As 2015 comes to an end, attention is inevitably turning to 2016 and what it will bring to the world of technology. One of the pieces of technology almost all of us carry, the smartphone, is a market that never stands still for longer than a few months at a time and as a result, there will be plenty of new devices for us to get excited about.
Here, we’re going to tell you which five new smartphones of 2016 you may want to keep an eye out for in the first half of the year. There will be countless more released, of that there is no doubt, but these are the ones that have our attention right now.
Samsung Galaxy S7
Samsung’s newest flagship will have quite a battle on its hands, with the once hugely popular brand now finding itself under a little pressure not just from Apple, but cheaper and lesser-named manufacturers that are stepping up to the plate with some exceptional devices. Samsung will need to bring something new to the table, but instead appears to be about to take a leaf out of Apple’s book by bringing its own pressure sensitive technology like 3D Touch to the next Galaxy S handset. Anything the iPhone 6s can do, next year’s Galaxy S7 will do, too, plus a microSD card slot, it seems, with almost same design as Galaxy S6.
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
Samsung’s ability to offer essentially the same handset as the Galaxy S7 but with its now-familiar Edge design – curved edges to the screen on which to show additional information – will allow those who like curved screens to jump onto Samsung’s latest flagship device. Faster innards than this year’s model will see the Edge as popular as ever, at least amongst those that are willing to pay the premium for that screen.
Both the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge will likely be announced at or around MWC 2016.
Apple iPhone 6c
If rumors are accurate, then Apple will announce a new 4-inch device early next year, with the smaller iPhone using a mix of iPhone 6 and 6s innards, complete with A9 chip, NFC with Apple Pay support. That ‘c’ stands for color, so expect to see multiple colors on offer, but wrapped in a metal body instead of plastic.
HTC One M10
HTC’s life is a bit of a nightmare at the moment, with the company struggling to stay in a competition that has Samsung and Apple at the top but with more than a few smaller fish swimming around beneath. HTC’s One M9 was popular amongst those that bought one, but the One M10 will need to find broader appeal next year. A design that’s similar to the A9 is a possibility, meaning we can expect people to complain about the HTC One M10 looking too much like an iPhone 6 next year. Oh, good.
LG G5
Rumored to feature an all-metal chassis as well as an iris scanner and an Apple Pay-like feature called LG “G Pay” that would allow users of the phone to buy things in shops that support it, the LG G5 could be a big player in 2016. Expect to see the LG G5 announced at Mobile World Congress 2016, with more details obviously available closer to that time.
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