As part of a small selection, I propose to discuss the most interesting of the upcoming smartphones and get acquainted with entertaining media materials on the appearance and technical characteristics of gadgets.
With the beginning of each calendar year on the eve of the MWC and subsequent announcements in the materials of thematic publications and comments to them, discussions are intensified about what the flagships of the current model year will be, how this or that manufacturer will stand out, which will become a new trend in the industry. Designers are also not sitting idle, creating various concept versions of the upcoming devices, based on both 'leaks' and their own imaginations. As part of a small selection, I propose to discuss the most interesting of the upcoming new products and get acquainted with entertaining media materials on the appearance and technical characteristics of gadgets.
Samsung Galaxy S8 / S8 +
The story with defective batteries in the Note 7, which was repeatedly mentioned on the pages of AMP, forced the company to officially withdraw the devices from the market, at the same time caused increased attention to the company itself and its products. Samsung shares have grown steadily, and with them the expectation of new flagships from the company. The question of whether new flagships – the S8 and S8 + models – will be shown within the framework of MWC, warms up interest; The announcement of smartphones is scheduled for March 29. In the meantime, the community of users and designers is actively practicing creating believable virtual models of new products. Ahead of the rest of the planet are the recognized masters of 'leaks' evleaks and onLeaks, who have already rushed to 'reveal' to us unofficial, but quite possibly well-founded photographs and videos.
These images, according to onLeaks, are based on computer models designed for factory production. The Riga designer Benjamin Geskin is not lagging behind his colleagues, but due to the stream of leaks, many renders overlap and differ in completely insignificant details.
Estimated specifications:
- Display QHD5.7 ″ / 6.1 ″, Dual Edge, 90% screen-to-body ratio, Corning Glass Gorilla 5 protection
- Android 7.1.1
- Rear fingerprint scanner
- Retina scanner
- Snapdragon 835 or Exynos 8895 processor depending on version
- Main camera – 12 megapixels (f / 1.7, autofocus, OIS, automatic HDR mode, recording in 4K), front – 8 megapixels (f / 1.7, autofocus, recording in QHD)
- USB Type-C
- GPU Mali-G71
- Battery 3250/3750 mAh, fast charging
- Bixby Voice Assistant
Well, a very slippery-looking device. I like the reduced lower 'chin', not quite the idea with a fingerprint scanner next to the camera. I am very impressed with the option of placing the sensor under the glass of the display, if only in our winter conditions there were no surprises, as with suddenly disconnecting iPhone.
Samsung Galaxy Note 8
Probably the most anticipated smartphone by me personally, in any case it will not be deprived of the attention of the press, which will corrosively track the slightest missteps and blame the karma inherited by the newcomer of the Note line from a failed predecessor. At this stage, it is not so easy to understand where the vector of Samsung's design thought will move, so most of the existing concepts and images look interesting, but unlikely.
Expected specifications:
- Display QHD, 5.7 ″, S AMOLED, Dual Edge, Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection
- Android 7.1.1
- Exynos 8890 or Snapdragon 835 processor, 64 bit, 10nm process
- IP68 protection rating
- Main camera 12 megapixels (f / 1.7, LED flash, phase detection autofocus, OIS), front camera 5 megapixels (f / 1.7, recording in QHD)
- 8GB LPDDR4 RAM
- Internal memory UFS 2.0 format
- 4000 mAh battery, fast charging
- Improved S-Pen
- Lightweight TouchWiz
The comment about the fingerprint scanner remains valid, otherwise we have before us a slightly modified version of Note 7. Not to say that I like it, but in general, the feeling of the 'explosive' flagship in the hand was positive. And here is the video render of the concept. Is it overkill with the screen brightness?
OnePlus 4/5
As for proud Chinese startup OnePlus, there are two opinions on the name of their next smartphone. Someone thinks that the novelty will be released under the number 4, someone hints that the fourth in a row was the 3T device, therefore, the next flagship will wear the fifth anniversary number. A fair number of bloggers and tech reviewers consider the 3T model to be one of the most balanced smartphones, and the company is popular among geeks. Many are already in a hurry to call the next model OnePlus the best flagship of the year. Well, anything can be, China is already difficult to stop. And here there is a moment with the processor: everywhere there is a mention of the processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, which, judging by the news, has so far been exclusively received only by Samsung for its new flagships. So, most likely, the rest of the manufacturers will have to be content with the Snapdragon 821 or even postpone the launch of their devices.
Expected specifications:
- Display Full HD 5 ″ /5.5 ″
- Snapdragon 835 processor (unlikely in my opinion)
- Android 7.0, shell Oxygen OS / Lineage OS
- Main camera 18 megapixels (laser autofocus, dual LED-flash, OIS, support for 4K recording), front camera 16 megapixels (autofocus)
- GPU Adreno 530 GPU
- 6/8 GB RAMLPDDR4
- Battery 5000 mAh (hard to believe too)
But, despite all my skepticism about some of the alleged characteristics, of all the concepts I met, I was very pleased with the version from dbs Designing.
Some renders for some reason lead smartphones to some kind of reference design a la China, which does not look at all. But I liked this concept the most, I don’t deny the taste. Or maybe the Lineage inscription so encouraged, it's hard to say. Of course, the likelihood that OnePlus will step on the same rake a second time is not so great, but this time the 'descendant' of Cyanogen has no commercial claims, so why not return the favor to the old 'friend' and help unwind the new OS.
iPhone 8 / X
As usual, the close attention of designers and dreamers is riveted on the new model iPhone, this year an additional intrigue is how many models will be released – two or three, whether it will be 7S / 7S Plus and 8, or instead of 8, there will be a jubilee model X, which marks the tenth anniversary of the release of the first smartphone Apple.
Expected characteristics:
- Display 5.8 ″, QHD, AMOLED, rounded
- Frameless design, no home button
- In-screen fingerprint sensor
- iOS 11
- Front camera 8 megapixels, two main cameras 16 and 12 megapixels
- Processor Apple A10 / A11 Chipset
- 4 GB RAM
- Improved 3D Touch functionality
- Non-removable 3000 mAh battery
It's hard to believe in a jump to QHD, with Full HD I would start. There is almost no doubt about the possibility of using glass with rounded edges, it's time Apple to ride this trend. Otherwise, the forecasts regarding the hardware are modest, except that the RAM is already starting to gain in numbers.
The render done in this concept looks pretty good, but I just want to put the smartphone in a non-slip case. As already mentioned in my Twitter feed, I rated the implementation of the fingerprint scanner positively, it looks at least original and does not interfere with the rest of the interface.
This year's models could be foundational for Apple, fans are waiting for something groundbreaking and innovative, but everyone is groaning at the potential $ 1,100 or more. Buy it anyway, guys.
LG G6
The new flagship LG will have to work very hard to make users forget the fiasco of last year with the modular disgrace of the G5. From the leaks and renders available, it is already clear that the modular history is behind, luckily for LG. Samsung put a spoke in the wheel, with the already mentioned situation with the processor. So LG all you have to do is go for broke.
I really like the clean and laconic design, but the similarities with the S8 renderings are striking, I don't think the company is ready to release a design so close to a competitor. Or is it already such drastic measures?
Estimated characteristics:
- Display 5.7 ″, 18: 9, QHD
- Android 7.0, LG UX
- 6 GB RAM
- Dual front camera 8 megapixels, dual main camera 13 megapixels (video recording in 4K and 120 fps), both with autofocus and f / 1.7
- Support for memory cards up to 2 TB
- Water resistance
- Removable 5000mAh battery
Speaking of video rendering: again at the height of dbs Designing, they got a very cool machine.
Xiaomi Mi 6
Completing the personal selection is no longer a 'dark horse' from Xiaomi. Yes, the company has a difficult time, exploring new countries and gradually losing the share of the native Chinese market. Hugo Barra has safely moved back to the United States, but the company still has its own vision of the product ecosystem, which it will undoubtedly try to implement in the upcoming flagship Mi6. Interestingly, the characteristics of the alleged novelty almost literally repeat the parameters of the mentioned smartphones: a diagonal within 5.5 ″ – 5.7 ″, the same processor, AMOLED QHD display, a powerful 5000 mAh battery. According to the designers, the main emphasis will be on design, namely, the continuity of the Mi Mix idea to achieve almost 100% screen-to-body ratio.
But should the Chinese masters surprise you with something? This, apparently, was the challenge for some designers of concepts and renders. Calm lines and already recognizable features Xiaomi in the Techconfigurations render, for example, are crossed out by one very unexpected detail.
Without a doubt, we will have an interesting year in terms of new smartphones. Is there a device that you are looking forward to the most for some reason? Or have you decided not to follow the lead of marketers and extend the life cycle of your current smartphone for another year or two?