The
smartphone market has changed dramatically since its inception. From the heady
days of the original Apple iPhone through to the dominance of cheaper and more
accessible brands, as well as old favourites like Samsung still hanging on in
there, smartphones have become more essential to our daily lives – and thus
more widely available – than ever before.
We
think 2019 will be another great year for everyone’s favourite pocket bricks.
From Samsung to Apple, from OnePlus to Google, everyone’s queueing up for your
cash this year, and competition means that you’ll be able to get some truly
amazing deals. This might be the year you get yourself a loan
to cover the cost of a top-end Samsung or Apple device, since some of the
phones in the running for this year are mind-blowing. Without further ado, here
are the top 5 smartphones to watch out for this year.
For
gimmicks: Samsung Galaxy X / Galaxy F
We
lead with a device that’s been at the forefront of many science-fiction fans’
desires when it comes to new phone designs: the Samsung Galaxy X, or Galaxy F.
Samsung’s first foray into the world of foldable phones comes complete with two
displays: one on the outside, which sports an 840x1960 display, and a second
display on the inside with a 1536x2152 resolution. We’re expecting the phone to
be announced in February, as Samsung devices usually are, alongside the more
conventional Galaxy S10 flagships. We don’t know when it’ll be released yet,
though. Don’t expect this phone to be cheap; this’ll be the first commercially
available and decent foldable phone of its type (ZTE previously had a stab at
folding tech, but the phone wasn’t great), so you’re probably looking at upwards of £1,300 for this beast. That
said, if you’re the kind of tech geek who just wants to show off your folding
phone to your buddies, then how could you refuse? Even if you don’t buy it,
just looking at it in all its weird glory will give you a secondary thrill.
For
gaming: Nubia Red Magic Mars
Where
once gaming on mobile was exclusively the stomping ground of titles like Angry
Birds and Cut the Rope, these days giants of the
hobby like Fortnite
and PlayerUnknown’s
Battlegrounds find themselves with fully-featured mobile
versions. These games are geared towards high-end smartphones, of course, and
devices specifically created for gaming usually cost a bomb. Not so with the
Nubia Red Magic Mars, which will retail for around £400 or less when it lands. The
Snapdragon 845 processor inside this baby will run even the most demanding and
graphically intensive games with nary a complaint, while the dedicated cooling system inside is perfect
for lengthy gaming sessions. This phone has been designed specifically for
gamers, so it doesn’t carry some of the more desirable bells and whistles for
Snapchat fans (the cameras aren’t great) but our money’s on this one for
gaming. Q1 2019 is when you can pick up this monster.
For
performance: New Apple iPhone devices
As
ever, Cupertino is keeping quiet about the exact nature of its latest
smartphone creations. The iPhone X lit the world on fire with its notch design
and lightning-fast software, leading many companies to follow its lead with
their own hardware, so we don’t expect too much deviation from the formula when
it comes to the iPhone XI, or iPhone 11, or whatever Apple ends up calling
their new phones. We’re pretty sure Apple won’t be using the 5G standard, but that’s
unlikely to matter to most consumers, at least to begin with. There are also
calls for Apple to adopt the universal USB-C system, but
while they’re making proprietary money with their Lightning connector that’s
unlikely to happen. All we know is Apple’s new phones will have the same
incredible performance, beautiful appearance and general tech chic we’ve come
to expect from the company. If past form is to be believed, expect a release
towards the end of the year, October-November time.
For
budget: OnePlus 7
OnePlus
has made a name for itself supplying incredibly powerful and desirable devices
at a fraction of the usual flagship cost, so expect that to continue with the
upcoming OnePlus 7. The new device eschews the iPhone-style notch on its
previous OnePlus 6T device, and it’ll use the new Snapdragon 855 processor,
which pretty much guarantees it’ll be fast enough for almost anyone’s needs.
The display is the real star of the show here, with its incredible bezel-less
design and pin-sharp clarity. Interestingly enough, OnePlus has also confirmed
that it’s also releasing a 5G phone this year, and that
phone will not be the OnePlus 7. Curiouser and curiouser. The OnePlus 7 is
expected to launch around May this year, so you’ll be able to get your hands on
it then.
For
camera: Nokia 9 PureView
