For a few years, toward the beginning of the Android platform’s rise, manufacturers weren’t following any known schedule, releasing a bigger, faster and better phone every couple of weeks, trying to outbid each other in the race for spec supremacy. Then, a couple of years ago, the situation calmed down, the spec race became less significant, and OEMs started following a yearly cycle for most of their phones.
Many of the 2014 flagships have already been released. The Samsung Galaxy S5, HTC One (M8), Sony Xperia Z2, and LG G Pro 2 are all available now, ending the first cluster of flagship announcements that usually occur toward February / March of the year. But we still have a lot to look forward to, especially with better processors and screens promised for the second half of the year.
LG G3
The LG G3 is supposedly nearing its announcement in May or June. Leaks have been more frequent recently, and they indicate the use of a 5.5″ 2K resolution display, in a slim body that follows the G2’s narrow bezels design. LG has kept the rear-mounted power and volume keys, however, they seem to have added an element to it on the opposite side of the flash LED. The G3 is also rumored to be water and dust-resistant — but that is far from being certain at this point. Other unconfirmed specs revolve around a 13 or a 16MP camera and whether or not it would have microSD card support.
LG also might have revamped and flattened its UI for the G3. Given the company’s stellar offering with the G2, the G3 promises to be a true flagship with very few compromises.
Samsung Galaxy Note 4
We don’t know much about the Galaxy Note 4, except the common sense conclusions: it should be incrementally better than the Note 3, announced around IFA 2014, and knowing the fact that the S5 is water and dust-resistant, we should expect that feature to make it to the Note series as well. Whether the heart-rate monitor and fingerprint sensor also carry through remains to be seen.
The most interesting news we have read, however, has us wondering about the possibility of a 3-sided curved display on the Note 4, a first for any smartphone.
New Nexus
The next Nexus phone shouldn’t be announced until the fourth quarter of the year, which gives us plenty of time to speculate, find leaks, and check rumors. We don’t know almost anything about the next Nexus, except that it may be using an octa-core MediaTek processor.
Despite not having any tangible rumors yet — not even the manufacturer who will produce this iteration — we are excited about the next Nexus because it should bring flagship-grade specs at an affordable price and introduce exciting new Android features, as was the case with its predecessors.
Motorola Moto X+1
Motorola’s successor to the acclaimed Moto X is said to be called Moto X+1, according to @evleaks. The phone is supposed to come with over 25 back panel options and offer upgraded specs all over the board, compared to the Moto X.
Motorola’s flagship promises to bring a high-quality experience at quite an affordable price, with many customization options, and that is reason enough to look forward to it.
Sony Xperia Z3
To be honest, I doubt there would be a “Z3” this year, but I think Sony has to release some kind of flagship in the second half of the year, otherwise it would be “stuck” with the Z2 all year long. Sony Mobile’s creative director even confirmed that the Z2 is only the flagship for H1 2014, and in my opinion, Sony should be looking at another line-up to compliment its Z series, like Samsung’s S and Note, or LG’s G and G Pro.
But since we know that Sony has finally found the right technology for its display, and because the company is adamant about including water and dust-proofing, and using excellent camera sensors, the Z3 — or whatever its name ends up being — should be an excellent flagship and one many will look forward to.
Are you content with the current Android flagships for 2014? If not, which upcoming phone — on this list or elsewhere — are you most anticipating?
