Best New High End Smartphones 2016
Google Nexus 6 2016 specification rumours
Again, we have to make it clear that everything you read here is merely rumours and speculation. As we've learned in the past, however, there is usually some truth behind the leaks. Here's what we've heard on the rumour mill so far:
Huawei will be producing the new Nexus 6 2016. This rumour comes from Chinese electronics industry analyst Pan Jiutang, via Weibo.com.
high-performance handset running the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor. The Snapdragon 820 has an Adreno 530 GPU, the X12 LTE modem, the Hexagon 680 DPS and a quad-core Kryo CPU.
Nexus 6 2016 will be running a brand-new operating system, Android N.
With Android Marshmallow building in support for USB-C, it's a given that the new Nexus 6 2016 will feature USB-C for data transfer and charging. The Snapdragon 820, if used in the new Nexus 6 2016, also supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0, for super-fast charging with a compatible mains adaptor.
We'll be updating this article with new rumours all year, so bookmark us and return another day for the latest new Nexus 6 2016 leaks.
HTC One M10
Now that we know the phone unveiled by HTC in October was an HTC One A9, we're still expecting to see the HTC One M10 in March 2016.
HTC One launches are traditionally held just prior to March's Mobile World Congress show, and HTC chairwoman Cher Wang has said there would be significant improvements in innovations and design for the next flagship model next year.
A key area in which HTC now lags behind its rivals is the screen, with the M9 featuring a full- rather than Quad HD display. We'd expect to see some key improvements here, as well as some general performance enhancements.
LG G5
The LG G5 will be here by the end of spring 2016.
Obviously very little is known so far about LG's next flagship, but we have heard that the company is working with Irience to bring an iris scanner to the G5. And that's something of a surprise, given that the LG G4 doesn't even feature a fingerprint scanner. This isn't brand-new tech, and in fact we have an UMI Iron phone in front of us with the same iris-scanning technology, but it will bring iris scanning in front of a UK audience for the first time.
The new LG G5 is thought to have a larger-capacity battery - perhaps up to 4000mAh - and the company is expected to retain the ability to remove- and also wirelessly charge the battery.
The new LG G5 is thought to have a larger-capacity battery - perhaps up to 4000mAh - and the company is expected to retain the ability to remove- and also wirelessly charge the battery.
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 Wired that 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.
In the S6 Samsung turned its back on Qualcomm and instead used one of its own Exynos processors; while it's possible that we could see a continuation of this trend, we know Samsung has already been testing out the Snapdragon 820. In fact, Samsung is thought to be working alongside Qualcomm in manufacturing the 820 with 3 GHz Kyro CPU cores. This also means the new S7 could see Adreno 530 graphics and LPDDR4 RAM - possibly as much as 6GB, although 4GB is more likely.
We expect a 5.1in Quad HD Super AMOLED panel. The fingerprint scanner and heart-rate monitor found in the S6 will also likely feature. The Samsung Galaxy S7 will come with Android 6.0 Marshmallow and TouchWiz.
Expect the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge to go on sale in April 2016.
Sony has had a rough ride in the smartphone market this year and while it will hope the Xperia Z5 range will be a big success, its thoughts must now be firmly with the Xperia Z6.
There's little in the way of leaked information on the phone but it does seem that Sony will stop its six-month refresh cycle meaning the Xperia Z6 will arrive around September 2016.
We're expecting a similar offering to the Z5 with waterproofing and a fingerprint scanner but we hope it will shake things up a bit with something very different to past phones.
