We've wrapped up most major phone announcements for the first half of the year, with Samsung's Galaxy S6, HTC One M9, Huawei P8, LG G4 and Xperia Z4 leading the charge.
There is even more to look forward to this year, though - not only from the staple names, but from the Chinese companies like Xiaomi, Huawei, Lenovo, Meizu and Oppo, which are yet to fully chip in with their flagships. The Chinese makers managed to churn out excellent value-for-money proposition, paving the way for their handsets not only in China, but attracting some global attention and distribution, too.
Given the trend of increased competition, we can reasonably expect great handsets from the second half of next year as well, when the big phone makers, save for Apple, are traditionally introducing their flagships. From the IFA expo and the iPhone unveiling around September, to the inevitable latecomer to the holiday party, let's round up what we could reasonably expect from H2 2015.
The best phones to expect in the second half of 2015
Given the trend of increased competition, we can reasonably expect great handsets from the second half of next year as well, when the big phone makers, save for Apple, are traditionally introducing their flagships. From the IFA expo and the iPhone unveiling around September, to the inevitable latecomer to the holiday party, let's round up what we could reasonably expect from H2 2015.
1. Samsung Galaxy Note 5
With an eventual 4K display or not, one can rest assured that the Note 5 will be stuffed to the gills with the latest in processor, display, memory and camera technologies, while, judging from the Galaxy S6, Samsung's phablet design might introduce a dual-edge screen version. and undergo a drastic change for the premium, too.
2. Apple iPhone 6s and 6s Plus
This year's intermittent upgrade of the iPhone line is expected to be the richest ever. The iPhone 6s, iPhone 7, or whatever Apple decides to name it, is said to ship with a Force Touch display, higher resolution camera (10 MP or even 12 MP), and a new rose gold color option to choose from, in addition to the processor upgrade with the Apple A9, and an eventual doubled RAM amount.
3. Sony Xperia Z5
Just because Sony unleashed an upgraded Xperia Z3 version with a Snapdragon 810 chipset not long ago, and dubbed it Z4 in Japan, doesn't mean that it is not hard at work on a true Z3 sequel with, say, a brand new metal design paradigm, finger scanner in the power key, and optical image stabilization for the camera. Here's to hoping, and, Sony's six-months upgrade cycle willing, we should see a Z5 land some time around the end of October.
4. Xiaomi Mi5
We would allegedly have a bezel-less Mi4s announced next month, swapping the Snapdragon 801 of the Mi4 with a Snapdragon 810 chipset, and adding optical image stabilization to the 13 MP camera on the back. The Mi4s is supposed to keep you warm for the Mi5, which would apparently show up in time for the holiday shopping craze, or when Qualcomm is ready to mass-produce its upcoming Snapdragon 820 chipset. The rumors for a 5.2" Quad HD display are seemingly spot-on, and a 20 MP camera might make a cameo, too.
5. Huawei Mate 8
Last year, we were sent Huawei's phone portfolio for 2015, and so far it has been spot on. The P8 already got announced, but it also includes some pretty intriguing handsets, like the Mate 8 successor to the Mate7. The 6-inch screen on the Mate 8 will get bumped to a 1440 x 2560 resolution, and Huawei is said to employ the 64-bit Kirin 930 SoC with an octa-core CPU. The 20.7MP rear snapper should use Sony's IMX220 sensor, and there will be a fingerprint scanner on the device. The phone will support 4G LTE Cat.6 (300Mbps). With a 2K resolution display this time, and a new Kirin 930 chipset, the Mate 8 should appear in the fall for about $650.
6. Huawei D8
The Huawei Mate 8 phablet is not the only rumored Quad HD horse in the company's stable, as a Huawei D8, purportedly with a 5.5" screen diagonal, leaked in a Huawei roadmap not long ago. This one should be the company's absolute flagship this year, as it also features a yet-unannounced 64-bit Kirin 950 processor, 4 GB of RAM, and 64 GB of internal storage. Given that Kirin 950 is expected for the last quarter, the D8 should be released thereabouts, in time to battle with the iPhone 6s Plus, and the Note 5. The price tag for this one was last listed to be 4999 yuan, or about $800 - pretty steep.
7. Microsoft Lumia 940 and 940XL
Microsoft confirmed that it will launch a new flagship or two when Windows 10 for Phones lands later in the summer. It is said to unveil two top handsets actually, codenamed Cityman and Talkman, with a 5.7" and a 5.2" Quad HD displays, respectively.
The phablet, likely to be called Lumia 940 XL, should be shipping with a Snapdragon processor, 3 GB of RAM, 32 GB of internal storage, and a MicroSD card slot, while Lumia 940 (Talkman) would have a hexa-core one with the same memory footprint.
The Lumia phones kicker has always been in the camera area, though, so we are expecting some might photographic abilities from these two as well, as they are rumored to feature 20+ MP camera, and Cityman is even tipped to come with a triple LED flash, just like the Lenovo VIBE Shot.
The phablet, likely to be called Lumia 940 XL, should be shipping with a Snapdragon processor, 3 GB of RAM, 32 GB of internal storage, and a MicroSD card slot, while Lumia 940 (Talkman) would have a hexa-core one with the same memory footprint.
The Lumia phones kicker has always been in the camera area, though, so we are expecting some might photographic abilities from these two as well, as they are rumored to feature 20+ MP camera, and Cityman is even tipped to come with a triple LED flash, just like the Lenovo VIBE Shot.
8. OnePlus Two
The OnePlus CEO Pete Lau said in an interview recently that, assuming that the OnePlus Two sequel is equipped with the Snapdragon 810 chipset, a price of ¥2499 (~$403) sounds "reasonable". As far as availability goes, we'll have to fall back on previous rumors, which claim that the company's second flagship will be launched in Q3 2015, sporting a fingerprint scanner among other surprises.
9. Oppo Find 9
Oppo's next flagship model Find 9 is rumored to feature a Snapdragon 810 chipset, and include 4GB of RAM inside. One thing that stands out in alleged leaked images of the phone, besides the animal skin prints, is the dual camera on the back. Oppo is no stranger to weird camera setups, as it even has a rotating model on the N3, so a dual camera is not out of the question, considering that we already have to phones with such a combo - the One M8, and the Honor 6 Plus.
10. Google Nexus by Huawei
We saved the crest for last. Google reportedly has tasked yet another different phone maker with making this year's Nexus handset, and that could be none other than Huawei. Now, whether this new Nexus will be an offshoot of the crazy D8 with a Quad HD screen, remains to be seen, but if the rumors for a 4 GB RAM Nexus materialize, it might very well be. Google's added value here, besides the new Android 6.0 "M,"is using this year's Nexus as a testing ground for the new USB Type-C omnidirectional connector.
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