Which will be the standout smartphones of the next twelve months?
2015 is already a month old, but we have yet to see the anticipated major smartphone releases hit the stores. But this is set to change in the next couple of months, with the World Mobile Congress in Barcelona being an obvious setting for several new important releases. With this in mind, ValueWalk here looks at some of the most significant new smartphones due to be released into the public domain over the next twelve months.
Samsung Galaxy S6
This is an obvious place to start, as the Galaxy S6 will be unveiled at the Mobile world Congress, and will unquestionably be the headline device of the trade show. With Samsung hoping to narrow the gap on Apple during 2015, the performance of its flagship Galaxy S6 handset will be critical, as the smartphone is the most obvious rival to the all-conquering iPhone.
With one of the biggest mobile releases of this or any year only weeks away, there has been a great deal of speculation regarding the specifications and specific make-up of the Galaxy S6. Samsung has already called a special press conference for March 1 to preview this release ahead of the Mobile world Congress, and it will be intriguing to see what the Korean manufacturer has come up with this time round.
Firstly, the Galaxy S6 is expected to have a primarily metallic design. It was previously thought that it may be entirely constructed of metal, but recent rumors that Samsung will introduce wireless charging in the Galaxy S6 could eliminate this notion. Nonetheless, regardless of whether or not this is the case, this will be a primarily metallic device in its construction, and will be certain to feature one of the strongest spec lists of any device released during 2015.
According to recent reports, the successor to the Galaxy S5 may well feature an Exynos 7420 processor, Android 5.0 Lollipop, 1440 x 2560 pixels, 20MP main camera and 5MP front snapper, and 32GB of internal memory and 3GB RAM. This was reported on by the Chinese website CNMO, apparently based on benchmarking. There has been some disagreement as to whether the Galaxy S6 will feature 8501-inch or 5.5-inch display, but this should be a quad HD smartphone based on analyst expectation.
iPhone 7
Unfortunately, we have quite some time to wait for the latest device in the iPhone series, but the iPhone 7 should be well worth waiting for. It is almost guaranteed to be successful whatever Apple chooses to do with it, but the corporation has the opportunity to produce something spectacular with the iPhone 7 considering the immensely strong financial position it finds itself in at the moment.
Apple usually announces the iPhone during the third quarter of each calendar year, and the iPhone 7 is highly likely to fit into this product schedule. In terms of feature upgrades, Apple may be tempted to follow Samsung’s suit and produce both a curved screen iPhone 7 and one capable of wireless charging. Additionally, Apple has applied for and received approval for numerous patents which could appear in their handset, among which was the ability to turn the home button into a joystick for improved gaming.
It is almost as certain as the sun rising in the morning that this will be another hugely successful smartphone for Apple, and predictions regarding its specifications have indicated an A9 processor, 14MP main camera and 4MP front snapper, screen protected by sapphire crystal glass, chassis made of liquid metal and 2GB RAM as likely in this generation. Other sources have suggested that Apple will really pull out the stops in the camera department, and deliver a dual-lens device capable of near professional quality images.
HTC One M9
HTC continues to quietly churn out outstanding devices without ever making a serious impression on the mainstream market. This could change with the release of the HTC One M9, which will also be unveiled at the Mobile World Congress. Features expected for this device include a 5-inch full HD display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor, 20.7MP main camera and 13MP or UltraPixel 4MP front snapper, 3GB RAM, 2840mAh battery, HTC Sense 7, and Android 5.0 Lollipop.
Previous iterations of the series have been extremely impressive in technical terms, and HTC will hope that this handset finally attains them a mainstream audience.
Samsung Galaxy Note 5
This Samsung phablet will be released much later in the year than the Galaxy S6, but the Galaxy Note 5 will be almost as important for Samsung given the reception the last Galaxy Note device garnered. The Galaxy Note 4 was a standout device in 2014, and it is possible that this latest version of the Galaxy Note series may include a 4K resolution screen in an attempt to update from the previous device. Expect curved displays to be prominent as well.
Sony Xperia Z4
Another release expected to be announced at the Mobile World Congress is this latest handset from Sony. This is one of the most important mobile releases in the history of the Japanese Corporation considering that its mobile division has been haemorrhaging money at a rapid rate in recent years. Reports have indicated that he could have a 5.5-inch quad HD display, and 21MP main camera among other features.
LG G4
The LG G3 was rated by some publications as the very best smartphone of 2014, so there will be a lot of excitement and expectation about this successor. The LG G4 could conceivably feature 4K resolution and a 5.9-inch display, which would make this a uniquely powerful device. Possibly a 17MP remaining camera may also feature, along with other spec upgrades.
Microsoft Lumia 940
This smartphone is also being referred to as the Lumia McLaren, and is expected to feature massive upgrades over its predecessor. Having purchased Nokia, Microsoft will be desperate to begin to at least establish itself in the mobile marketplace, and will be hoping that this full HD device can do just that.
