A new year means new mobile devices from all the big names, as well as a few surprises in store with any luck.
2015 saw manufacturers attempting to thrive in a crowded market by introducing their own quirks and innovations, from the iPhone 6S’ force-sensitive 3D Touch tech to the Sony Xperia’s Z5 4K video camera and the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge’s curved screen. Whether by refining past ideas or creating new ones, these firms will look to get one-up on themselves and each other in 2016.
With that in mind, we’ve compiled a list of the 10 most exciting smartphones we’re likely to see in the coming 12 months.
10. Sony Xperia Z6
Last year’s Xperia Z5 family included some of the most advanced consumer smartphones on the market, featuring 23MP rear cameras with 4K video recording, 3GB of RAM, water- and dust-proofing and a 5.5in UHD display on the Xperia Z5 Premium.
We’d therefore expect the Xperia Z6 range to offer at least the same high-end hardware, possibly with even more upgrades like USB-C and Android 6.0 Marshmallow.
However, IBT reported on seemingly leaked designs for an Xperia Z6 Lite model, a lower-spec handset likely to be placed between the standard Xperia Z6 and the Xperia Z6 Compact.
This version is said to include a 5in display, metal and glass construction and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 processor. The Xperia Z5, meanwhile, has been tipped to include the Snapdragon 820.
LG G5
LG isn’t exactly the most conservative of smartphone makers – just look at the distinctive leather back on last year’s LG G4 – so it will be interesting to see what the firm comes up with for what is likely to be the G5.
One supposed feature is a secondary ‘ticker’ display that sits atop the main screen and can show a range of shortcuts, notifications and multitasking controls. This isn’t a new innovation – it debuted on the LG V10 – but it would make sense for LG to stake a claim on the idea by including it across the firm’s range of high-end smartphones.
The rear camera is also supposedly due for doubling-up with dual lenses to provide a wide-angle effect, while Qualcomm’s top-end Snapdragon 820 processor is rumoured to be the G5’s brains.
Several features from the G4 are also said to be returning on the G5, such as a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage and an 8MP front-facing camera
Lenovo Project Tango
Lenovo revealed at CES 2016 that it will produce a sub-$500 smartphone in 2016 that will take advantage of Project Tango, Google ATAP’s augmented reality tech that uses a 3D camera and onboard sensors to map real-world surroundings and perceive its own position in the 3D space. Information can then be layered over the on-screen image in the form of a heads-up display.
The applications of such technology appeared, at this early stage, to be quite limited in scope. Lenovo demonstrated such uses as measuring the size of the stage, decorating it with virtual furniture and playing with an AI kitten. But its ability to build a 3D map of a room in real time was genuinely impressive, particularly for something which won’t cost any more than 2015’s conventional top-end smartphones.
The potential for more serious applications is also there, such as offering directions through buildings by displaying pathways and markers on the mapped interior.
The physical design has yet to be finalised, but Lenovo confirmed that its Project Tango device will launch this summer with a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, and that the screen will measure under 6.5in diagonally.
Nexus 7 smartphone
Not to be confused with the existing Nexus 7 tablet – if Google names its next major smartphone the Nexus 7 in the first place – this handset could easily end up as the poster child for Android N, just as 2015’s Nexus 6P was for Android 6.0 Marshmallow.
One of the upcoming operating system’s alleged big features is a native split-screen mode, so we wouldn’t be surprised if the next Nexus sported a phablet-sized screen to fully exploit it.
Hardware details are scarce, but Huawei and LG, makers of the Nexus 6P and 5X respectively, are both rumoured to be in the running for manufacturing duties. We’re leaning more towards Huawei, which arguably granted far superior looks and build quality to its 2015 Nexus than did LG.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced on Twitter that the company’s annual I/O conference will get underway on 18 May. Hopefully the firm will take the opportunity to reveal some more details about the Nexus 6P’s successor.
Surface Phone
Windows 10 Mobile launched late last year on Microsoft’s Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL. Both were decent handsets, but neither made a truly compelling case for the new OS.
Perhaps the rumoured Surface Phone, supposedly in development under the codename Juggernaut Alpha, could be the mobile device Microsoft needs to mount a real attack on the dominance of Android and iOS.
The Surface tablet range has repeatedly proved that Redmond can compete with, and even surpass, the efforts of more traditionally hardware-focused firms. Applying its tenets of premium build quality, specs and performance to a smartphone seems like a sound strategy, to say nothing of the Surface brand recognition.
Indeed, early reports suggest that the Surface phone’s hardware will point it squarely at the high-end market, from a 5.5in QHD display to 4GB of RAM and an Intel Atom x3 processor.
This is pure speculation, but it will be interesting to see whether some of the Surface tablets’ features are incorporated into the handset, such as an integrated kickstand or even a miniature version of the Type Cover as seen in this concept render by artist Nadir Aslam.
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