6 high-end smartphones to look forward to in the first half of 2016

With less than two weeks left until the end of 2015, it's probably safe to say that all relevant smartphone-related announcements of this year have already been made. But that's OK, because the new year is going to bring us lots of handsets starting the very first months, as there will be two major events held in January (CES 2016) and February (MWC 2016). 

Judging by what happened in early 2015, the first half of 2016 should bring us plenty of high-end smartphones - we're guessing that most, if not all of them will run Android (since Apple traditionally launches flagship iPhones in September, and we haven't heard of any high-end Windows or BlackBerry handsets that are expected to arrive in the near future). Based on rumors and realistic expectations, we've complied a list of high-end smartphones (from well known companies) that will, most likely, hit shelves in the first half of next year. Check out the phones below, in alphabetical order:

1. Asus ZenFone 3While the ZenFone 3 range will almost surely include smartphones for various budgets, we're looking forward to seeing what the series' top of the line model is going to bring. This year's ZenFone 2 flagship, pictured on the left, is offering attractive features (including 4 GB of RAM) at a pretty low price (under $400), so we're expecting the same from the upcoming ZenFone 3 flagship. It looks like the new high-end ZenFone will have a fingerprint scanner and USB Type-C port, but there's not much else that we know about it. Since the ZenFone 2 was announced at CES this year, perhaps we'll see the ZenFone 3 at CES 2016 in early January.




2. HTC One M10At the moment, there aren't any details about the HTC One M10, but, like the One M9and One M8 before it, the smartphone should be announced around (or during) MWC - so we might see it as soon as February. The One M9 wasn't too different from the One M8, so maybe it's time for HTC to deliver a new metal-made flagship that breaks away from its predecessors - wouldn't that be nice? HTC is also getting ready to launch a One X9, but this seems to be just a mid-range handset that doesn't really offer interesting features.




3. LG G5Expected to be unveiled in April 2015 - one year after the G4 - the LG G5 should be powered by Qualcomm's brand newSnapdragon 820 processor, and might be a bit larger than its predecessor. Rumors have it that the LG G5 will sport a 5.6-inch Quad HD screen, while offering a 21 MP rear camera, and an 8 MP front-facing camera. LG recently started using metal when building its smartphones (see the V10 and the LG Zero / Class - pictured on the left), so a metal-made G5 wouldn't surprise us.




4. Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 EdgeIf recent rumors are to be believed, theSamsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge will look a lot like the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge that were introduced in the first quarter of this year, so they should be thin devices made out of metal and glass. Specs-wise, the two S7 smartphones could offer 5.2-inch Super AMOLED Quad HD displays, 20 MP rear cameras, microSD card support, and Exynos 8890 or Snapdragon 820 processors (depending on market). Overall, these should be two of the most powerful smartphones of early 2016. Samsung will probably announce the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge in February at MWC 2016, though the handsets are likely not going to hit shelves before March. In addition to the regular S7 and S7 Edge, Samsung might also release a Galaxy S7 Plus and a Galaxy S7 Edge Plus, both possibly sporting screens of around 6 inches. However, these Plus variants may not be introduced before the second half of 2016.

5. Sony Xperia Z6Sony has made a habit out of releasing two flagship smartphones per year, so a new one - possibly called Xperia Z6 - might be unveiled in the first half of 2016. In fact, we're hearing that Sony may be readying no less than five different Xperia Z6 variants, with screen sizes from 4 inches to 6.4 inches. Of course, only one of these will be considered a flagship - most likely, the 5.2-inch version. Like various other high-end smartphones of 2016, the Z6 flagship will probably be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 processor. We're expecting the Xperia Z6 to offer a thin, water-resistant body, and we're curious to see if there's going to be any significant change in design (compared to the Z5 - seen on the left).