of the MVNO market.

I was surprised that the HUAWEI P9 was paired with Leica, and in fact, the finish is not ashamed of the Leica lens. The monochrome mode is highly evaluated, but the film mode is also good, and you can take pictures with calm colors and emotional appeal. While there are things like "film return" with instant cameras like "Cheki" and "Fujifilm single-use" among young people, P9's "Film mode" can take pictures that resonate with young people. increase. I often thought that this year (2016) would be this.

The Galaxy S7 edge is still VR, isn't it? VR has become popular in the IT industry as well, and it is definitely Galaxy's Gear VR that has started. Besides, there was also "Gear 360" as a shooting device. There are some parts of the camera that are unsatisfactory, but the flow of "shooting at 360 degrees and viewing in VR" was created, and Facebook also supports 360-degree photography, creating something like an ecosystem. I think this is an impactful event.

Another big impact was the ability to use Suica on the iPhone 7 Plus. With the availability of Suica on the iPhone, I think there is a possibility that a paradigm shift in electronic payments will occur. The iPhone has a large market share in Japan. From that point of view, iPhone's FeliCa support seems to have a big impact on credit card companies, and the points of various membership cards are also affected. I think it had such an economic impact. I chose the iPhone 7 Plus instead of the iPhone 7 because of the dual cameras, just like you guys.

"NuAns NEO" was only covered by me, but with the temporary rise of Windows 10 Mobile, I always wanted to include something. I chose NuAns NEO because I wasn't developing a smartphone until now, and it's interesting that Trinity made a smartphone even at a device maker, so I quickly adopted USB Type-C and put an IC card on the back side. It was the first time for me to take on various challenges, such as putting it in and having a gimmick to change clothes. It may be because it is my first entry, but I would like to buy that attitude.

You're right about the Moto Z. I thought it would be an ant to extend the functions of the smartphone with modules, and I evaluated that it was realized in a beautiful way. The new form of "smartphone + α" was attracting attention as "combination with AI", but he showed that there are also forms such as modules and coalescence as hardware.

Mr. Suzumari In 2015, I was only doing "Ingress", and I chose from the perspective of which terminal is the easiest to use with Ingress, but in 2016 I chose it by looking at the camera completely.

First I liked the Galaxy S7 edge camera. It is a camera that can take good pictures even in a dim place like a bar, can take delicious rice, and can take pictures anywhere. You can also make fine adjustments to the pro mode, so you can also "make pictures". At first, I was thinking of making a picture using Pro mode, but I could take very beautiful pictures even in Auto mode, so no matter where I went, I could leave the food to Auto. I was so impressed that I even recommended it to other people, saying "S7 edge is okay".

But then I met honor 8. When I heard at the recital that "the wide aperture function can be used with dual lenses," I felt like "Hmm," but when I actually used it, it had a strong impact. The camera is also good, and it is easy to use because there is no habit in various UIs such as the camera like Huawei's smartphone. If you install the app, an icon will be added, it will be iPhone tick, and the operation will be crisp. Above all, the cost performance is very good.

When I thought about it, the HUAWEI P9 appeared, and I was completely defeated by the Leica lens and film mode. It's a terminal that I thought "I want to go outside to take snapshots" for the first time in a while. The more I take it, the more I like it. The movement is crisp, and there is no "dislike" part. I think "I want to take a picture equivalent to 57mm with a wide aperture". "What kind of smartphone will come out after P9?" "I want to use it like this, so please ask for the next model!" It is a smartphone that wants to wait for the next model in a good way for the first time in a long time.

Also, the Galaxy S7 edge, HUAWEI P9, and honor 8 are also focusing on in-camera skin-beautifying photography. I think that it cannot be removed in that respect as well.

The iPhone 7 Plus appreciates its dual cameras and portrait mode. I really liked the expression of the camera around the "iPhone 4s". While the P9 has a moist atmosphere, the current iPhone feels dry or nostalgic. However, if you get hooked on portrait mode, it will be a good picture. For example, outdoors on a sunny day. It's a pity that it's not all-round. I also want you to manage the shutter sound (everyone laughs and nods).

(* Editor's note: With the application of "iOS 10.2", the shutter sound has become smaller)

Robophone is difficult to see as a smartphone, but the camera function is fun. I've brought it to karaoke only by the women. At that time, when I put it in party mode, he took more and more pictures. That was very convenient. Robophone remembers his name and face, so it's fun to see the pictures later. Where did you take the picture? I wanted to think that it was an "interesting camera" that included communication. I have a friend of mine who buys it and owns it, but I really carry it with me. That's why I'm really addicted to those who are addicted to it. Even if you look at it as a landline phone, the notification reading function is convenient, so I wonder if you don't have to take it out. It's pretty.