With March's MWC 2015 we've just seen some of the best new phones of 2015 unveiled. Here we reveal the 19 upcoming smartphones that you should be most excited about in 2015. Also see the best new tablets you should be most excited about in 2015.
19 best new phones you should be most excited about in 2015: best new phones coming from Apple, Samsung, Sony, HTC, LG, Xiaomi and others
If you're a Samsung fan but would rather stick to a phone
than a phablet then the S6 is just what you're looking for. With Samsung
finally answering build-quality criticisms, it follows in the trend of
the Galaxy Alpha and Galaxy Note 4
with a metal and glass body. There's also a quad-HD screen, plus plenty
of other radical new features, including a super-fast Samsung Exynos
processor (paired with 3GB of RAM), and a redesigned fingerprint scanner
that works a lot more like Apple's Touch ID and, you know, actually
works. The Samsung Galaxy S6 was unveiled at a Samsung Unpacked event on
1 March 2015, and will go on sale on 10 April 2015. You can pre-order
it now from MobileFun, Samsung
direct, or multiple UK mobile operators (many of whom are throwing in a
free wireless charger and money off a case), where prices start at
£599. Read our Samsung Galaxy S6 review and learn more about the Samsung Galaxy S6 here.
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
A second version of the Samsung Galaxy S6 launched
alongside the standard S6 at MWC. It follows the trend set by the
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note Edge,
but with two curved screen edges rather than one and a marginally
higher-capacity battery than is found in the S6. In other respects the
specs are in line with the standard S6, but expect to pay a premium for
that fancy screen. Learn more about the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge here, which will go on sale in the UK on 10 April 2015. You can pre-order it now from MobileFun, where prices start at £749 for the 64GB version, which is a tenner cheaper than buying it direct from Samsung.
Multiple UK mobile operators are also offering pre-order deals on the
S6 Edge, with many offering a free wireless charger and money off a
case.
Samsung Galaxy S6 mini
A Samsung Galaxy flagship launch is traditionally followed
by several variants, most importantly a compact version, but we've also
seen variants that offer, for example, improved cameras or more
ruggedised designs. The Samsung Galaxy S6 mini is likely to arrive a few
months after the standard Samsung Galaxy S6, perhaps in late July/early
August, and will be a more compact version of its bigger brother with a
slightly slimmed down spec. We expect to see a 4.7in full-HD screen, a
slower-clocked Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor, perhaps 2GB of RAM and
16- and 5Mp cameras. You can read our Samsung Galaxy S6 mini predictions here.
Samsung Galaxy S6 Active
Yet another rumoured Samsung Galaxy S6 variant, the
Active should be a rugged version of the Samsung Galaxy S6. It's a
credible theory, given that the Samsung Galaxy S6 no longer features
waterproofing. Plus, with an S4 Active and S5 Active before it, we could
well see an S6 Active, but probably not until the summer. We've rounded
up all the Samsung Galaxy S6 Active rumours here.
Samsung Galaxy A7
Samsung has confirmed its Galaxy A7, a gorgeous phablet
with a 6.3mm unibody metal chassis, a 5.5in Super AMOLED screen and a
64-bit octa-core processor. The Samsung Galaxy A7 is not yet on sale on
the UK, but will come in both single- and dual-SIM variants. Read all
about the Samsung Galaxy A7 here.
HTC One M9
We are massive fans of the HTC One M8,
and the HTC One M9 is even better. Although HTC has kept the full-HD
screen rather than the quad-HD screens seen in the new Samsung Galaxy S6
and S6 Edge, the HTC One M9 is a very attractive phone with some
impressive performance. You can check out our HTC One M9 review here, and learn more about the HTC One M9 release date, price and specs here.
The phone went on sale in the UK on 31 March from £569 SIM-free, making
it £20 cheaper than its rival the Samsung Galaxy S6.
HTC One M9 Plus
Coming alongside the HTC One M9 is said to be a
5.5in-screen phablet version known as the HTC One M9 Plus. Except not
exactly alongside - we'll likely be waiting until September for this
variant. If rumours are true, the HTC One M9 Plus will pack a 2.3GHz
Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor and 3GB of RAM.
Sony Xperia Z4
Sony has traditionally updated its flagship handsets every
six months, usually at IFA in September and MWC in March. Well not any
more - the Sony Xperia Z4 was a no-show at MWC 2015. Many of the rumours
suggest the phone will tie in with the new James Bond movie, with actor
Daniel Craig and director Sam Mendes expected to be involved in its
design. A trusted source told us it heard from an accessories supplier
that we'll see the Sony Xperia Z4 unveiled in September, which more than
likely means this phone will be announced at IFA 2015. Rumour has it
that it will be a super-fast Android Lollipop smartphone with an octa-core Snapdragon 810 processor, potentially 4GB of RAM and a Quad HD screen.
LG G4
We stand by our statement that the LG G3 was the very best phone you can buy in 2014. Things can only get better with the LG G4. The
LG G3 was officially released in the UK at the end of June 2014. LG is
holding a press event on 28 April, and the G4 should certainly be here
by the summer.
LG G Flex 2
The G4 isn't LG's only exciting new smartphone for
2015. At CES 2015 it unveiled the G Flex 2, a curved-screen handset. The
G Flex 2 is a 5.5in-screen smartphone with a 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon
810 octa-core chip, and it features self-healing technology.
Microsoft Lumia 940
Part of the reason we're so excited about the
upcoming Microsoft Lumia 940 is that it will be one of the first
handsets to run full Windows 10 - Microsoft is to finally tackle the
Windows Phone apps problem by running one OS across phones, tablets, PCs
and laptops. The Lumia 940 has the beefiest spec of any Windows Phone
we've seen too. Microsoft is holding an event at MWC in March, but
that's probably too early to see a Windows 10-powered Lumia 940.
iPhone 7 / iPhone 6s
The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus
were released in September, and in the months leading up to that the
rumour mill went mental. Be prepared for more of the same with the
iPhone 7, which will launch in September 2015 running iOS 9.
As always, we're expecting a faster processor and some upgraded specs,
but little change to the design. (Note that it will probably be called
the iPhone 6s rather than iPhone 7, but we're sticking with iPhone 7 for
now.)
Samsung Galaxy Note 5
Everyone always bangs on about Samsung's Galaxy S line-up, but it's the Note series that really impresses. The Note 4
was unveiled at a Samsung Unpacked event prior to September's IFA
tradeshow (3 September 2014), and right now sits at the top of our fastest smartphone and best phablet
charts. Like the new iPhone the Note 5 won't be released until
September 2015, but it's going to be well worth the wait.
Nexus 6 2015
In 2012 we had the Nexus 4, then in 2013 the Nexus 5 and, on 15 October 2014, the Nexus 6. We can't possibly be about to get a new Nexus 7, since that's already a tablet, so we're going for new Nexus 6 2015. It'll likely run Android M,
and be unveiled in October 2015 with a November 2015 on sale date.
Whereas Google offered flagship specs with mid-range prices for the
Nexus 4 and Nexus 5, the Nexus 6
is more costly at £499. We're hoping Google will go back to its
excellent-value roots with the new Nexus 6 2015, but we'll bring you all
the rumours as we hear them.
Xiaomi Mi Note and Xiaomi Mi Note Pro
Xiaomi has officially unveiled its Mi Note and Mi Note
Pro, with the latter hailed as the most powerful phone in the world.
Both offer staggering value at £244 and £350 respectively, given their
amazing specs. These two Chinese phones are fitted with 5.7in curved
screens - the Mi Note full-HD and the Note Pro Quad HD. The Mi Note Pro
in particular should offer unrivalled performance, thanks to a 2GHz
Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 64-bit octa-core chip, a massive 4GB of RAM and
Adreno 430 graphics. And still it's thinner than the iPhone 6 Plus.
There's loads more to drool over in Xiaomi's juicy spec sheet too - read
more about the Xiaomi Mi Note and Mi Note Pro UK release date, price and specs
here. The Mi Note went on sale in China on 27 January and sold out
within minutes, while the Mi Note Pro is expected at the end of March.
OnePlus Two
The OnePlus One is
an amazing phone if you've managed to get hold of one. It's priced from
£229 but has the spec to match a £600 smartphone, hence OnePlus
marketing it as a 2014 flagship killer. According to OnePlus co-founder
Carl pei, the OnePlus Two will surprise us, and is likely to focus on
flagship-rivalling design rather than specs. He told our sister site PC
World the OnePlus Two would arrive in June 2015, along with a second
model - perhaps a OnePlus Mini? We expect to see a Qualcomm
Snapdragon 810 processor, 4GB of RAM, a 3300mAh battery and a 5.5in 2K
screen. It will also run OnePlus' own OxygenOS, rather than Cyanogen.
Check out all the OnePlus Two rumours here.
Tesco Hudl smartphone
The Hudl tablet
has seen phenomenal success, allowing the masses to enter the world of
tablet computing. Tesco's taking a slightly different tack with its
smartphone, however, which will be a high-end device with an aggressive
price. Just the type of device we get excited about. The Tesco Hudl
smartphone was supposed to be here in time for Christmas 2014, but Tesco
put the project on hold. Despite recent financial problems causing Tesco to sell off its Broadband & Homephone and Blinkbox services, it remains committed to its mobile business.
Ubuntu smartphone
The Ubuntu phone is finally here in the form of the Aquaris E4.5 Ubuntu Edition. It costs €169
and runs a 1.3GHz quad-core processor with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of
storage. More importantly, this is not an Android or iOS phone, it runs
Ubuntu Linux - and that's interesting. You can find out more about the Ubuntu phone here.
