Best new phones still to come in 2018

Apple iPhone 2018

OK, so we don't know what it'll be called. iPhone 11? XS? X Plus? 9? Whatever it's called, you're probably going to want one.

Rumours suggest the iPhone X design could get two more sizes, mini and Plus, with upgrades to the internals of the X itself. Others suggest there could be cheaper alternatives that keep the design.

Either way, expect more than one iPhone this September. Apple had to play catch up with the iPhone X, and it won't want to do that again. Likely with an A12 processor, better battery tech, iOS 12 and faster charging, this is going to be the best iPhone. Again.

Read more about the iPhone 2018 here.

Apple iPhone SE 2

The iPhone SE is Apple's small and cheap iPhone, the only one still on sale with a 4in screen but well overdue an update. What on earth is it doing in a round-up of the *best* new phones coming in 2018, you might wonder.

Well, let us explain. The iPhone SE 2 we've all been waiting for may not be the cheap, small iPhone we're expecting. In fact it may be an iPhone X SE, with a larger screen and higher price tag.

According to rumours the new SE will still be cheaper than the iPhone X, but cheap is not a word we'd associate with a phone that might still cost £649.

It's likely the phone will see a 6.01in LCD screen with an iPhone X-like notch, but it will lose 3D Touch to cut down costs.

It's likely the iPhone SE 2 will be announced at WWDC, which has now been confirmed for 4 June.

Read more iPhone SE 2 rumours here.

Xiaomi Mi8

This is Xiaomi's upcoming flagship, and it will arrive on 5 June, after being announced on 31 May. A slightly delayed release date compared to what we were expecting, rumours suggest this is due to Xiaomi experimenting with embedding a fingerprint scanner within the display. When the Mi8 does arrive it will undercut the price of its UK rivals and offer much the same hardware - perhaps even better.

This is the first Xiaomi phone to have a notch, on a 6.2in OLED screen (2248x1080) from Samsung. This sits inside a four-way curved glass back panel and an aluminium frame. 

Other firsts for Xiaomi include the addition of wireless charging (this has been implemented in the Mi Mix 2S announced in late-March), and dual frequency GPS for improved accuracy .

In addition to the standard model, there's a budget-friendly Mi8 SE, and the suped up Explorer Edition, which boasts a transparent back and that much-rumoured in-screen fingerprint scanner.

If you're wondering what happened to the Mi7, Xiaomi is skipping that model with the Mi8 in celebration of its eight anniversary.

Read more rumours about the Xiaomi Mi8 here.

Google Pixel 3

Three new Google Pixel phones are expected to land on 4 October 2018, with one of them poised as a rival to the iPhone X.

Codenamed Crosshatch, Albacore and Blueline, we know that these new pure Android phones will run the to-be-announced Android 9.0 P, and that they will likely carry the 10nm (second-gen) Snapdragon 845 processor and feature 18:9 pOLED panels.

Read more about the Pixel 3 here.

HTC U12+

The HTC U12+ is now official, but bizarrely there is no standard model - it's all about the Plus. It has dual-cameras front and back, and HTC is making a lot of noises about its excellent audio and video recording capabilities.

There's a 6in tall (18:9) Quad-HD display with no notch, supporting a range of 'edge' gestures that involve squeezing and tapping the sides of the phone to interact with the device.

Core specs are standard flagship fare, with the Snapdragon 845, 6GB of RAM and 64GB storage.

With prices starting at £699, undercutting the Galaxy S9 but overpriced compared to the LG G7 and OnePlus 6, HTC has not confirmed exactly when the U12+ will go on sale. You can read more about it here, and in our hands-on review.

LG V35 ThinQ

We were expecting to see the V40 ThinQ announced this year - and that may still happen at IFA in September - but until then LG has surprised us by revealing the V35 ThinQ.

On sale in the US from 8 June, there's no word yet on a UK release, so it may never arrive here. If it does though, it boasts a 6in 18:9 OLED screen (with no notch) powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, which is accompanied by 6GB of RAM and at least 64GB of storage.

There's a bigger battery than the G7 at 3300mAh but generally many specs are the same including the dual rear cameras, Quad DAC, DTS-X virtual surround sound, wireless charging and IP68 waterproofing.

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Microsoft Surface Phone

Microsoft's Surface Phone has been the stuff of rumours for more than two years, and only a few months ago we believed all hopes were dashed with news that Microsoft was killing Windows Phone.

But the company has filed fresh patents for a foldable mobile device, reigniting rumours on the possibility of a Surface Phone. It's still no more than a maybe, making estimating a release date impossible. But if the Surface Phone does eventually see the light of day, we could see a foldable phablet to rival the Galaxy Note X.

Read more about the Surface Phone here.

Moto Z3

Three new models in the Moto Z family are tipped to arrive this summer, with the Moto Z3 and Z3 Play expected in early June and the Moto Z3 Force in late-July.

All three are thought to have 6in 'borderless' (18:9) displays, though the Force will feature a Quad-HD resolution while the Z3 and Play are stuck on full-HD. It will also have the most powerful spec, with the Snapdragon 845 inside.

No fingerprint scanner is visible on the leaked images - is Motorola ditching it for an iris scanner, or are we finally about to see mainstream phones with fingerprint scanners embedded in their screens?

Support for Moto Mods is a given, but there's talk of a new 5G Moto Mod that lets you bolt on the latest mobile tech.

Read more about the upcoming Moto Z3 line-up here.

Nokia 9

In 2017 the Nokia 8 Sirocco arrived in place of the Nokia 9. It sort of was the Nokia 9, but the 2017 model with an old processor, and we're still waiting for the Nokia 9 2018. This may well be announced in August at IFA, and hopefully this one will actually be called the Nokia 9 to save confusion. 

It's set to be a great phone, with headline features including a 5.7in Quad-HD+ POLED screen with an in-display fingerprint scanner and iPhone X-style notch.

Powering the show should be the Snapdragon 845 and up to 8GB of RAM, while there's also talk of a 22Mp dual-camera from Zeiss. Looking to the Sirocco for ideas we'd also guestimate USB-C audio (no headphone jack), IP67 waterproofing and Qi wireless charging.

Read more about the upcoming Nokia 9.

Nokia 10

Rumours have surfaced on yet another Nokia flagship, although they're best described as "sketchy".

A Nokia 10 could be released at IFA 2018 (running from 31 August) with a five-lens primary camera and the Snapdragon 845 inside.

Read more about the Nokia 10 here.

Razer Phone 2

The original Razer phone, the first smartphone built for gamers and to support a 120Hz refresh rate, was met with huge interest from consumers. So it's good to hear a second version is in the planning, and likely to be with us in September.

Theories on what to expect are still rather thin on the ground, but there's talk of an improved camera setup.

Read more Razer Phone 2 rumours here.

Samsung Galaxy S9 Mini

You may have read rumours about a Galaxy S8 Mini. However, with the Galaxy S9 having been fairly recently announced it's looking more likely that if such a phone exists it will be the Galaxy S9 Mini, not the Galaxy S8 Mini.

There's very little to go on right now, but one mobile leakster has suggested Samsung is working on a 5in screen phone with a full-screen Infinity Display.

It sounds a lot like a potential Galaxy S9 Mini, but it could equally be an update to the Galaxy A series, with the A6 and A6+ also rumoured to be coming soon. We'll have to wait and see.

Read more about the Galaxy S9 Mini here.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 release date, price, news and leaks

Update: We've now had our first real look at what the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 might look like, thanks to leaked renders.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 launch date is likely two months away, according to a new leak that hints at a release date weeks sooner than previous years.

The Note 9 is always big news because it's an Android phone with a large screen and handy S Pen, although rumors of an in-screen fingerprint sensor may be premature.

Instead, we're likely to see Bixby 2.0 and an improved dual-lens camera, maybe one with the HDR video recording left out of the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus.

Today, we're sorting through the rumors and leaks (there are a lot of them), and to do that we've gotten out our trusty S Pen stylus ready to declare which are plausible, and which are just wishful thinking.

Here's everything we know about Samsung's extra-big Android phone.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 release date

• Earlier launch date expected: Thursday, August 9 at Samsung Unpacked
• Earlier release date expected: Before the next iPhone launch event

You may be able to get your hands on the Galaxy Note 9 sooner than anticipated, as the Samsung Unpacked launch event may be in early August.

Thursday, August 9 is the rumored launch date, with the announcement expected to happen in New York City. Last year's phone was announced on August 23.

There's been a lot of evidence backing this up. The Note 9, said to be codenamed 'Crown', supposedly had a prototype ready in the first quarter of 2018, noted The Investor. It cites market watchers who pinned the phone for early to mid August.

Samsung was also said to be testing firmware for the phone ahead of schedule, two weeks earlier than where it was with the software for the Note 8. And remember, the S9 firmware was tested earlier than the S8 and that went on to launch earlier, too.

Supply chain sources are also reporting that screen panels were being built for it two months earlier than normal, going as far as calling out a late July launch date. That's a little too ambitious. August 9 sounds like a much more likely date.

Why the earlier release date?

Samsung needs the Note 9 is be attention-grabbing enough to outlast the iPhone X2 and iPhone 9 phones that Apple is likely to unveil in early September.

Sure, the Note series is always announced first, but by the time Note phones actually comes out, the hype surrounding Apple's new iPhones is already at a fever-pitch.

That's the No. 1 reason why we expect Samsung to give us the Galaxy Note 9 earlier. It needs to get its phone in its first customers hands in August or early September at the very latest.

The dimensions of the Galaxy Note 9 have also been supplied, with the phone apparently coming in at 161.9 x 76.3 x 8.8mm, making it slightly shorter but marginally wider and thicker than the 162.5 x 74.8 x 8.6mm Galaxy Note 8. So the size is similar overall, which is no surprise, since the screen will apparently also stay at roughly 6.3 inches.

As there haven’t been any other images yet there’s nothing to compare these to, so take them with a grain of salt, but the source is solid and they look convincing enough.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 price

• It'll be an expensive whether or not it sees a price increase

The Note 9 price is unlikely to have the same good news that we're seeing from the early release date. Whenever it does arrive, it's bound to be expensive.

The Galaxy Note 8 retailed for $929 / £869 / AU$1,499 at launch and we can’t see Samsung lowering the price for the Note 9, especially now Apple has pushed smartphone prices even higher with its iPhone X.

Here's the Note 9 price wildcard: The S9 and S9 Plus saw a price increase in most countries. However, it was cheaper in the US. We may see another split decision, depending on where you buy the Note 9.

For now, you'll have to be satisfied with the Note 9's predecessor if you want a phone with a stylus on the cheap. Check out today's best Galaxy Note 8 deals.

Note 9 in-screen fingerprint sensor

The biggest Samsung Galaxy Note 9 rumor relates to its fingerprint scanner, which months of rumors have indicating could be built directly into the phone screen.

We've seen (and tested) in-screen fingerprint sensors in phones out of China, and A Samsung is testing multiple in-screen solutions and will probably use one of them, a move which could also apparently allow room for a larger battery in the Note 9.

That tallies with a source who's said the Note 9 will have both an in-screen scanner and a big 3,850mAh battery.

However, a slightly earlier rumor points to the in-screen fingerprint sensor skipping the Note 9, just like it did on the S9 and S9 Plus, Note 8 and S8 and S8 Plus before. There's more reason to believe it'll show up on the Galaxy X (Galaxy S10 next year).

Both Samsung and Apple have been rumored to be working on this but failed to achieve it in time for their most recent handsets, pushing Samsung to move the scanner to a sub-optimal position on the back of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Note 8, while Apple ditched it altogether from the iPhone X.

Xiaomi Mi 8 SE rumored to launch in India next month as Mi 8i

Last week Xiaomi launched its latest set of flagship smartphones in the Mi-8-series. The launch event in China gave us a look at the new Mi 8, Mi 8 Explorer edition and the Mi 8 SE. While there has been no official word about the phones coming to India, a new rumor has surfaced claiming that the Mi 8 SE will be launching in India next month, rebranded as the Mi 8i. Along with that, the rumor also suggests the launch of the Mi Band 3.

According to Beebom, a source from the retail network stated that the Mi 8 Se will be rebranded as the Mi 8i for the Indian market. The website also suggests the “i” in the name to be an indication for India. Adding to that, it was also noted by many that the official URL for Mi 8 SE refers to the phone as “Mi8i”. Besides that, Beebom also claims the Mi Band 3 to launch next month.Beebom’s source also stated that the Mi 8 SE could be priced between Rs 18,000 to Rs 20,000, which is very close to the Chinese price of RMB 1,799 (approximately Rs 19,000). The Mi Band 3 is also speculated to be priced closely to the Chinese pricing, which is RMB 169 (approximately Rs 1,800) for the standard variant and RMB 199 (approximately Rs 2,100) for the NFC enabled variant.

Mi 8 SE specifications and features  

Mi 8 SE is one of the first phones to run on a Snapdragon 710 chipset, which is aimed to fill the gap between premium and mid-range processors. Along with that, the phone also comes with either 4GB RAM or 6GB of RAM, tagged alongside 64GB of storage. It also carries a 5.88-inch Full HD+ AMOLED notched display at the front and a 3,120mAh battery underneath its hood.The Mi 8 SE also features dual rear cameras with 12-megapixel and 5-megapixel sensors. There is also a 20-megapixel selfie shooter at the front. The phone is likely to come in four colors (blue, red, gold and black) and will feature Android 8.1 layered with the latest MIUI 10 on top.

XIAOMI GAMING LAPTOP

1. XIAOMI GAMING LAPTOP 
Xiaomi already had a lightweight sleek Windows laptop in its catalogue, but it was never launched in India. The company has now forayed in to the gaming laptop segment with the Mi Gaming laptop. It features a 15.6-inch IPS display with a resolution of 1920 x 1,080 pixel, and weighs 2.7kg. The Mi gaming laptop will be available in various configurations with up to seventh gen Intel Core i7 processor, up to 16GB DDR4 RAM, up to Nvidia GTX 1,060 GPU with ..You get 4-zone RGB lighting on the keyboard and customisable light accents on the sides to entice gamers. The main highlight is the aggressive pricing, which starts at $950. 

10 of the best upcoming gadgets of 2018

WE'RE WELL AND TRULY into the new year now, which means it's time to look forward to a fresh foray of innovative new gadgets, all with the same goal: to keep us distracted from the fact that there is no meaning to life. 

But whatever happens in the year ahead, one thing is for certain, the tech product companies - from the usual big players to fresh startups, and even those that aren't even at that stage yet - are cooking up cutting-edge innovations to wow us in the coming months as we wait patiently for the next big industry changer to come along.

With that, here are our 10 moLenovo ThinkPad T series

Chinese laptop giant Lenovo kicked off the year by unveiling a new range of thinner and lighter ThinkPad devices to be released later this year, all powered by 8th Generation Intel Core processors.

The new ThinkPad T Series, however, is perhaps the most noteworthy among the fresh line-up. Marketed as a "corporate workhorse", this series includes privacy Halberd 

Touted as "the world's most advanced NextGen smart Bluetooth key and lock", Halberd is a brand new gadget for 2018 which automatically locks your PC every time you walk away. Made by GateKeeper, Halberd is perfect for those who are perhaps less cautious when it comes to privacy and security, and is an ideal desktop companion if you often forget to log out or lock your machine when leaving your workspace temporarily. 

Forget timeout policies, have the GateKeeper and Halberd continuously authenticate your presence and remain signed in.

The Halberd has just finished a successful stint on Kickstarter, reaching its goal of $50,100. Expect to see it officially available within the coming months.

LG 8K TV

Just when you thought TVs couldn't get more ridiculously detailed, LG goes and announces the 88in 8K (YES, EIGHT) OLED panel TV ahead of CES, claiming to have the largest and highest-resolution OLED panel ever. 

We don't know much else about the record-breaking TV just yet, but expect it to be more expensive than a small house. The Korean firm will be unveiling more in the coming days at the CES conference in Las Vegas, but so far we know it will be available this year, if you have a spare couple quid, that is. protection features such as an IR camera, fingerprint reader and a ‘ThinkShutter' webcam cover to protect users from being watched by computer hijackers. However, the big deal with the T Series is that Lenovo claims some of the models' battery will last over a full day without needing a charge, delivering a whopping 27 hours of juice

In the line-up comprises of the ThinkPad T480, which starts at $989 (£730); the T480s, which starts at $1,269 (£935); and the T580, which starts at $1,079 (£795). All will be available sometime later this month

st anticipated gadgets of the coming year.Dell XPS 13 2018 edition

Dell kicked off the year by announcing a souped-up version of its XPS 13 laptop, the 2018 edition. Just like the refreshed XPS 13 launched just late last year, the firm's fresh model packs Intel's latest 8th-generation Core i5 or i7 processors, which are offered with a choice of 4GB, 8GB or 16GB RAM and up to 1TB of SSD storage. 

The device not only boasts a lovely bezel-less display, but according to Dell, users will be able to squeeze a whopping 20-hours of battery life out of it when running in full HD (dropping to 11 hours in 4k Ultra HD mode). 

The XPS 13 2018 edition is also said to offer twice the grunt of the 2015 model, thanks to better power management. This is down to the new thermal design of the laptop, which uses Gore thermal insulation for better heat dissipation. There's also a 'dynamic power mode' that intelligently delivers maximum power when needed, while carefully monitoring system temperatures. Dell said the XPS 13 will be available later this month.

Apple HomePod

The Apple HomePod was originally supposed to be with us before Christmas last year, but the Amazon Echo rival supposedly wasn't quite ready yet. 2018 is the year that those baked well and truly into the iOS ecosystem have been waiting for: an Alexa of the Apple variety. 

The HomePod is Apple's first stab at the Amazon and Google-dominated smart speaker market. Like its competitors, the speaker is controlled by Apple's AI assistant - Siri - which can do things such as read out the news and send iMessages and also act as a "musicologist" that will help you discover new music.

The device itself measures 7in tall, and Apple has defended its bin-like design by talking up its "seamless 3D mesh fabric" as having acoustic properties. Inside you'll find Apple's A8 processor, which the company claims is "the biggest brain inside of a speaker". This sits alongside a 4in Apple-built subwoofer and a seven tweeter array with precision acoustic horns and directional control. 

Expect to see the HomePod in, er, homes sometime "early this year". 

Samsung CJ791 curved QLED monitor

Samsung Electronics expanded the connectivity and performance capabilities of its signature curved display line-up this year with the debut of its CJ791 monitor, claiming it to be the first curved monitor to feature Intel's Thunderbolt 3 connectivity.

A desktop essential for anyone who needs to multitask to get everything done in time, the  34in CJ791 is designed for business audiences, but entertainment purposes, too, thanks to its 3440x1440 ultra-wide QHD resolution display.

Through a Thunderbolt 3 cable, CJ791 users can link and dock their monitor and laptop without a chaos of cables. The Thunderbolt 3 connection provides processing speed of up to 40Gbps, allowing users to enjoy connectivity across a full ecosystem of docks, displays and peripheral devices including Macs, USB type-C laptops, and other desktop accessories like storage drives or external graphics cards. The Thunderbolt 3 interface also enables the CJ791 to provide up to 85 watts of laptop charging power.

The CJ791 will be available later this month, Samsung said. 

PROOF

PROOF is a wristband wearable with a difference. Not only does it seek to look after your health, but by doing so it might just save your life. The band is touted as revolutionising the way we consume alcohol by tracking our BAC levels and relaying statistics to the accompanying app on iOS or Android.

PROOF has been designed for anybody who drinks alcohol, from casual drinkers to all night partiers, with patent-pending technology to help you safely consume. But the user doesn't have to go out of their way to check if they've had enough before they venture on their journey home. Proof has an automatic tracking feature which senses alcohol through your skin. Then, a smart alert system notifies the wearer when they've had one too many through vibration and LED alerts. 

MyKronoz ZeTime Hybrid Smartwatch

After raising more than $6m on Kickstarter and Indiegogo last year, MyKronoz - a watchmaking brand aimed at the smart generation - just announced that its ZeTime hybrid smartwatches will be available to buy this early this year with a retail price starting at $199 (£180).

The unique thing about MyKronoz's smartwatches is that they are the world's first "hybrid" devices of their kind. That is, thy offer the classic design of a Swiss timepiece with the advanced features of a smartwatch via mechanical hands that tick away over a colour touchscreen.

The ZeTime Petite (39mm) and Regular (44mm) models both feature proprietary ‘Smart Movement' technology which is said to enable ZeTime's always-on hands to function for up to 30 days with a single charge. 

Samsung's Galaxy S9 smartphone

No year in tech would be complete without the launch of a Samsung flagship phone now, would it? Nope. Like clockwork, Samsung will unveil its latest S device by Springtime, and already we have a pretty good idea what the handset will look like thanks to those good old online leaks and rumours.  

Samsung already unveiled the processor that will be powering it, Exynos 9 Series 9810, giving away some of the features we're likely to see, such as iPhone X Face ID-style functionality. There's also a good chance it'll boast a choice between a 5.8in or 6.2in QHD+ Super AMOLED curved display, Android 8.0 'O' and a display embedded fingerprint scanner

With reports claiming that Samsung will start production of the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus this year, it's likely that the handsets will debut earlier in the year than the Galaxy S8, and hints that Samsung could be planning a launch at next year's MWC.

There's no word yet on pricing for the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus. If anything like the S8, expect handsets to fetch around £689 and £779 SIM-free.  

Nutale Live GPS tracker

GPS tracking devices aren't anything new. The likes of TrackR, Tile, etc have been on the market for some good time now. But one thing they are missing is a proper live GPS tracking technology. Annoyingly, you have to enable Bluetooth and ensure its in a range to connect to your device and find your belongings. This isn't ideal, especially when you've lost something outside your house and don't have the foggiest where it's got to.

Meet Nutale, a much more intelligent personal GPS tracker. This small and powerful device is different because it gives you actual real-time positioning so you can keep track of your possessions, or even kids and pets - basically anything that moves. You'll know exactly where they got to and where they are going. 

Nutale also lets you set a safety region on your app to enable geo-fence alerts as well as access up to four weeks of historical footprints. It features an emergency SOS button and up to 30 days rechargeable battery life, too. The device isn't available just yet but expect it to hit online stores in the coming months.