We saw really great smartphones last d̶e̶c̶a̶d̶e̶ year – foldables went mainstream(OPPO Find N, Z Flip 3, Z Fold 3 among others), S21 series, Xiaomi Mi 11T Pro, Galaxy A72, OPPO Reno6 5G, iPhone 13 series, Infinix Zero X series and Phantom X which we got to review.
We expect new smartphones this year – rocking new chips, new designs, new displays, bigger batteries, fast charging, better cameras for videos and lowlight photography among other interesting features.
Here are some of the smartphones I’m anticipating and will be launching this year.
Xiaomi 12 Series
Xiaomi 12 series just launched in China and will probably launch globally this year. The Xiaomi Mi 11T Pro launched in Kenya last month. It’s a great catch and comes with Snapdragon 888 5G chip, 128GB/256GB(Ksh 49,999 and Ksh 64,999 respectively) storage, 120W fast charging, 120Hz AMOLED screen, 108MP main camera, 16MP selfie camera, and 5000mAh battery. We don’t have the device in-house but check my buddy Dickson over at Techish.
Anyway, the Xiaomi 12 series launched last month in China and includes the 12 Pro, base 12 and entry-level 12X.
Xiaomi 12 series come with MIUI 13 straight out of the box.
- Xiaomi 12: 6.28″ 120Hz AMOLED screen, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip, 50MP Sony IMX 766 sensor, 13MP ultrawide, 5MP tele-macro sensor, 32MP selfie camera, 8K video recording at 24fps, 4500mAh battery, 67W fast charging with 50W wireless charging, 8GB RAM and either 128GB or 256GB storage or 12GB RAM and 256GB storage.
- Xiaomi 12X: 6.28″ AMOLED screen(120Hz refresh rate), Snapdragon 870 processor, 50MP Sony IMX 766 sensor, 13MP ultrawide, 5MP tele-macro sensor, 32MP selfie camera, 8K video recording at 24fps, 67W fast charging, 4500mAh battery
- Xiaomi 12 Pro: 6.73″ LTPO AMOLED(1440p, 120Hz variable refresh rate), Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip, 50MP Sony IMX707 sensor, 50MP portrait, 50MP ultrawide, 32MP selfie camera, 8K video recording at 24fps, 4600mAh battery with 120W fast charging, 8GB RAM and either 128GB or 256GB storage or 12GB RAM and 256GB storage.
The series packs quite the specs and if Xiaomi prices them aggressively especially in the Kenyan market, it’ll be hard not to check them out given how they’ve already priced the Xiaomi Mi 11T Pro.
OPPO Reno7 Series
OPPO Reno6 series was quite the upgrade from the OPPO Reno5 series and the OPPO Reno7 series aims to one-up that.
OPPO Reno7 was launched in China and is yet to have an international launch. OPPO Reno7 may launch mid next month in the country.
OPPO Reno7 will ship with a 6.5″ OLED FHD+ screen with 90Hz refresh rate, Snapdragon 778G 5G, 4500mAh battery and 60W fast charging, a 64MP triple camera with an 8MP ultrawide and a 2MP depth sensor, 32MP front-facing camera for selfies, Android 11 and ColorOS 12.
Fingers crossed, OPPO brings the Reno7 Pro too.
OPPO Reno7 Pro features a curved 6.5″ OLED screen rocking 90Hz refresh rate, MediaTek Dimensity 1200 Max 5G chip, 8/12GB RAM and 256/512GB of UFS 3.1 onboard storage, 4500mAh battery and 65W fast charging, a 32MP IMX709 selfie camera and a 50MP Sony IMX766 triple setup at the back that also includes a 64MP ultrawide and a 13MP telephoto lens.
The camera bump is ringed by a breathing notification LED.
Samsung Galaxy A73
Samsung Galaxy A73 will be the successor of the A72 which in itself is an amazing midrange smartphone(check our comparison review with the OPPO Reno6).
The Samsung Galaxy A73 will have a Full HD+ screen with a 90Hz refresh rate, Snapdragon 750G 5G chip, 8GB RAM and 128GB of onboard storage, same quad-camera setup with a 108MP camera.
The Samsung Galaxy A73 will probably launch around March in the country.
Samsung Galaxy S22 series
Leaks and rumours of the S22 series have floated on the internet for a while and with increasing frequency.
The S22 series will have the base S22, S22+ and S22 Ultra(S22 Note). They’ll feature Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or Exynos 2200 processors, 120Hz Dynamic AMOLED screens(1300 nits) with HDR10+ at 6″, 6.55″, 6.8″, One UI 4, Android 12, 8GB RAM and either 128GB or 256GB storage or 12GB RAM and 256GB storage, 50MP wide, 10MP telephoto, 12MP ultrawide, 8K 24fps, 4K 30/60fps video for rear and selfie videos, and 10MP selfie cameras.
The Ultra will have a 108MP setup and a 40MP selfie camera. Samsung S22 Ultra will have an S Pen.
4000mAh, 4800mAh and 5000mAh battery with Type-C 3.2.
The S22 series may launch in mid-January (next week like the S21 series) or early February.
Infinix Zero 11 series
Infinix is planning to launch 5G smartphones this year and we might see the Zero 11 later this year.
It might pack some upgraded features from the Zero X Pro from last year and more.
I’m excited to see what Infinix brings to the table with the Zero 11 series.
Phantom 11
Phantom 11 might launch this year to succeed the Phantom X from 2021.
And like Infinix, the Phantom 11 should be 5G-powered as the company said it will also launch 5G smartphones this year once Safaricom publicly launches 5G scheduled for later this year.
iPhone 14 Series
iPhone 14 series might finally ditch the notch for a punch-hole cutout. The Pro models will stick to 120Hz variable refresh rate ProMotion displays.
Another big break we might see is bigger batteries.
Other rumours suggest a pill-shaped punch-hole cutout to house all the sensors which makes sense regarding Face ID.
We’ll see.
What smartphones are you looking forward to seeing this year?
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