The most anticipated smartphones of 2018
They might not be official yet, but that doesn't mean we're not excited for next year's smartphones...
THE MOST ANTICIPATED SMARTPHONES OF 2018
Last year was a fantastic one for phones. We got skinnier screen bezels than ever, cameras that took better pictures than dedicated compacts, and better-than-all-day battery life.
But we want more, and that’s exactly what we’re getting in 2018. We’re only a few months into the year, but we’ve already seen some knockout options, with the Huawei P20 Pro, OnePlus 6, and Samsung Galaxy S9 leading the pack.
And there’s only more to come, as Apple, Google, and Samsung ready their next respective big things. Curious what’s coming before 2019 rolls around? Here’s what we know about 2018’s hugest phones, from what’s already been announced to what’s pouring out the rumour mill.
Additional words by Tom Morgan
APPLE: IPHONE XI AND SE 2?
The iPhone is Apple’s most beautiful handset to date, and a nicely daring twist after a few years of diminishing returns on the same design – but it’s also incredibly expensive, putting it out of reach of a lot of prospective iPhone buyers.
What will happen in 2018? If one analyst is to be believed, Apple may extend the full-face screen approach – complete with that divisive notch – to the entire line. Ming Chi-Kuo of KGI Securities believes that Apple will launch an updated 5.8in OLED model, an "iPhone XI" or whatever you want to call it, along with two other models.
One would be a larger model with a towering 6.5in OLED display, and the other would fall right in the middle of the two, purportedly carrying a 6.1in display. The difference is that it would be a lower-resolution LCD screen, with that version acting as the entry-level, slightly cheaper model under the iPhone XI. That might be the new iPhone 9, essentially.
Confusing? Yeah, just a bit – but it does seem likely that the notch-centric, Face ID-packing design is the way of the future for Apple, and it’ll only be a matter of time before all of its phones scrap the old 16:9/Touch ID approach.
Whether that will all happen this year remains to be seen, but we certainly expect some big developments from Apple this autumn. September is usually when we see these things, although the iPhone X didn’t actually release until November last year.
Meanwhile, rumours are starting to emerge about an iPhone SE 2 – an updated version of Apple’s super-small, entry-level handset. We’re not expecting any massive changes, but updated specs and a rumoured glass backing would make it a much better option in 2018. Still, it didn’t debut at WWDC, so we’re wondering if Apple will save it for September instead.
HUAWEI: TRI-CAMERA P11?
Next year looks to be more of the same, with the P11 apparently arriving in February or March – potentially at Mobile World Congress. Huawei’s Leica partnership looks on track, with the latest rumours suggesting a tri-lens, 40MP rear camera array for 5x hybrid zoom, a 20MP front selfie cam. Too good to be true? Maybe, but you can bet the camera will be a major part of the P11’s upgrades over this year’s phone, with AI assistance tweaking your settings to get the best photos possible from the hardware.
It’ll almost certainly arrive with a Kirin 970 CPU – Huawei tends to launch a chip in the Mate series, then port it to the mainstream P-series the year after. That means the Mate 100 should see the introduction of a new, more powerful CPU, but that won’t happen until September or October.
GOOGLE: PIXEL 3, HTC COLLABORATION?
We’d like to see skinny bezels on both phones, but with OLED screens made by Samsung rather than LG. With Google’s clever algorithms constantly improving, you can expect the camera image quality to take another leap forward, and both phones should arrive with the first taste of Android P.
Google also bought out long-time collaborator HTC in 2017, so it’ll be interesting to see if it will be allowed to continue launching its own phones. The HTC U11 introduced Edge Sense squeezable sides, something Google then borrowed for the Pixel 2, and it took incredible photos without going down the dual-lens approach everyone else seems to be doing. If the two companies work together closely, the resulting phone could be epic.
LG: G7, V40?
When the V30+ arrived in December, it looked like an absolute powerhouse, with a slicker design, improved camera and a dedicated DAC to give your music a boost. The fact it could shoot 4K videos in LOG format for colour correcting should have made it a filmmaker’s dream phone. Unfortunately the OLED panel had some serious issues, with HDR videos in particular looking dodgy in our review.
It means LG has everything to prove in 2018, with an MWC reveal in February looking likely for the G7, followed by a March launch. We’ve not heard much about the G7 yet, and even less about the V40.
SONY: A NEW-LOOK XPERIA?
This has been a long time coming, but 2018 might finally see Sony shake things up and launch a radically redesigned Xperia flagship phone.
The latest rumours point to that changing next year, with specs for a possible Xperia XZ2 Premium spotted online. A 5.7in, 4K HDR display gets top billing, in a phone with smaller dimensions than the 5.5in XZ Premium – meaning the bezels must be getting some serious shrinkage. Other specs are still TBC, but a high-end Snapdragon CPU seems like a safe bet.
Sony tends to show off its mainstream phones at Mobile World Congress in February/March, but a top-spec Premium handset could be revealed at CES in January – we’ll have to wait a few weeks to find out if Las Vegas is indeed where Sony will make an announcement.
SAMSUNG: GALAXY S9, NOTE 9
The Galaxy S9 has a lot to live up to, and based on what we’ve heard so far, it may not mix up the formula all that much.
Expect a very similar design, with Samsung staples like the curved edge Infinity Display making a comeback. If the bezels don’t get any skinnier, screen size is probably going to stay the same too. Performance will be top notch, of course, with either a Snapdragon 845 CPU or one of Samsung’s own Exynos chips providing the power. The biggest difference will be the camera, which is rumoured to switch to a dual-lens setup like the Galaxy Note 8.
We’re betting on a March or April launch for this one, potentially with a sneak peek at the Mobile World Congress trade show in February.
The Galaxy Note 9 will almost certainly follow later in the year, potentially in late August or early September. This one is more of a mystery, but you can be sure Samsung will find a few new tricks for the S Pen stylus.
ONEPLUS: ONEPLUS 6
How long will we have to wait for a new OnePlus? Based on previous launches, you can expect the OnePlus 6 to arrive in June or July, with whatever Snapdragon CPU is currently sitting on top of the benchmark leaderboards. Screen resolution might get bumped up to QHD, but the most likely candidate for upgrades is the camera.
Will the price stay the same, though? We’d like to see it go down, if anything, but with Apple pushing prices past the ₹1 lac mark, staying under ₹40,000 is still a big achievement.
