Every year sees companies refreshing their lineup of smartphones. As the new year begins, companies start gearing up for the launch of their latest flagships. These phones set the benchmarks in the smartphone industry. Today, we take a look at the year’s most anticipated devices.
Samsung Galaxy S9/S9+
The successor to the extremely popular S8/S8+ is one of the most awaited phones this year. The 'S' series has always been known for its top grade spec sheet and features, which are arguably second to none.
This year won’t be a big upgrade though. According to a report from Venturebeat, the phone will retain the curved bezel-less display of its predecessor, which means the phone will be available in two display sizes — 5.8 and 6.2 inches for the S9 and the S9+ respectively with the resolution being QHD for both the models.
Image: Ghostek
The S9+ is rumoured to have 6GB of RAM while its smaller sibling will have 4GB of RAM. Renders uploaded by OnLeaks suggest that the S9+ might feature a dual lens rear setup, which debuted with the Note 8, while the S9 will retain the single camera. Rumours also claim that the camera could capture videos at 1000fps, which means crispy ultra-slow motion videos — but there’s no word if this applies to both models.
The phone will be powered by the latest Snapdragon 845, or the in-house Exynos 9810, providing best performance available in the market yet.
Reports claim 64GB of storage, Micro SD expansion, and a new position for the fingerprint scanner. Yes, the fingerprint scanner is said to be placed below the camera, in the middle of the phone. Samsung has definitely paid heed to the feedback of consumers as the position of the fingerprint scanner was very odd in S8/S8+.
According to Korea Herald, the S9’s iris scanning lens will be upgraded from 2MP to 3MP for better recognition — in very bright or very dim environments, when wearing glasses, and when moving eyeballs.
Bixby, which made its way into the S8, sparking mixed reactions, will also be seen on the S9, hopefully with some improvements. The phone will run on android Oreo with Samsung’s custom UI on top.
Other rumours include AKG stereo speakers, IP68 water and dust resistance, and a bigger battery.
iPhone
Apple’s design language saw a major overhaul last year — thanks to the iPhone X. There was also the iPhone 8/8 Plus which retained the older design. As of now, we are unsure about the number of phones releasing this year. However, it seems certain that the new phone(s) will borrow designs heavily from the iPhone X.
Image: Martin Hajek
Also, expect a new iPhone SE. According to TrendForce, a second-generation iPhone X, along with a 6.5-inch 'iPhone X Plus,' as well as a 6.1-inch iPhone with a similar design to the iPhone X but with an LCD display instead of OLED will be released this year. However, the display will probably retain the aspect ratio seen on the iPhone X (19.5:9).
According to KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the second-generation iPhone X will feature a new, L-shaped battery that comes in a single cell and has increased capacity over current iPhone batteries, while the rumoured 6.5-inch variant will reportedly adopt the current two-cell design.
Nokia 9
Nokia came back from the dead last year — thanks to HMD. The company is trying hard to regain its No.1 position in the market, competing with the likes of Samsung and Apple. Last year mostly saw the launch of budget devices with the exception of Nokia 8, a mid-range device providing flagship grade performance for a lower price. Though not perfect, it was a good device to get started.
This year will see the launch of a full-fledged flagship — Nokia 9.
Photo: Amazon UK
Some of the specs for a rumoured Nokia 9 were revealed in FCC documents earlier, as reported by Liliputing. The report claims that the phone will have a 5.5-inch OLED display manufactured by LG, a Snapdragon 835 under the hood, 3250mAh battery and Android Oreo while retaining some features of its predecessor like the dual camera setup made in collaboration with Zeiss, OZO 360-degree audio, Bothie etc.
A 3D render leak by Onleaks in October suggests that we might also see a bezel-less, 18:9 aspect ratio, curved display on the Nokia 9.
Pixel 3/3 XL
This year’s Google Pixel 2/2 XL saw its own share of controversies. There were complaints about dull and blue tinted screen, burn-in, strange noises from the phone, random rebooting, etc. It was a very good phone nonetheless, excellent camera quality (With just single lens!), stock Android experience, fast performance and dual stereo speakers.
Where it lacked behind though, was the design department — the new Pixels look extremely dull, and dated, in a market full of phones having curved displays and glass backs. This year we hope to see a fresh new design.
Pixel 2
According to reports from Droid Life, not two but three smartphones will be launched this year. The three devices are codenamed Crosshatch, Albacore and Blueline.
The devices will run on the latest Android 9, with Snapdragon 845 powering the devices. The storage is touted to remain the same at 64GB and 128GB. We hope Google retains the waterproofing and the OLED display from the Pixel 2/2XL.
OnePlus 6
Last year’s offerings from OnePlus were a huge hit. OnePlus 5/5T were extremely popular devices in India, thanks to the excellent price-performance ratio. OnePlus has a policy of renewing its device lineup every 6 months. This year will see the launch of OnePlus 6 and maybe the 6T (The reason on that later).
OnePlus 5T
Pete Lau, CEO of OnePlus, in an interview with CNET at CES 2018 stated that their next phone will be launched in the latter part of Q2 2018. Powering the device will be the Snapdragon 845 as “there’s no other choice”. He went on to say that they are ready to join forces with US telecom carriers for sales of their smartphones in the West. Lau even stated that "he wasn't 100 per cent sure if OnePlus would release a second phone in 2018".
OnePlus 6 will surely retain the Bezel-less display and Dual Camera setup from the OnePlus 5T. We also hope to see improved facial recognition and an in-display fingerprint scanner.
HTC U12
HTC joined the bandwagon of bezel-less phones with the HTC U11+. Renders show that the U12 will also be having a similar panel. The phone will be powered by Snapdragon 845 and is touted to have a 4K display!
HTC U11
We might see the addition of facial recognition this year, with a lot of companies integrating the same. With no space up front, the fingerprint scanner is expected to be at the back. Also expected are dual cameras at the back and the squeeze function, as seen on the HTC U11.
LG G7
LG G6 was a stellar device, but somehow it failed to garner as good a response as the Samsung Galaxy S8. This year, LG will be hoping to turn its fortunes around.
Image: TigerMobiles
A render leak by TigerMobiles suggests that the device will have extremely thin bezels. We are also hoping to see an OLED panel this time around. Features like dual camera, IP68 water and dust proofing, wireless charging, which were present on the LG G6 are also expected to be retained. The phone is expected to run on the latest offering from Qualcomm — Snapdragon 845. LG reportedly might also include an advanced iris scanner for face unlocking.
While most of these rumours usually turn out true, there are some which are merely speculations and not a practical leak or rumour. All these are rumours and speculations should be taken with a pinch of salt.
— Deepayan Deb
