2017 was quite a win for smartphones, with some pretty amazing devices taking the market by storm. It was a really fun year for us in particular, getting to try out and test out all of these spiffy gadgets.
Even as the iPhone 8 Plus swaggered up to the plate, and the Pixel 2 XL stole our hearts with its camera, it was the OnePlus 5T that stood out as the best value for money purchase this year. Even the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 put up a decent show, though it seemed to fall a bit short of the mark. But now it’s time to look ahead at the new best smartphones coming out in 2018, and why they’re worth saving up for.
Nokia 9
The latest from the company’s revamped line, the Nokia 9 will sport a 5.5-inch OLED display, a Snapdragon 835 chip, as well as 12MP and 13MP dual rear cameras with a 5MP front-facing camera. Though the RAM amount is unsure, it’ll have 128GB of built-in storage a 3,250mAh battery, and run Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box.
Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus
Not much is known about the upcoming Samsung devices, other than they’ll likely be announced in February, and will be upgrades to the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus. Particularly, that means the new Snapdragon 845 processor, and the fingerprint sensor shifting back below the camera from next to the lens. They’re likely to get 4GB and 6GB of RAM respectively and will thankfully retain the headphone jack.
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
With the Galaxy Note 9, Samsung is expected to upgrade the iris recognition and dual camera on the phablet, as well as give it the new Snapdragon 845, though rumours are varying regarding the bezel size and fingerprint scanner placement. Some even peg that this will be the first Samsung smartphone with a scanner embedded beneath the display, but that remains to be seen.
HTC
Aside from the HTC U11 Plus coming January 2018, it’s unclear if we’ll see a whole lot more from the company. HTC has reportedly taken a decision to reduce its smartphone portfolio in 2018, and instead focus on only one flagship device per year.
Apple iPhone ?
Apple will reportedly release three smartphones with notched display in 2018; a 6.5-inch OLED device, another with a 5.8-inch OLED, and one more with a 6.1-inch LCD display. Supposedly, the LCD model will feature a metal back instead of glass, with several colours available. Aside from that, all you can really expect is that they’ll be ruthless on your pockets.
Google Pixel 3
There have been no real rumours about the Pixel 3 we know is due in 2018, so we can only be sure it’s going to have the Snapdragon 845 processor. Aside from that, fans have been clamouring for a bezel-less display, the return of the headphone jack, and especially wireless charging. Fingers crossed that the Google Assistant somehow gets even smarter as well.
OnePlus 6
The OnePlus 6 is expected to debut March 2018, with many speculating it’ll be one of the first to feature a fingerprint scanner embedded under the display. Aside from the Snapdragon 845 inside, expect a few hardware improvements, and maybe a radical new design.
Sony Xperia XZ2
The biggest change expected for the upcoming Xperia XZ2 is that it’s losing the bezel on the sides and possibly even the bottom, similar to the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2. Not much else is known about the device but, with a screen that size, maybe we’ll get lucky and see a new 4K display.
Which one of these phones are you looking forward to the most?