While 2018 has been a transitional year for phones, Samsung and Apple both played it safe; Sony finally changed its design and Chinese brands like Xiaomi, OnePlus and Honor experimented with in-display security and slider mechanisms to remove the notch. 2019 though looks like it might be massive – 5G anyone?
So what does the year have in store? Let’s have a look into our phone-shaped crystal ball and see what’s coming.
1) Samsung Galaxy S10
After a fairly forgettable year for Samsung’s phones, 2019 is surely going to see the Korean company make a huge splash with its next flagship, the Galaxy S10.
Early rumours are suggesting Samsung will celebrate the tenth anniversary of, let’s be fair, the only true iPhone rival, with a number of devices. One, the Galaxy X, might even use the foldable display tech debuted in December, possibly incorporating a ‘pin-hole’ notch to try and keep the screen-to-body ratio as high as possible.
A huge design change is certainly in order as we’ve had the same Galaxy blueprint for two versions now. Considering the last time Samsung switched up its design – killing the bezel and curving the screen – it heralded a new era of phone craftsmanship we’d be expecting something similar this time.
Samsung Galaxy S9
An in-display fingerprint sensor seems a given (especially as Qualcomm is building support for the tech into its next flagship chip – which will likely power at least some versions of the S10) as does a switch to new, simple One UI.
One UI is a big rethink of Samsung’s software, removing some of the childish elements that had been around since the TouchWIz. Expect gesture control aplenty, UI elements built to be controller with one hand and a more elegant overall feel.
Likely release date: Q1 2019 – Feb/March
2) OnePlus 7
OnePlus loves publicity and the maker of the excellent OnePlus 6T has already announced it’ll be launching a 5G device with EE in the UK sometime during the first half of 2019 – and the smart money is on it being called the OnePlus 7.
Getting so ahead with this announcement feels like it could backfire especially when pushing 5G in its infancy might not be the best port of call for a brand like OnePlus. It’ll no doubt boost the price of its phone and there are arguably more important parts requiring more attention – especially the camera.
We’d make the prediction you’ll see two OnePlus 7 variants (to be honest it could ditch the number altogether and go for the OnePlus 5G) in 2018: a 5G enabled version that’ll be pricier and less ‘consumer’ alongside a more typically OnePlus-priced phone.
Likely release date: First half 2018
3) Sony Xperia XZ4
We’ve been harsh on Sony phones in the past, however the Xperia XZ3 signalled a step in the right direction. It ditched that awful omnibalance design, used the brand’s TV knowledge to calibrate a fantastic OLED and improved the camera tech.
With the Xperia XZ4, it seems an obvious to bring over some of the DNA from the XZ Premium series: dual cameras and some form of a 4K screen should be a given.
Sony Xperia XZ3
A 4K display is far from a necessity on a phone but it would give Sony that headline grabbing feature Samsung, Huawei and Apple don’t have.
The Xperia XZ4 would also likely be one of the first phones to utilise the 855 chipset from Qualcomm.
Likely release date: Q1 2019 – Feb/March
4) Moto G7
Motorola hasn’t released an exceptional flagship high-end phone in years, though it has released exceptional flagship budget phones.
The G-series is the pinnacle of budget smartphones, constantly picking up critical acclaim and racking up sales. It’s Motorola’s biggest seller and that makes it super important for the brand.
Early rumours suggest the Moto G7 will probably have a notch and we might see some of the design DNA from the newer Motorola One. Hopefully the price will remain low and the camera will remain impressive.
Moto’s biggest challenge is the increasing popularity, and quality, of Chinese brands producing cheap phones with high-end specs. Pocophone, an offshoot of Xiaomi, and Honor are two such brands and it’s becoming increasingly hard to ignore them.
Likely release date: Q1 2019 – Feb/March
5) Huawei P30 & Huawei P30 Pro
Huawei’s rise in terms of an astronomical increase in the quality of its products has been unheralded in 2018. The Huawei P20 Pro and Huawei Mate 20 Pro are two of the best phones of the year with fantastic cameras and features you just don’t see elsewhere.
The Mate 20 Pro, for example, can wirelessly charge other Qi-enabled phones and it’s the only mainstream device that boasts 40w charging – juicing the huge 4200 mAh battery up in less than an hour.
Having these features available now, makes the prospect of what’s coming next even more exciting. The P30 series will no doubt pack the 7nm Kirin 980 and hopefully it’ll take camera optics once again to a new level.
Our biggest request to Huawei is, as always, please do something about the software. EMUI remains poor and its iOS-like look is at odds with the lovely hardware Huawei now crafts.
Huawei Mate 20 Pro
Likely release date: Q1 2019 – Feb/March
6) New iPhone 2019
Even though the iPhone XS and XR are still fresh on shelves, eyes are already turning to what Apple might have up its sleeve for 2019.
5G seems out of the question at this rate, rumours suggest this’ll be held until 2020, so it’ll be interesting to see what tentpole features the new iPhones are hung upon.
A larger redesign seems the most predictable, along with the usual improvements to camera and performance. iOS 12 will hopefully be in line for a radical redesign and we’d hope 2018 will finally be the year Apple’s includes a fast charger in the box.
Likely release date: September 2019
7) Google Pixel 3 Lite
The Pixel 3 Lite is the rumoured baby sibling to the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. It’s said to pack the same excellent camera as the non-Lite devices but with the plastic body, more mid-range processor and a headphone jack.
Whether this device turns out to be real remains to be seen – but colour is excited if that unbeatable Pixel camera turns up a phone with a more wallet-friendly price-tag.
Image Credit: @OnLeaks/91mobiles
Likely release date: Q1 2019
8) Google Pixel 4
Leading on nicely from the Pixel 3 Lite, the Pixel 4 will likely be Google’s 2019 flagship. Excitement builds purely on the camera: each Pixel has packed the best camera on a phone and if the Pixel 4 continues then it could be the best of 2019.
Image Credit: @OnLeaks/91mobiles