 It's been a wild year for smartphones. We've seen everything from modular phones to exploding phones to even an iPhone that can get wet. And even though smartphones have been part of our lives for nearly a decade now, there's still a lot of interesting things happening with them. Now with so much going on with phones, it can be hard to figure out which is the right phone for you. After all, it's harder than ever to buy a bad phone at this point. Any phone you can buy in a store is going to have great screen, reliable battery life, fast performance, and a camera that can take incredible photos. But there's still one phone that stands out when you consider all the factors that are important. Build quality, reliability, camera, apps, and support after you buy it. Now despite having a similar design as its predecessors and a couple of new annoyances, the iPhone 7 and its bigger sibling, the 7 Plus, are the best phones for the most people. They are exceptionally well built, they have fast, reliable performance, they have batteries that will get most people through a full day of use, and they have a camera that's as good as anything else out there. You can even get the iPhone wet this year, so if you spill your beer on it or drop it in a puddle, you don't have to worry about it. Now the iPhone 7 is familiar looking and it works pretty much like every other iPhone before it, but it's also the smartphone that has the least amount of headaches. It also has great customer support. If something goes wrong or breaks, you can just walk into an Apple store and get it fixed. The two phones are largely identical, except for $130 more, the 7 Plus gives you a bigger screen, a bigger battery, and a second camera, which lets you zoom in closer on your subject or perform DSLR type of effects. The decision between the two really comes down to whether you want a big phone or not, and it's really up to you. But not everything is perfect with the iPhone 7. The biggest annoyance is the fact that it doesn't have a headphone jack anymore, which means that you need to use the included earbuds, the included adapter with a different set of headphones, or go entirely wireless. It's a nuisance that will either be a deal breaker or not an issue at all, depending on how you use your phone. Now despite that shortcoming, the iPhone 7 is still the phone I recommend to the most people. It's a slightly better iPhone, which means that it's a really good thing. But what if you don't want an iPhone, or you really do want a headphone jack? Then you should check out Google's new phone, the Pixel. Like the iPhone 7, the Google Pixel comes in two sizes, has a great screen, fast performance, great battery life, and a great camera. It also has a headphone jack. It's the best Android phone ever made, and it's the closest thing you can get to an it-just-works experience in Google's world. The Pixel and Pixel XL are largely identical, but for $130 more, the XL comes with a larger screen and a larger battery. But they still have the same performance, software, and cameras. Now as good as the Pixel is, there are two things keeping it from the top this year. It's lack of water resistance, and the fact that Verizon is the only carrier in the US selling it. If you want to use a Pixel on AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, or another carrier, you have to buy it directly from Google, which means you can't just walk into a store if something goes wrong. Still, it's an excellent device, and it's the one I use every day. But wait, I know what you're thinking. It's 2016, and both of those phones are well over $600. Are you saying that I still need to spend a fortune to get a great phone? The answer is no, and there are a lot of great phones for $400 or even less. There's the Moto X Play with its modular design and killer battery life, or the pint-sized powerhouse iPhone SE from Apple. But the best phone in this group is from a company you've probably never heard of, and it's the OnePlus 3. The OnePlus 3 has the design and finish of a $600 or $700 phone. It's got a great screen, great performance, great camera, and great battery life. You'd really be shocked at how good it is for this price. It does have limits, though. The OnePlus 3 only works with AT&T and T-Mobile, and the only way to buy it is directly from OnePlus itself, which doesn't have the best reputation for support. But unlike the iPhone 7 or Samsung's S7 line, you can't get the OnePlus 3 wet at all. But for half the price of an iPhone, Galaxy, or Pixel, it's really hard to find fault with it. And whether you spend $400 or $900, you're going to get a modern, capable smartphone that will last you at least a couple of years. For most people, the best phone is still the iPhone 7. But if you go with the Pixel or even the OnePlus, you're going to be just as happy.