2017 is upon us, bringing with it a flurry of new top-end smartphones to get excited about. The tenth anniversary of the original iPhone means Apple may have something special in store for us this year, while Samsung will probably come out all guns blazing in order to soundly recover from the Galaxy Note 7 debacle. There's a chance that Google will bring the second-generation of Pixel smartphones, while the likes of OnePlus and Xiaomi will continue to introduce high-quality, affordable flagship smartphones.
If you are on the lookout for a new smartphone, you might to hold on to your money a little while longer, as the market will soon be filled with a number of great models. Check out our pick of smartphones to look forward to in 2017 for more details.
1. Apple iPhone 8
2017 will be the year of the tenth anniversary of the original iPhone, the smartphone that upended and revolutionised the whole mobile phone industry. So it is no surprise that all eyes are on Apple and what it does to commemorate the occasion. And, of course, hopes are high that iPhone 8 will bring a number of changes to the table, enough to make up for the iterative updates we have had over the past two years. Leaks point to three different versions of iPhone 8: one featuring all the new features, and the other two being the successors of iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, with only a few upgrades. Apple is reportedly developing more than 10 iPhone 8 prototypes, and working on a “radical redesign” of the smartphone. Rumour has it that at least the top-end version of the iPhone 8 will not have the Home button; instead, the Touch ID fingerprint sensor and the front camera will be integrated into the touchscreen. Apple is also said to be testing flexible OLED panels for the iPhone 8. Wireless charging is widely expected to be integrated in iPhone 8, along with iris or facial scanning. iPhone 8 is said to be powered by the A11 chip manufactured on the 10nm process, the glass body will reportedly make a comeback. The top-end iPhone 8 model will reportedly also have optical image stabilisation in both cameras on the back, which may be vertically aligned rather than horizontally.
The screen size of this new top-end smartphone is not yet known, though the tech grapevine pegs it anywhere between 4.7-inches and 5.8-inches. The wait for iPhone 8 will be long, of course, as the next Apple flagship smartphone is likely to be unveiled only in September next year.
2. Samsung Galaxy X
Galaxy X is said to be the foldable smartphone that Samsung is planning to launch in 2017. Not much is known about the specifications of the Samsung Galaxy X so far, except that it may have a 4K screen and be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor (likely to be Snapdragon 835). It is expected to feature a single flexible OLED display and a body that will fold at the middle. A patent filed by Samsung shows that users will be able to fold the smartphone at various angles and that it will feature physical buttons at the bottom. A report back in June this year said that Samsung is likely to unveil the foldable Galaxy X smartphone at the Mobile World Congress, but the shift in focus to finding the cause of Galaxy Note 7 explosions may have put in spanner in that, likely delaying the launch by a few months.
3. Samsung Galaxy S8
Galaxy S8 will have the burden of expectations as it is Samsung’s first flagship smartphone to be launched after the Galaxy Note 7. Samsung has confirmed that the Galaxy S8 will have an Artificial Intelligence-powered virtual assistant, and a great camera. Rumours say Galaxy S8 will not have an earphone jack, or Home button – instead, it is said to come with wireless earphones, and feature optical fingerprint sensor that will be embedded in the touchscreen. Reportedly, the Galaxy S8 smartphone will have a 4K display with ultra-thin bezels, dual 13-megapixel and 9-megapixel cameras on the back, fingerprint sensor on the back, USB Type-C port, selfie camera with autofocus and VR support. A recent report suggests that the smartphone may feature a massive 8GB of RAM, along with faster UFS 2.1 storage. Rumours also say that the Samsung Galaxy S8 may not feature any physical keys in the front, and pack two variants of the Exynos 8895 chipset. Samsung was earlier rumoured to be planning to launch the Galaxy S8 at the Mobile World Congress in late February, but a new report says that the company has delayed the unveilingtill April.
4. Nokia’s Android Phones
Nokia is rumoured to launch as many as five Android smartphones in the first half of 2017, starting with Mobile World Congress in late February. One of the devices expected at the event is the Nokia D1C, a budget Android 7.0 Nougat smartphone that is said to sport the Snapdragon 430 processor, and come in 2GB and 3GB RAM variants priced at $150 and $200, respectively. The smartphone will also have two options in screen size – 5-inch and 5.5-inch – and come with 16GB internal storage, 13-megapixel or 16-megapixel rear camera, and 8-megapixel front camera.
5. OnePlus 4
OnePlus 4 is another smartphone everyone will be excited about in 2017. The smartphone will reportedly have a ceramic body, come in 6GB RAM and 8GB RAM variants, sport the Snapdragon 835 chipset, dual-camera on the back, and may retain the 3.5mm earphone jack. However, OnePlus 4 may have a 5.3-inch display, smaller than that of the OnePlus One, 2, 3, and 3T, though resolution may increase to 4K.
6. Moto X 2017
Leaked photos of a smartphone expected to be the Moto X 2017 have sparked interest in the line, which did not make an appearance this year. The Moto X 2017 will have an all-metal body, images show, with the fingerprint sensor on the back. The smartphone in the leaked images does not have Moto Mod pins on the back, so Lenovo may add some other unique feature in Moto X 2017 to distinguish it from the competition.