2016 turned out to be a great year for many companies, including Apple, OnePlus and Xiaomi, but it was just as great for Samsung, except for the rollback of one of its models.
Watching the enthusiasm at the CES 2017 in Las Vegas, we think 2017 is going to be an awesome year for the tech industry. We have yet another great show coming up next month, the Mobile World Congress, where most companies will launch their smartphones, including Nokia Android smartphones, BlackBerry phones by TCL, Samsung Galaxy S8 and many more.
Smartphone brands, Apple and Samsung, will have separate events to launch their new flagship models, expected to redefine the mobile landscape. We were keen to find out what these brands have in store for this year.
Check out the biggest and most-anticipated smartphone launches of 2017:
Apple iPhone 8
Apple may be months away from officially launching the iPhone 8 series as the hype is building up. In commemoration of the tenth year anniversary of its original iPhone this year, Apple is going to roll out iPhone 8 with a set of new features.
Rumours suggest there will be three versions of iPhone 8 this year- an advanced variant and also successors of iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The new models are expected to have a radical design with edge-to-edge curved OLED display, dual camera with 3D imaging and OIS, bigger battery, wireless charging, A11 chipset and much more. The new iPhones are expected to be launched in September this year.
Samsung Galaxy S8
Following the Galaxy Note 7 debacle, Samsung is under a lot of pressure to make things right with the Galaxy S8 this year. If the rumours are to be believed, Samsung might just win back its fans' trust.
The Galaxy S8 is expected to come with a "Plus" size variant and feature high-end specs like 4K curved display, dual camera, fingerprint scanner under the display panel while ditching the home button, 8GB RAM, Snapdragon 835 chipset, Bluetooth 5 and much more. The new Galaxy S phones will hit the market next month.
Samsung Galaxy X
Samsung is not content with just Galaxy S8 this year as the company is planning to steal some thunder from iPhone 8 by launching Galaxy X smartphone in October. Rumours suggest the Galaxy X will be the company's first foldable smartphone, combined with high-end specs like Snapdragon 835 CPU, 8GB RAM, and more.
OnePlus 4
While Samsung and Apple will attract the high-end market, OnePlus will once again disrupt the premium smartphone market with its rightly-priced smartphone this year. Inspired by the success of OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T last year, the company will launch its 2017 flagship, OnePlus 4, to keep the ball rolling.
Rumours suggest the company will call its next phone OnePlus 5. Whatever the name be, the next OnePlus phone is going to be a game-changer.
Rumoured specs for the upcoming handset include dual rear camera, Snapdragon 835 chipset, 8GB RAM, 128GB storage and a new design. Pricing will be its major USP and we cannot wait to see what the company has in store.
Nokia Android phones
Nokia may be out of the smartphone race for a long time now, but 2017 will be the year the Finnish brand makes a strong comeback. Nokia, under the able stewardship of HMD Global Oy, will have a busy year with five smartphone launches lined up for 2017.
The Nokia D1C is going to be the first to be lanced and will make an official debut at the upcoming MWC 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. Nokia also has two flagships in the pipeline to compete against Samsung, Apple and other major brands.
