Best new phones coming in 2016 & 2017
Microsoft Surface Phone UK release date: TBC
Surface Phone rumours have been few and far between, leading some to think it's nothing more than a myth. But it was recently revealed by Wiredthat Microsoft Corporate VP Panos Panay has been working on a prototype of a new phone.
Should it truly exist, the Surface Phone is expected to arrive in 2016, with a 5.5in Quad-HD AMOLED display, 4GB of RAM, 64- and 128GB storage options (with microSD support), a 64-bit Intel processor and 21Mp rear- and 8Mp front cameras. The Surface Phone could also get a Surface Pen and a USB-C port.
There will be a Microsoft event on 26 October, so it's possible that if the Surface Phone really does exist it will be announced here.
OnePlus 4 UK release date: April/May 2017 (TBC)
Rumours are circulating to suggest an upgrade to the OnePlus 3 (pictured) is imminent, potentially as the OnePlus 3S or OnePlus 3 Plus (we already know the OnePlus X2 is never going to happen), with a new LCD rather than AMOLED screen and a processor upgrade to the Snapdragon 821. This seems to have stemmed from the fact OnePlus is having difficulty keeping up with demand for the OnePlus 3, which has been blamed on OnePlus having difficulty sourcing AMOLED panels. However, OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei has confirmed the company is sticking with AMOLED, making a OnePlus 3S or 3 Plus unlikely.
The OnePlus 4 is almost certainly going to happen though, and early rumours suggest it will appear a little earlier in 2017 than did the OnePlus 3 in 2016 - most likely in April or May. A plausible updates would be a move to the Snapdragon 830 processor, and OnePlus has also been tipped to upgrade its 5.5in full-HD display to a Quas- or HD model.
Other rumours suggest the OnePlus 4 will come with 8GB of RAM, a 21- or 23Mp camera and a 3,500- to 4,000mAh battery with Dash Charge. One thing we're sure of is that it will run Oxygen OS, a custom UI that will be based on Android 7.0 Nougat.
Samsung Galaxy S8 UK release date: February 2017
Samsung traditionally holds an Unpacked event in which it unveils its new S-series flagship the day before MWC. In 2017 this trade show runs from 27 February to 2 March, so we expect to see a new Galaxy S8 on Sunday 26 February 2017. Expect it to go on sale in early March 2017.
For its now-discontinued Galaxy Note 7 Samsung merged its 'Edge' and standard models, so perhaps we'll see the same with the merging of the Galaxy S8 and S8 Edge. We think there will still be two Galaxy S8 models, but it will only be the size differentiating their screens. In which case the S8 edge might instead be known as the S8 Plus, or similar. In any case you should expect more of the same metal and glass front/back design it introduced last year in the S6 and in 2016 has extended to the A-series.
When it arrives, you can expect the S8 to be the fastest phone money can buy, with a top-of-the-range processor and 6GB of RAM. There will more than likely be a super-high-resolution 5.1in screen - Samsung may even move up from Quad-HD to Ultra-HD, which is all the more likely given the importance being placed on VR in the next Android OS - Android Nougat - which this phone will run.
Now that Samsung has discontinued its Note 7, it's going to want to make the Galaxy S8 an absolute belter to mend its reputation.
