Top 5 Upcoming Smartphones in 2017

2016 is behind us and it had been an eventful year for a lot of smartphone manufacturers. The ill-fated Note 7 had brought tremendous damages to Samsung, Nokia is returning to the smartphone business and there were just too many to keep track of. 2017 isn’t going to be easy for a lot of manufacturers. Let’s see what smartphones we can expect in 2017.

No.1: Samsung Galaxy S8/S8 Plus

The upcoming Galaxy S8 is one of phones I expect most going into 2017. This phone could have a critical effect on Samsung’s sales as well as regaining the trust from customers. Samsung has always been on top of their game. The company’s been making an effort to innovate by introducing new technologies to their smartphones when Apple doesn’t choose to release them. Apple holds on to them years and years but Samsung is, at least, making an attempt at innovating, whether it’s useful to customers or not. The Galaxy S8 would be even bigger than the S7, the screen is getting larger in size but bezels are shrinking. Although it won’t sport a 4K display, there would be other improvements. The new Galaxy S8 would be featuring a new OLED display with a new RGB pixel structure which provides more vivid and brighter colors. A new leak actually shows that the display would be just like the S7 Edge but with an even higher screen-to-body ratio. And it’s for sure that the specs of the Galaxy S8 would be top-notch, Snapdragon 835 and at least 6GB of RAM are expected.

No.2: iPhone 8

This year is the 10th anniversary of the announcement of the first generation of iPhone, so there have been rumors that Apple would pull out the big gun and there would be great changes in the design of the iPhone8. We’ve been having the same basic design on iPhone since iPhone6 so it’s about time Apple made an improvement upon it. Recent reports show that the flagship model of iPhone8 would be featuring organic OLED display which offers a lot brighter, more vivid colors. With the new display, the iPhone can even go thinner, not that it needs to go thinner, it just could if it’s needed. Also, a curved display is rumored, does it ring a bell? But what’s important is that Apple really needs to have a major redesign because we’ve been looking at the same basic look for 3 years. So no home button, an improved display and an all-glass design are expected. But the most monumental change would be wireless charging. According to a report in early 2016, Apple had been working with partners to develop wireless charging and the company would be able to use it on its devices within 2 years. And a recent report shows that there would be 3 models and all of them would be featuring wireless charging. Also the 8 would have an IP68 water resistance rating which matches the Galaxy S7. Also the enhanced version of iPhone 7 would be released, too. And it still won’t featuring the 3.5mm headphone jack as it’s long gone on Apple’s products.It would be no surprise that Apple won’t change anything on the outside. This regular update of the iPhone 7 would be mostly on the inside. An update to the processor is necessary, it’s very possible that the iPhone 7S would sport the A10X chip from the iPad or even better, the same chip on the iPhone 8.

No.3: Google Pixel

The announcement of the Google Pixel means the death of the Nexus band. Nevertheless, the Google Pixel is a fantastic phone. It’s safe to say that it’s probably the best Android phone ever built. But it’s lacking some of the hardware features that even iPhone has, for instance, the IP67 water resistance. Otherwise, the camera was top-of-the-class, it takes amazing shots in broad daylight and low-light performance is also very impressive, which is a big plus to Google. For the Pixel phone this year, it’s said that Google will throw in a dual camera sensor, IP68 water resistance, and an all-glass design to allow for wireless charging. Although the first generation of Google Pixel was great, there are aspects that Google has to make improvements on to make a better phone. Snapdragon 835, 6GB of RAM is rumored. Leaked concepts have shown a glass back design that makes wireless charging possible.

No. 4: One Plus 5

The One Plus 3 had been a hit in 2016. One Plus is a fantastic company that knows how to offer customers with the best possible experience. The specs of its phones are always top-of-the-class for a very reasonable price and they have fast software updates. The new One Plus phone for 2017 would possibly be called One Plus 5. You’d think it’s 4 but considering that the main audiences of this phone is in China and 4 is considered unlucky in China, it’s One Plus 5 that this phone would possibly be named. The processor is reportedly to be Snapdragon 835 and a massive 3500mAh battery as well as the next generation Dash Charge would be packed into the device. This is a device that can easily put a lot of high-end phones to shame.

No.5: HTC 11

I bet a lot of people have forgotten about HTC. They used to make good phones back in the days but things didn't work out for HTC in recent years. Their sales aren't doing very well, but they are hoping to turn it around with the HTC 11. The new HTC 11 would sport a dual-lens camera, which we’ve seen on the iPhone 7 Plus and HTC’s own M8. By this move they are hoping to improve the camera. Overall, the design language would be different than the previous generations.

There are also other smartphones coming to the market in 2017 that’s worth expecting. For example, Nokia, the company who once dominated the Chinese market, is back with a phone running Android. Nokia finally decided to abandon Microsoft and embrace Google. The Nokia 6 was a success in the Chinese market a few months ago. It’s a budget phone being sold at about $250. Recent reports have shown that Nokia would be announcing a flagship later this year in China with top-notch specs. And Xiaomi presented to the world the Mi Mix, showing the world that they are no longer the company that was known for copying Apple. So there’s a good reason that we can expect the Mi6 and Mi Mix2 to drop everyone's jaw again.