This year has been an exciting one for the smartphone so far, with big hitters like Apple launching the iPhone 7 and Samsung launching the Note 7, only having to withdraw it from sale due to battery problems. We’ve also seen the demise of the Nexus line and the birth of the Pixel, an Android smartphone which Google hopes can take on the dominance of Apple and Samsung. But what new smartphones lie ahead? Read on as we take a look.
New smartphones 2016 and 2017
By next year, it is estimated that over one-third of the world’s population will own a smartphone. That means a staggering 2.6 billion people worldwide will be smartphone users. In fact, the global need for smartphones does not look like it will slow down anytime soon, with Statista projecting that more than 1.8 billion handsets will be shipped in 2018. Countries like China and India are expected to account for 37% of all handset shipments by 2019.
So what new smartphones will we see in the rest of this year and next year? The handsets featured in this article have either been announced or are featured in rumors.
Huawei Mate 9
First rumored to be coming out in December, it now looks as though it could launch in November. Due to it being a flagship handset, it’s likely to be priced somewhere around $600. However, Huawei has not given any indication of this. So take this information with a grain of salt. It’s expected to be a huge handset with a 5.9-inch IPS LCD display. The resolution comes in at 1080 x 1920, which means a pixel density of 373ppi. Additionally, there’s a 20MP main camera, octa-core CPU, Android Nougat and more.
iPhone 8
Looking further ahead, we have the next on our list of new smartphones, the iPhone 8, which is the tenth anniversary iPhone. While Apple has not confirmed this device, it is widely believed that it will usher in many new technologies.
According to rumors, the iPhone 8 could be the device that gets Jony Ive his own way. It could be the ultimate in new smartphones, one that resembles a piece of glass. Along with this, it’s said that the handsets with feature an edge-to-edge OLED screen, and this rumor has recently been confirmed by an Apple supplier, which stated that at least one 2017 iPhone will have a glass body.
One Plus 4
Rumors are circulating about a possible successor to the One Plus 3. No name has been given yet, so this is pure speculation, but it could be called the OnePlus 4, OnePlus 3S, or even the One Plus 3 Plus.
The features are yet again purely speculation, but it’s thought that an LCD panel will be used instead of an AMOLED, and because it’s an upgrade, the possibility of a Snapdragon 821 chip is likely. But why a successor so soon? Apparently, OnePlus is having problems sourcing the AMOLED panel in the OnePlus 3, which could be the reason the phone is so difficult to obtain. So it would make sense for a new handset with readily available components to be produced.
Moto M
Google sold Motorola to Lenovo in 2014, and it has since made a name for itself. Devices like the Moto X Play have helped put it back on the roadmap of new smartphones. However, it has yet to compete at the highest level with Samsung and Apple.
The Moto M, a mid-range phablet which will replace the X-Play, is expected in December. Specs for the device have been registered in China with Tenna, the Chinese certification agency, and they show it has a 5.5-inch display. Rumors surrounding the device suggest that t could come in two variations, but there’s no conformation of this. A Snapdragon 625 or Mediatek Helio P10 is expected to power it, along with a large 3,000 mAh battery and 3GB of RAM.
Galaxy S8
Right now Samsung is still reeling from the debacle that was the Galaxy Note 7, so this next one in our list of new smartphones could be released earlier than planned to save the company’s bacon. The Galaxy S8 is caught up in a web of rumors at the moment, but right now a sense of urgency may push Samsung to release it sooner.
Samsung has not officially released any information about the Galaxy S8, so everything here is a rumor. A consensus among fans is that the company should not sit back and let Apple take advantage of its problems. Instead, the S8 should feature an iris scanner, dual-lens camera, 4K high resolution and edge-to-edge display. If this does come about, it will make this handset an extremely advanced one.
Final thoughts
And there you have five new smartphones that will probably be released this year or in 2017. Keep checking our technology section for more updates on the handsets that continue to be the focus of rumors. In the meantime, if you have any questions or comments about the handsets featured in this article, please feel free to place them in the comments section below.
