We're only in May, but already we have details on some of the best new phones of 2015. Here we reveal the 24 upcoming smartphones that you should be most excited about in 2015.
Best new smartphones 2015: Samsung Galaxy S6
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 went on sale on 10 April 2015. Prices start at £599
SIM-free.
Best new smartphones 2015: 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.
Best new smartphones 2015: 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.
Best new smartphones 2015: 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.
Best new smartphones 2015: 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.
Best new smartphones 2015: 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.
The phone went on sale in the UK on 31 March from £569 SIM-free, making
it £30 cheaper than its rival the Samsung Galaxy S6.
Best new smartphones 2015: HTC One M9+
A 5.5in-screen phablet version of the HTC One M9 is the
One M9+ - and this is the one we were waiting for, with a Quad-HD screen
and a fingerprint scanner. It's been announced only in China, with UK
availability and pricing not yet confirmed - that's if it ever comes to
the UK officially.
Best new smartphones 2015: Sony Xperia Z4
After all the rumours that the Sony Xperia Z4 would be
delayed until September, the Z4 has now been officially unveiled in
Japan. However, we're still waiting on details of a UK launch. The phone
isn't too disimilar to the Sony Xperia Z3, with a 5.2in full-HD screen
and Sony's usual waterproofing protection. It's a bit slimmer and has a
faster processor, too.
Best new smartphones 2015: Huawei P8 and Huawei P8 max
Huawei's latest flagship has a gorgeous unibody metal
design that's stylish enough to rival HTC and Apple, yet it undercuts
the price of those smartphones with a starting price of 499 Euro, or
£357. There is a standard 5.2in Huawei P8, or a huge 6.8in P8 max. The
phone and phablet should have gone on sale in the UK this week, with a
worldwide launch following 15 May. We're unable to find them for sale
right now, but keep your eyes peeled - they're worth hunting down.
Best new smartphones 2015: LG G4
LG is calling the G4 the 'most ambitious smartphone
yet', which is focused on delivering 'comfortable elegance, a great
visual experience and a human-centric user experience'. We stand by our statement that the LG G3 was
the very best phone you could buy in 2014, and things just get better
with the LG G4 - although opinion is divided on that leather case (also
available in ceramic versions). Key specifications include a Qualcomm
Snapdragon 808 processor, a 5.5in Quad HD IPS Quantum display, 32GB of
storage (with microSD support) and a 3000mAh removable battery. The G4 was unveiled at a press event on 28 April, and will go on sale on 28 May from £500 SIM-free.
Best new smartphones 2015: 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.
Best new smartphones 2015: Microsoft Lumia 940 & Lumia 940 XL
Part of the reason we're so excited about the
upcoming Microsoft Lumia 940 and 940 XL is that they will be among 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, and the XL is a larger version with a 5.7in
screen.
Best new smartphones 2015: 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.).
Best new smartphones 2015: 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.
Best new smartphones 2015: new Nexus 5 2015
The new Nexus phone for 2015 is hotly tipped to be another Nexus 5.
Google is reportedly in talks with both LG and Huawei, and a
Huawei-made device has already leaked in an official Google promo video
for Project Fi (now why would you do that, Google, when the only known
device to work with Project Fi today is the Nexus 6?).
If Huawei is in line for the new Nexus 5 2015 that can mean only one
thing - Google's going back to its high-end specs, mid-range price
business model. That's probably not too unlikely, either, given its Q1
2015 earnings call, in which it revealed Google Play takings were up,
but the 2014 Nexus devices hadn't done so well at their higher price
points. Being a Chinese phone maker, with Huawei we could also see the
first dual-SIM Nexus phone,
finally bringing dual-SIM functionality into the mainstream in the UK.
Alternatively, with LG onboard, we could be about to get another Quad HD
Nexus phone. One thing is for sure, the new Nexus 5 2015 will be the
first device to run Android M, the latest Google OS that we expect to hear more details on in May's Google I/O.
Best new smartphones 2015: 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-The Mi Note went on sale in China on 27 January and sold out
within minutes, while the Mi Note Pro will go on sale on 6 May. These
phones won't officially go on sale in the UK, but it's probable that
you'll be able to get them on grey-market or auction sites.
Best new smartphones 2015: Xiaomi Mi 4i
Xiaomi has taken the wraps off its Mi 4i, a plastic,
upgraded version of its flagship Mi 4, with a low price tag of Rs.
12,999 (£136) yet some very good specs. It has a 5in full-HD screen with
Sunlight display, a second-generation 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 615
processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. Just 7.8mm thick, Xiaomi has
still managed to squeeze in a 13Mp rear camera that lies flush to the
case. It's dual-SIM dual-standby out the box, with both SIMs supporting
4G. The Xiaomi Mi 4i will go on sale on 30 April, but to buy one in the
UK you'll need to go through unofficial channels.
Best new smartphones 2015: 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.
Best new smartphones 2015: Asus Zenfone 2
We've yet to get our hands on an Asus Zenfone 2, but the top-end model (ZE551ML) is now available at Amazon
for £309.99. This powerful phone has a staggering 4GB of RAM and
a 2.3GHz 64-bit Intel Atom Z3580 quad-core processor. For storage 32GB
is fitted, and you can get more through microSD. There's 4G LTE support
(dual-SIM, dual active), a 5.5in full-HD IPS screen, and 13Mp rear- and
5Mp front cameras. The stylish brushed-metal case is just 3.9mm thick at
the edges. Running the fully customisable ZenUI software, the Zenfone 2
also has Trend Micro security preinstalled. The Asus Zenfone 2 is well
worth a look.
Best new smartphones 2015: 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.
Best new smartphones 2015: 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.