The Most Interesting New Smartphones 2018

OnePlus 6

OnePlus recently exhausted its stock of 5T smartphones in North America, which can only mean one thing — a successor is on the way. Better yet, certain aspects of the new phone have already been confirmed. It'll be called the OnePlus 6, it'll have a notch and it'll be powered by a Snapdragon 845 chip, just like the Galaxy S9 and several other devices on this list. While we're not sure exactly when it'll arrive, the frequency of leaks over the past few weeks suggests an official reveal is just around the corner.

LG G7 (June 2018)

The phone will reportedly use an MLCD+ panel for its 6.1-inch display for a significantly brighter screen than what you'd get from an OLED panel. Such a screen would also consume less power. Other rumored features include dual rear cameras with wide f/1.6 apertures and stereo speakers to provide "boombox"-like sound.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 (Q3 2018)

We're still in the early days of rumors for the successor to Samsung's Galaxy Note 8 (pictured here), but we may already have an idea of how powerful the next Samsung phablet will be. You can expect the handset to adopt Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845 platform, like the just-released Galaxy S9 and S9+.
Additionally, a recent report out of SamMobile claimed a Note 9 prototype aced the HTML5Test benchmark with a score of 552, out of a possible 555. Software also looks as if it will see a pretty significant upgrade this time around; Samsung mobile chief DJ Koh has already confirmed the next iteration of the company's virtual assistant, Bixby, will debut on the Note 9.

HTC U12

The HTC U11 was perhaps 2017’s best phone with the worst design. It was so dated, in fact, that the company was forced to push out a mid-cycle refresh in the form of the U11 Plus — a just-released variant with an 18:9 display and smaller bezels. Those of us in the United States will never see the U11 Plus, but the lessons learned from it should inform HTC’s next-generation flagship, tentatively nicknamed U12.
Early rumors indicate the U12 will be powered by a Snapdragon 845 processor and carry as much as 6GB of RAM. It could also boast dual cameras around the back and another pair at the front for selfies.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S

Xiaomi is a well-known brand in other parts of the world, but the Chinese firm has never sold a smartphone in the US. That could change later this year, as the company has expressed interest in expanding further west. Should Xiaomi follow through on that ambition, we hope it leads with the Mi Mix 2S — a powerful, beautifully designed handset only available in China that employs a Snapdragon 845 system-on-chip and next-to-no bezels on three sides.

Asus ZenFone 5Z (Summer 2018)

Asus finally announced an attention-grabbing smartphone. The ZenFone 5Z offers high-end specs, an affordable price tag, and an eye-catching design. It looks similar to the iPhone X with its notch and a vertically positioned dual-camera setup, which can be good or bad depending on your preference.

The Asus ZenFone 5Z sports a 6.2-inch display and has a screen-to-body ratio of 90 percent. The dual-SIM device is powered by the latest and greatest Snapdragon 845 chipset and equipped with two five-magnet stereo speakers driven by dual amplifiers. It comes with either 4, 6, or 8GB of RAM and a 3,300mAh battery with smart charging technology.