People buy a new smartphone more and more often not because of a breakdown or loss of an old one, but because they want to have a top-end device that will work better and faster than the previous one. Manufacturers are already ready to please us with the flagships of 2018.
Smartphone manufacturers will present their flagships a few months before the official release. However, representatives of the vast market for gadgets periodically leak information to whet the public's interest in new products. We already know what the best flagships of 2018 are most expected by buyers.
5th place: Nokia 9
Estimated release: Q1 2018.
The Nokia brand was returned to fans last year, but new devices are still selling significantly worse than before. Some even speculate that the latest revolutionary flagship was the Nokia Lumia 920. Still, many are eagerly awaiting the new Nokia 9 camera phone. Selfie enthusiasts and avid Instagam users will love the great camera with Zeiss optics. Perhaps this is the best OIS camera phone of 2018.
The novelty will cost approximately 65-70 thousand rubles. What will buyers get for this money?
Nokia 9 specifications:
- 5.7-inch OLED display (resolution 1440x2560);
- 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor;
- 6 or 8 GB of RAM;
- 64 or 128 GB of internal memory of the device;
- 13MP dual rear cameras with improved stabilization
- 5MP front camera;
- battery capacity: 3250 mAh;
- operating system: Android 8.0.
4th place: HTC U12
Estimated release: Q1 2018.
They expect excellent performance and a good camera from the HTC flagship, but the design of the new item does not correspond to the latest trends so far. HTC has been experiencing financial difficulties for a long time, and therefore it has taken a course on only high-quality and well-sold models of smartphones. If some new product suddenly does not like the buyers and does not bring the expected profit, then it runs the risk of becoming the last nail in the coffin of HTC.
HTC has a knack for surprising and producing truly top-end smartphones and camera phones, and the recent release of the HTC U11 was proof of this. The U12 is expected to have a high-quality screen, an improved camera, and an improved proprietary HTC Sense launcher. You can buy a new product for 48-50 thousand rubles.
HTC U12 specifications:
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor;
- fundamentally new design;
- 2 double camera blocks;
- 5.7-inch display with 4K resolution.
3rd place: Google Pixel 3/3 XL
Estimated release: Q3 2018.
The biggest drawback of Pixel smartphones is the rather mediocre quality of components, but Google continues to release new products under this brand. Fans loved the ability to update the software right on the day of its official release. This, alas, most Android smartphones cannot boast of.
The flagship Google Pixel 3 will boast a good camera, improved operating system interface. Prospective buyers hope that the manufacturer will improve the quality of the screen, since even the best current Pixel models do not match the top smartphones of other manufacturers this parameter. It is not yet known whether the Pixel 3 will be officially sold in Russia, but if so, the cost will be 45-55 thousand rubles for a model with 64 GB of memory.
Google Pixel 3 specifications:
- 5.8-inch OLED display (resolution 1312x2560);
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor;
- 12MP dual-sensor main camera;
- 12MP front camera;
- 6 GB of RAM;
- 64, 128 or 256 GB of internal memory;
- battery with a capacity of 3000 mAh;
- operating system: Android 9.0.
2nd place: Samsung Galaxy S9
Estimated release: Q1 and Q3 2018.
Innovative design and great cameras are what almost all new Samsung models can boast, but they are clearly lacking in smoothness and speed. In 2018, not only the Galaxy S9 will be released, but also its larger "relatives" Galaxy S9 Plus and Galaxy Note 9. The release of the first is possible in the spring, but the other two, most likely, only in the fall.
Fans of the brand did not like the location of the fingerprint scanner in the Galaxy S8, and therefore they plan to significantly improve it in the expected flagship. One of the main "chips", on the basis of which Samsung will build its advertising strategy, is an improved camera that can see in the same way as the human eye. For the flagship Samsung Galaxy S9, the manufacturer will most likely ask for at least 60 thousand rubles.
Samsung Galaxy S9 specifications:
- 6.2-inch display with a resolution of 1440x2960;
- iris and fingerprint scanners;
- 8-core processor;
- 64, 128 or 256 GB of internal memory;
- 6 GB of RAM;
- 12-megapixel dual main camera;
- 8MP front camera;
- battery capacity 3500 mAh;
- slot for memory cards with a capacity of up to 400 GB;
- operating system: Andriod 8.0.
1st place: Apple iPhone Xs
Estimated release: Q3 2018.
Not everyone has stopped discussing the ultra-expensive iPhone X, which came out in 2017, as Apple got busy preparing for the release of a new flagship. The Xs is an improved version of the iPhone X. The size and design are expected to remain the same, but the performance and features of the camera will significantly improve. By the way, it is not at all a fact that the expected flagship from Apple will be named the iPhone Xs. Perhaps a new name will be invented by the fall, but some of the main characteristics of the novelty are more or less clear from the leaks:
- OLED display or LCD display;
- Apple A12 processor;
- battery with a capacity of 3400 mAh, which has an L-shape;
- 4 GB of RAM.
There is very little information. Earlier, it was reported that the TrueDepth camera will be replaced with something more reliable due to a large proportion of factory defects, but the latest news refutes this. Apple is working on improving the camera, however, it is not yet very clear what exactly is being improved in it, if already smartphones that are equipped with TrueDepth shoot at 60 frames per second and in 4K resolution.
Some models from the list of "Most Anticipated Smartphones of 2018" have already gone on sale, while others are still in development.
