Five Most Anticipated Smartphones of 2016

With a new smartphone seemingly coming out every few weeks, one cannot help but feel overwhelmed, deciding which phones are truly worth waiting for.

Well, worry no more. Here are five highly anticipated smartphones and some rumored features which make them mandatory buys for any tech-savvy customer.

  1. Microsoft Surface Phone

Is this phone real or just a rumor? While that may be a valid question, the fact that Microsoft has purchased the domain name surfacephone.com makes it more likely we may see a purported iPhone killer come out this year.

microsoft surface phone

But it appears that Microsoft may be working alongside Intel to develop this device, and Microsoft Surface Phone is rumored to have 4 GB of RAM, a 5.5-inch Quad HD screen, and carry up to 256 GB of support through a microSD card.

There are no guarantees we may see this thing in 2016 or at all. But if it does come out, bringing Microsoft Surface to a phone would be a game-changer.

  1. iPhone 7

There have been rumblings that iPhone sales are facing some concerns as the Western market grows saturated and the Chinese economy sputters, but the fact is that Apple has sold 74.5 million iPhones in its last quarter. This shattered all expectations and shows that demand for the upcoming iPhone 7 should also be huge. Indeed, most smartphone websites have predicted this as the most anticipated device of this year.

But what do we know about the iPhone 7, especially since it probably won’t be released until this fall? Unfortunately, not enough. We expect it to be slimmer and more powerful, using A10 processors compared to the current A8 on the iPhone 6.

One interesting development is that in order to further slim down the iPhone, Apple may remove the headphone jack altogether. Instead, the Lightning data/charge port would be used for either wireless or Bluetooth headphones.

  1. Nextbit Robin

Unlike the previous two, we know when this is coming out, and it is soon. The Nextbit Robin will start shipping on February 16 to those who have already preordered it and will unveil its e-commerce store on the same day.

This phone is different from everything else. Its specs (Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 chip, 3GB of RAM, and a 5.2-inch 1080p screen) are good but not great, and its 2680 mAh battery is concerning. But NextBit’s big draw is that instead of storing everything on the phone, you can store up to 100 GB of data through the cloud. If you don’t have the space needed to store data on the phone, then NextBit will archive rarely used apps and other data to the cloud. You can put those apps and data back on your phone with the touch of a button.

Initial reviews appear to be positive, and if you are interested in a charming, quirky phone coming out soon, take a good look at this one.

  1. Google Nexus 6 (2016)

The Google Nexus 6 has not sold as well as other smartphones, but that will not stop Google from continually pushing the bounds of Android. The big thing surrounding this phone is that it may have Android N, the newest Android technology. Given that the Nexus 6P currently has one of the largest batteries of all smartphones, we can also expect from the Nexus 6 (2016).

Perhaps the most important news concerning this smartphone is who will manufacture it. While Huawei produced the Nexus 6P and there are rumors indicating it will be them again, there are concerns about how the 6P’s rear visor cracked too quickly. HTC has also been mentioned as a possible new manufacturer as well.

  1. Sony Xperia Z6

The Sony Xperia Z5 was one of the best smartphones of 2015. It had a great camera, was water resistant, and avoided the overheating issues which plagued the disastrous Z3+.

But it still had flaws, like those sharp, annoying edges and its lack of a wireless charger. While we do not know whether the Z6 will fix these flaws, we do know that the Z6 series will upgrade the chipset from the Snapdragon 810 to the Snapdragon 820. This will allow for faster downloads and more processing power. We also expect Sony to release several variations of the Z6 phone, such as the Z6 Mini, Plus, and Ultra.

There are also indications that Sony will finally upgrade the design as opposed to going with a slightly modified look every year and that the screen will be higher resolution than ever before. That would go a long ways towards placing the Z6 alongside the other great smartphones coming out this year.