Five Upcoming Android Phones that are Worth Waiting for
Jordan Minor writes this review for Geek.com.
Why Android?
It’s an interesting time to be an Android acolyte. The iPhone 7 is perhaps the most divisive iPhone ever, thanks to its infuriating decision to remove the headphone jack, causing more people to consider the alternative operating system. However, the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, one of the flagship Android phones, is literally bursting into flames. Seems like a no-win situation.
However, while the glut of different Android phones has its drawbacks (fragmentation mostly) the upside is you’re not limited to one questionable piece of hardware if you want a phone powered by that little green robot. So, now that we’ve seen the future at CES, here are five upcoming Android phones worth waiting for. And if you’re impatient, we’ve also included links to great phones that are available right now.
HTC U Ultra
There was a time, before Samsung, where it seemed like HTC might be biggest name in town when it came to Android phones. The company made the first smartphone I ever owned. But while the brand is still big, it’s hardly the biggest. Perhaps that will change with the HTC U Ultra, the company’s upcoming flagship phone.
When it ships in March, the HTC U Ultra will feature a 5.7-inch screen with a small, secondary screen strip on top that displays quick information and shortcuts. The custom headphones connect over USB-C for higher sound quality and the four omnidirectional microphones capture sound from specific locations. Plus, the new camera features something called Phase Detection Auto Focus for better, clearer, faster pictures. Here’s hoping the U branding works better here than it did with the Wii U.
In the meantime we recommend the Google Pixel Phone.
BlackBerry Mercury
BlackBerry is BackBerry! The last time the company put its research in motion toward an Android phone, the result was the mostly ignored Priv. But an Android phone with a keyboard is an idea worth pursuing. So here comes BlackBerry Mercury, the first collaboration between BlackBerry and its new masters at TCL, the folks behind Alcatel phones.
Along with its hardware keyboard, the BlackBerry Mercury will support all Android apps. It has a USB-C port and 3GB of RAM. Those are confirmed details. Rumors also say the phone will feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor, 8MP and 18MP cameras, and a 3400mAh battery. We should know the whole truth pretty soon. Maybe the smartphone world will fall back in love with BlackBerry. How crazy would that be?
In the meantime we recommend the Huawei Mate 9.
Asus Zenfone AR
Google Project Ara may be dead, but that wasn’t the only exciting Android innovation the company was working on. Tango is platform designed to turn mobile devices into the perfect augmented reality machines thanks to motion-tracking, depth perception, and area learning. Meanwhile, Google is also covering its mobile VR bases with its new Daydream initiative. This April, the Asus Zenfone AR will be the first smartphone to support both Tango AR and Daydream VR.
Beyond these new and exciting reality-altering features, the Asus Zenfone AR has promising specs. It includes a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor, a 2K AMOLED screen, and some intriguing photo features like a night mode and photo merging mode. So it’ll be good for more than just strapping to your face.
In the meantime we recommend the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro.
OnePlus 4
Our sister site PCMag praised the OnePlus 3 (pictured below) for the performance it offered in a $400 phone. Rumors surrounding its successor, the OnePlus 4, suggest this trend will continue. Just look at some of these specs: 256GB of storage, 23-megapixel camera, 8GB of RAM, Snapdragon 830 processor, OLED display, USB-C and NFC support. Now consider all of that in a phone that costs less than $400 and comes with Android 7 Nougat out of the box.
We don’t know exactly when we’ll hear more about the OnePlus 4, but we expect it to come out sometime next spring. So you’ll have to wait a little longer, but if the rumors are true, it might be worth it.
In the meantime we recommend the OnePlus 3.
Nokia’s Android Phone, the C1?
N-Gage aside, Nokia used to be a pretty great phone manufacturer. It was easy to see why Microsoft bought them. However, even the best Lumia phone in the world couldn’t make up for the fact that Windows Phone as a platform was never going to compete with Android or iOS. The devices languished and Nokia was once again sold.
Fortunately, unshackled from Microsoft Nokia is once again free to make smartphones with operating systems users want. And the company is wasting no time putting together a new Android phone, the C1, which should be coming sometime next year. Details are scarce, but leaked details and photos suggest the device will have an Intel Atom chipset and a 5-inch 1080p screen. It also might run Android 6 Marshmallow instead of the latest Android 7 Nougat, but missing out on the latest software is a problem Android users have had years to make peace with. We don’t know when we’ll hear more about the C1, or the two other rumored Nokia Android phones, but hopefully soon!
In the meantime we recommend the HTC 10.
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Image source: https://www.geek.com/tech/5-android-smartphones-worth-waiting-for-1534820/
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