As mobiles became bigger, more feature rich and versatile in 2016, perhaps nothing ruled consumer minds like their batteries. From the explosive batteries that almost sunk the year for Samsung, to the new class of Quick Charge batteries that are becoming the new regular. Batteries that last link to the world of being connected with a wire for smartphones are set to become the focus of a major push for a quantum jump. And the sooner that happens, the better it will be, for the next generation of smartphones to surprise us. Until then, here is our list of top 5 smartphones of 2016 that pack in a battery that makes a difference. 
Redmi 3S Prime – Rs 8,999
Xiaomi redefined the budget segment by launching probably the best budget smartphone of 2016 – the Redmi 3S Prime. This people’s favourite is the real deal and still rules the sub-10K smartphone segment with its huge 4100 mAh non-removable Lithium-ion battery ensuring that all the rest of the impressive hardware actually gets to sweat before you think about a recharge. The Redmi 3S Prime comes with a gorgeous aluminium unibody design which curves at the back to give that confidence when you hold the device. Up front, there is a 5-inch HD (1280 x 720 pixels) IPS LCD display. Digging inside, we get a fairly new Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 430 64-bit chipset clocked at 1.4GHz with Adreno 405 GPU. The device comes with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage which is expandable up to 128GB via microSD card, though it comes with a Dual hybrid SIM slot. For the photography, the device comes with a 13-megapixel rear camera with phase detection autofocus (PDAF), 5-piece lens, f/2.0 aperture and built-in HDR features. The front camera, on the other hand, is a 5-megapixel shooter. Connectivity options include Bluetooth 4.1, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, GPS connectivity and micro USB 2.0. The device runs on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow with MIUI 8.1.1 on top and supports USB OTG with Infrared blaster on board as well.
Coolpad Note 5 – Rs 10,999
Stretching the budget a little more is the Coolpad Note 5 . A silent battery powerhouse in the budget segment the Coolpad Note 5 comes with 5.5-inch Full HD IPS display with a 4010 mAh battery inside. Running on Android 6.0 Marshmallow with Cool UI, the device is powered by a 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 paired with 4GB RAM and 32GB of internal storage which is expandable up to 64GB via micro SD card (Hybrid Dual SIM slot). For the photography, there is a 13-megapixel camera with f/2.2 aperture and autofocus and 8-megapixel front camera with an LED flash on both sides. Connectivity options are standard with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, microUSB 2.0, USB OTG etc. Another alternative for this already impressive device can be Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 3 (https://www.themobileindian.com/handset-guide/details/Xiaomi-Redmi-Note-3-3GB) which also sports 4050 mAh battery and interestingly a more powerful processor, however, it comes with 3GB RAM and a little more money at Rs 11,999 for 32GB variant.
Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro – Rs 32,490
Moving on to the high-end, high performance smartphone category. If you are one of those who is totally into media consumption and like to play games, the Galaxy A9 Pro is for you. Apart from pretty decent specifications, the smartphone features a huge 5000 mAh with Quick Charge technology. Coming to the specifications, the Galaxy A9 Pro is surely for people with big hands with its 6-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display. Samsung has also given Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protection. Going inside, you get not so high-end processor i.e. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 652 couples with Adreno 510 GPU. The smartphone runs on Android Marshmallow and is equipped with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage which is expandable up to 256GB via dedicated micro SD card slot. In the camera department, there is a 16-megapixel shooter at the back with f/1.9 aperture, autofocus, OIS and LED flash. On the front, there is an 8-megapixel sensor with f/1.9 aperture as well. You get built-in Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth v4.2, GPS, NFC and surprisingly a micro USB v2.0. Well, one might argue that the Galaxy A9 Pro is a little over priced for its specifications but that is where the brand value comes in and plays its part.
Xiaomi’s Mi Max – Rs 14,999
This can be a surprise entry for some but if you want a cheaper variant of the Galaxy A9 Pro with similar specifications, Mi Max is what you should go for. The device comes with an even bigger display at 6.4-inches and equally substantial 4850 mAh battery. The display comes with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels is wrapped around a metallic unibody design which is a lot similar to Redmi Note 3’s. Digging inside, you get a Hexa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 chipset with Adreno 510 for graphics. There is a 3GB of RAM inside paired with 32GB internal storage which is expandable up to 256GB via hybrid Dual SIM slot (one microSD + one SIM or SIM + SIM). Coming to the camera, you get a 16-megapixel primary camera with f/2.0 aperture, PDAF, dual-LED and can record 4K video. While at the front, we get a 5-megapixel f/2.0 shooter. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth v4.2, micro USB v2.0 etc. However, Xiaomi also launched a Prime version of Mi Max later in the year with Snapdragon 652, 4GB of RAM, 128GB of internal storage and rest of specifications being the same. The Prime variant is priced at Rs 19,999.
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ASUS Zenfone 3 Max – Rs 12,999 or Rs 17,999
To detail you about the ASUS Zenfone 3 Max, the company released two variants – a 5.2-inch variant and a 5.5-inch variant. While the 5.5-inch variant sports a 4100 mAh battery, the 5.2-inch variant sports a slightly bigger battery with 4130 mAh capacity. Starting with the cheaper variant i.e. 5.2-inch variant, ASUS Zenfone 3 Max (ZC520TL) is powered by a Quad-Core Mediatek MT6737M processor clocked at 1.25GHz and coupled with Mali – T720MP2 GPU. You get 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage which is further expandable. For the camera, there is a 13-megapixel primary camera with f/2.2 aperture with LED flash coupled with a 5-megapixel front camera with f/2.0 aperture. The 5.2-inch display is 720p and the device runs on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow with ZenUI 3.0 on top. 
Moving on to the bigger variant, the 5.5-inch on the Zenfone 3 Max (ZC553KL) comes with Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) resolution, 3GB RAM and 32GB of internal storage which is expandable up to 128GB. The chipset in this variant is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 430 clocked at 1.4 GHz with Adreno 505 to handle the graphics. There is a 16-megapixel primary camera with f/2.0 aperture, PDAF, dual-LED flash paired with an 8-megapixel front facing camera which comes with f/2.2 aperture.
Connectivity options on both the variants are standard with built-in Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, GPS, microUSB v2.0, USB OTG. Both the variants also sports a fingerprint scanner and all the necessary Sensors except that the cheaper 5.2-inch variant skips the gyroscope. Lastly, for the design, there is little difference between the two, one of them being the presence of capacitive touch buttons on the 5.5-inch variant.
Special Mentions-
The recently launched Nubia N1 which is priced at Rs 11,999 also sports some impressive specifications with a massive 5000 mAh battery inside. ()
Gionee Marathon M5 Plus
Though released late last year, the Marathon M5 Plus was launched in India in April 2016. The smartphone boasts a 5020 mAh battery apart from a Mediatek MT6753 processor, 3GB RAM, 64GB internal storage which is expandable up to 256GB, 13-megapixel rear camera with a 5-megapixel shooter at the front, USB Type-C port for charging and data syncing and a huge 6.0-inch 1080p AMOLED Display panel.
Launched in the first week of 2016, ASUS Zenfone Max though was originally released in 2015, entered the Indian smartphone market in 2016. The smartphone features 5000 mAh battery and is priced at Rs 9,999.