The year 2017 was indeed a year of smartphones, witnessing many flagships entering the fray with bezel-less displays, dual cameras, larger adoption of OLED displays, innovative designs etc. This year it looks like there’s much more gadget lovers can anticipate for. While there are rumors and speculations about specifications from several flagships, am sure it will be worth the wait. Here we bring to you the list of most awaited and new generation phones of 2018 that are going to make an impact on the other industries as well.
1. Apple iPhones
To begin with, the Steve Job’s iPhones are expected to hit the market in September 2018. It is rumored that the next-generation iPhones to be unveiled by Apple would look more similar to iPhone X and feature a 6.1-inch 18:9 OLED display and 4GB RAM. However, it is unclear what the iPhone would be called. It is also suspected that it will move from stainless steel back to aluminum to bring the price down while retaining that 19:9 display and using Face ID rather than Touch ID in a home button. Apple is expected to offer a couple of sizes in this design, making some differentiation between the two.
2. Samsung Galaxy S9
It is speculated that the launch of Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus will be one of the biggest of the year in the phone realm for its enhanced specs that include an intelligent scan technology combined with Face Unlock and iris scanner. The Galaxy S9 is expected to resemble the previous generation Galaxy S8 in terms of design with the same 5.8-inch display while the Galaxy S9 Plus is expected to have a 6.2-inch display. It is rumored that Galaxy S9 Plus might get an exclusive 512 GB inbuilt storage variant in select markets. Recently, Samsung has confirmed that there will be a third variant with a dual sim version of the Galaxy S9 Plus. Samsung is all set for an official launch of the Galaxy S9 duo on 25th February 2018, at MWE 2018.
3. OnePlus 6
OnePlus CEO Pete Lau Hae confirmed that the next-generation OnePlus handset will launch by the end of Q2 2018. The flagship smartphone will be powered by Qualcomm’s top-of-the-line SnapDragon 845 chipset. According to speculators, the all-New OnePlus handset will ship with a fingerprint sensor embedded beneath its display. This is the same feature that Apple rejected for its iPhone X. OnePlus moves the fingerprint sensor to the back of its phone with the launch of the OnePlus 5T late last year.
4. Mi 7
Xiaomi’s Mi 7 that was rumored to have a launch at the Mobile World Congress 2018 next month, might not unveil the flagship smartphone, according to a source close to the Chinese manufacturer. On the other hand, the company is expected to launch the Mi Mix 2S and their own Surge S2 chipset at the MWC 2018.
The information comes from a source close to the Chinese smartphone manufacturer who claims that Xiaomi may not have any major announcements this MWC and it is expected that the phone could go official in the next couple of months. The flagship smartphone is expected to come with an 18:9 display, powered by Qualcomm’s latest processor, Snapdragon 845. It would have dual cameras set up at the back and run on Android Oreo.
5. Nokia 9
Nokia 9, the next flagship smartphone after the Nokia 8, is expected to be launched during the annual Mobile World Congress 2018 event. New leaks suggest that the smartphone will come with a dual camera setup and a fingerprint sensor placed below the dual-camera on the rear side of the smartphone. An LED flash sits beside the camera on the smartphone. The Nokia 9 images show an 18:9 aspect ratio display with curved edges. The report mentions that the smartphone is expected to come with a display similar to the Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8 with slightly bigger bezels at the bottom and top of the display. Nokia 9 expected to be launched with a 5.5-inch OLED display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chip and at least 4 GB of RAM.
6. Sony Xperia XZ2 or XZ Premium 2
The Sony Xperia XZ2, rumored to be announced in the next month’s Mobile World Congress show, looks unlikely to launch in February. However, it is expected to arrive until autumn. The Sony Xperia XZ2 mobile features a 5.5" (13.97 cm) display with a screen resolution of 1080 x 2160 pixels and runs on Android v8.0 (Oreo) operating system. The device is powered by Octa-core (2.45 GHz, Quad core, Kryo 280 + 1.9 GHz, Quad core, Kryo 280) processor paired with 4 GB of RAM. As far as the battery is concerned it has 3250 mAh. Over that, as far as the rear camera is concerned this mobile has a 20 MP camera.
The Sony Xperia XZ Premium 2 is expected to be seen at MWC 2018. The leaks suggest that the XZ Premium 2 has a large edge-to-edge screen and a mirror-like back, a fingerprint scanner built into the screen, plus a Snapdragon 845 chipset, 6GB of RAM, a dual-lens rear camera, 128GB of storage and front-facing stereo speakers. The flagship will see a number of new smartphones being unveiled at MWC 2018 including the all-new Xperia XZ Pro.
7. LG G7
The launch of the G7 is on schedule says the company and the flagship smartphone is likely to make its appearance at the Mobile World Congress in late February. The handset will come with a full Vision display like the predecessor LG G6 sporting a 6-inch OLED bezel-less screen, a Snapdragon 845 processor, up to 6GB RAM, either 64 or 128GB storage, Android 8.1 Oreo, iris scanner, and dual-cameras on the back.
8. Samsung Galaxy Note 9
Samsung Galaxy Note 9, the successor of Samsung’s most-expensive smartphone, Galaxy Note 8, is expected to have an all-glass front, with a truly bezel-less design. The handset will have a fingerprint scanner embedded into or rather under the display, and also the camera and sensors integrated here. The Super AMOLED screen will most certainly act as a light source for the sensor.
Along with this, it is also expected that the South Korean tech giant will also launch its foldable smartphone Galaxy X, which it showcased at CES 2018. The smartphone is likely to sport 7.3-inch foldable display and it will be the part of Note series of the company.
9. Moto G6
Like most other flagships, Motorola is also expected to unveil its Moto G6 device at MWC. A successor to the last year launched Moto G5, the device is expected to come in the budget segment and run Android 8.0 Oreo operating system. The device is expected to sport a 5.7-inch Full HD+ display, Snapdragon 450 SoC, dual rear camera, and a 3,000mAh battery. The company is expected to launch the device in March this year in India.
10. Huawei P20
An online leak recently confirmed that the Chinese device maker Huawei will launch its flagship smartphone P20 at MWC 2018 next month. The leak also revealed that the company will be incorporating triple camera in the smartphone. The 6-inch device is expected to have an iPhone X-style notch.
The triple camera placed on the rear panel is said to offer the 40MP sensor with 5X hybrid zoom. The device is expected to be powered by the company’s own Kirin 970 chipset processor and might come with a facial recognition feature.