For as many of you who need a major smartphone upgrade before the year runs out, here is a list of smartphones coming in 2016, their release dates and rumours about them.
Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus
The iPhone 7 is set to be released in the United Kingdom on 7th September 2016. It will be Apple’s brand new flagship phone for 2016 and will be announced on the 7th of September, following their tradition.
Rumours have it that the new device will feature major design changes, with an all-new D-jack headphone jack, waterproofing protection and an eSIM. One thing is for sure, the new iPhone will be faster than ever, with an A10 processor and an embedded M10 motion co-processor, plus 2GB RAM. It’s one of the biggest smartphones coming in 2016.
As far as pricing is concerned, it is unlikely that iPhone 7 will be any walk-over than past variants. According to igyaan (a tech site), see the full price list of iPhone 7 below.
The low spec handset for the 32GB version will reportedly cost around £595 with the highest spec phone – the iPhone 7 Plus with 256GB – being priced at almost £900.
- iPhone 7 32GB will be priced at around ¥5,288 (£595.25)
- iPhone 7 128GB will be priced at around ¥6,088 (£685.30)
- iPhone 7 256GB will be priced at around ¥7,088 (£797.87)
- iPhone 7 Plus 32GB will be priced at around ¥6,088 (£685.30)
- iPhone 7 Plus 128GB will be priced at around ¥6,888 (£775.36)
- iPhone 7 Plus 256GB will be priced at around ¥7,888 (£887.92).
iPhone 7 Plus UK release date: 7 September 2016
If you were looking forward to a new iPhone launch in 2016, prepare to hyperventilate: there will not be one new iPhone but three, and that’s in addition to the iPhone SE we saw in March.
Apple’s upcoming iPhone 7 Plus will be the best iPhone to date, with an array of spec improvements that include a bump up to the A10 chip and M10 motion co-processor with 2GB of RAM.
It’s been suggested that the iPhone 7 Plus’ screen size will increase to 5.5-inch, but without increasing the overall size of the iPhone 7 Plus – this could be achieved with an edge-to-edge screen or sidewall display. We just hope it’ll improve the resolution as well. In common with the smaller iPhone, we could see a new D-jack headphone connector and waterproofing protection as standard. We’ll find out for sure in September 2016.
Lenovo Phab2 Pro UK release date: September 2016
Announced at June’s Lenovo Tech World, the Phab2 Pro won’t hit the UK until September (at $500 in the US, with UK pricing TBC). But when it does, it should be the first Project Tango phone.
Project Tango is, in essence, a Google project that allows a smartphone to detect, map and learn its position relative to the room/world around it without the use of external signals such as Wi-Fi or GPS. It can also detect surfaces and obstacles within your environment and can recognize known environments.
This means it opens a whole new world of possibilities: developers could create apps and experiences previously impossible on a smartphone, including real-time 3D mapping, measurement of physical spaces and augmented-reality gaming.
There’s a 6.4in Quad-HD screen, an octa-core 1.8GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 processor along with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage (plus microSD support). The battery is huge at 4050mAh, but probably also necessary given the large screen. Oh, and there are four cameras on this beast of a phone.
LG V20 UK release date: 6 September 2016
Successor to the LG V10 (which never actually made it to the UK), the V20 is set to be LG’s second flagship of the year. More importantly, it will be the first phone to run Android Nougat out of the box.
Another Quad-HD phablet, the LG V20 is rumoured to be slightly narrower than the bulky V10, and also to feature a shorter 5.5-inch screen. This could allow it to better accommodate the secondary screen that sits above the main display to provide at-a-glance access to the time and notifications.
Other rumoured specs include the Snapdragon 820 processor, 4GB of RAM, 32GB of storage (with microSD), a 4,000mAh battery with USB-C, dual-rear cameras and an 8Mp selfie camera. The V20 is thought to follow in the G5’s footsteps with a modular design. LG has itself confirmed the V20 will have a 32-bit Quad Hi-Fi DAC.
New Nexus phones UK release date: Early September 2016 (TBC)
We were expecting two new HTC-built Nexus phones (codenamed Marlin and Sailfish) to arrive alongside the final version of Android N. However, Google has now released Nougat to existing Nexus users, and there is no sign of new Nexus phones. It has pointed to the LG V20 as the first phone to run Android N out of the box. So, either the new Nexus phones are nothing more than rumours, or Google is for some reason holding them back. Our guess is that if they do indeed exist they will appear around the same time as the iPhone 7 in early September.
Read Also: IPhone 7 and 7 plus set to be unveiled at Apple’s event on September 7
HTC is expected to be the manufacturer behind 2016’s new Nexus phones. Huawei is also on the scene, having trademarked the name Huawei 7P, although many believe it will instead be responsible for the production of the successor to the Nexus 7 tablet.
Many of the rumours we’ve seen so far focus on the new Nexus 6, which is likely to feature a Snapdragon 820 chip. This is more powerful and energy-efficient and builds in support for Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0, definitely one of the smartphones coming in 2016.
Sony Xperia X2 UK release date: September 2016
Sony is tipped to be unveiling a new model in its X-series at September’s IFA trade show. It’s holding a press conference at 1 PM CET on 1 September, so we should find out more details then.
Photos were leaked to GSM Arena last month, showing a smartphone undoubtedly akin to the Xperia range, but with the curved edges introduced on the new Xperia and Xperia X. The screen looks a shade bigger than that on the 5-inch Xperia X, but the details are unconfirmed.
According to the person who sent in the photos the X2 (also known as the XR) has a 1080P screen and supports 4K video capture on both front and back cameras, with a dual-LED flash at the rear. There’s a USB-C port, but few other specs are known. Another great smartphone coming in 2016.
TECNO Phantom 6 release date: September 2016
The flagship device from one of the fastest-selling phone manufacturers in China is due to be released this September. The Phantom 5 was a huge success as it was purchased and loved by many.
Rumours have it that the Phantom 6 device will sport a 3GB RAM, 5.5-inch, dual camera, eye scanner and wireless charging. We have not been able to get our hands on too many specifications and pictures except for spy images.
These are the smartphones coming in 2016 you should look out for, Let’s count down begin.
