January is on its way meaning we will soon be hit by an avalanche of announcements, leaks and tips of the handsets coming throughout 2014. With CES and Mobile World Congress only around the corner we can expect to see loads of big names announce the new and wonderful offerings. We’ve covered a lot of the rumours on the site but here we are going to collate them all together and give you a brief rundown of what we are excited about in 2014.
Some of the handsets are already announced, some are expected to be announced sometime very soon, meanwhile some are a long way off (we’re looking at you Apple). So let’s get stuck in and see what 2014 has in store.
Apple: iPhone 6
Expect this one late to the table. It’s likely to launch toward the end of 2014 but Apple builds such good quality handsets it’s worth getting excited about now. As it’s such a long way off the rumours are sparser and the company is riding such a wave of success we could see it doing whatever it damn well pleases. Rumours are suggesting the iPhone 6 will boast a larger display than its predecessor, a 4.9-inch display seems to be more likely than the current 4-inch.
Another rumour suggests that the display could be made of super-tough Sapphire Glass. It’s a problem Apple have needed to sort out for a long time now as previous iPhone screens have only needed a bit of a knock in order to shatter. Apple currently uses Gorilla Glass, but Sapphire Glass is 2.5 times stronger so it could mean we see a lot less people walking round with cracked iPhone screens.
There’s also the chance the iPhone 6 could cost considerably more than the iPhone 5s. We don’t want to believe it’s true, the iPhone 5s costs enough as it is, but a boost in technology and manufacturing probably will result in a price hike. What’s guaranteed though, is that whatever Apple does (within reason) will sell like hotcakes. Apple is at the top of the game right now and it would take a monumental slip up to bring the iPhone 6 down.
Samsung: Galaxy S5
Whatever the Korean phone-maker decides to call it, we know it is just over the horizon. Samsung’s latest flagship model is rumoured for an early 2014 announcement with all arrows pointing toward Mobile World Congress in February. We’re certain the device will be running the latest Android 4.4 KitKat operating system, there’s no reason for it not to. A device which appeared on benchmarking software AnTuTu suggests we are looking at a Snapdragon 800 chipset, 3GB of RAM and a 16MP camera. We don't have any idea how it'll look yet, so here's a concept render of what could be.
Compared to the Samsung S4, that’s a bit of a boost to the camera, a whole extra 1GB of RAM and a huge boost to the chipset. The CPU on the original Galaxy S4 comes in at 1.9GHz while this benchmarked handset is clocked at2.5GHz. There’s also the rumour of a feature to combat the iPhone’s fingerprint scanner. Samsung want to offer Iris scanning which would be safer and harder to crack than a fingerprint scanner. The front facing camera on the Galaxy S5 would have to be more than a simple snapper for this to work though. We haven’t got long to wait to find out.
LG: G Flex
Finally, a handset we actually know some significant details about! We haven’t got our hands on the LG G Flex yet so it’s hard to know if this is just a gimmick but it’s an interesting concept. Flexible displays are being experimented with by a number of the big brands but the G Flex is the first to come to market in January 2014 on EE in the UK.
The design of the handset is pretty breathtaking, it can bend when weight is applied to avoid breaking and will eventually go back to its normal form. It’s strange as the normal form looks pretty uncomfortable to put in your pocket but it’s a novel idea. The LG G Flex can take a 32KG dumbbell resting on top and then bend back to its original form. It can also self heal scratches on the back panel, LG compared it to the Marvel X-Men character Wolverine's healing factor - yeah, the first healing phone. It’s all cosmetic but it is pretty mind blowing tech.
In terms of specs, the phone is pretty strong. It offers 32GB of internal storage for all your files, 2GB RAM, a 13MP camera and features the powerful Snapdragon 800. Launching with Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean on board is a bit of a downside but you can’t have everything all at once. We say that, but maybe you won’t be able to have it at all. Even though the price hasn’t been announced for the UK release it has been very expensive in Korea so watch out for the price.
Sony: Xperia Z1S
Turns out the Xperia Z1 is a pretty solid device, we liked it but that display can be a little daunting if you have tiny hands. Tiny hands rejoice, the Z1S/Z1 Mini is supposedly on its way. Rumours are suggesting an early 2014 announcement and release date. Japan has just received the Sony Xperia Z1F which seems to be a very similar device to the rumours for the Z1S, which may be the international version.
The key differences between the Xperia Z1 and the Z1F is a smaller display, it’s now 4.3-inches and is downgraded to 720p. There’s also a reduction in the battery compared to the Z1 but otherwise the device holds the same specs. That’s a Snapdragon 800, 16GB of storage and very useful dust and waterproofing protection. One of the main sellings points of the Z1 was that beast of a 20.7MP camera on the back, that’s still available on the Z1F and we believe it to be on the Z1S.
We are very excited to get our hands on the Z1 Mini.
by jamesp via Featured Articles
Reviewed by Ossama Hashim
on
December 20, 2013
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