The first half of 2016 was an eventful one, as flagship phones such as the Samsung Galaxy S7 series, the OnePlus 3 and the mid-range-based Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 set new benchmarks in their respective segments. But, to everyone's surprise, none of them figure in the top-three popular phones listed by AnTuTu.

    As per the AnTuTu Benchmark app usage data,  Samsung's 2015 series flagship phablet Galaxy Note 5 was named the most popular handset in the first half of 2016 (Jan. 1 to June 30).

    The surprise does not stop there; the second and third slots were captured by the Note 5's S series siblings — the Galaxy S6 and the S6 edge — with 5.47 percent and 3.41 percent votes, respectively.

    Samsung's current marquee phone Galaxy S7 got the fourth spot, while Xiaomi's affordable phablet Redmi Note 3, ended up as the fifth-most popular handset.

    Galaxy S7's dual-screen model S7 edge was placed sixth, while the Meizu MX5 and the LG G3 occupied the seven and eighth positions, respectively.

    The Le 1s, made by LeEco (formerly known as LeTV), succeeded in occupying the ninth position. Meizu's Metal phone was ranked at the bottom of the list. Meizu is the second company with two or more devices to figure in the list.

Here is the official AnTuTu Benchmark data: