Like most other years before it, 2020 has quite a few major handsets in store on the Android front. The “usual suspects” are releasing their usual flagships filled with even more processing power and even better cameras, not to mention the screens that are more beautiful and high-resolution than ever. True innovation, in turn, isn’t found in all the upcoming smartphones – most of them play it safe, offering small improvements on tried-and-tested feature sets.
There are a handful of smartphone makers who, in turn, don’t really play it safe, adding amazing features to their handsets, breaking ground for the most interesting tech trends of the year.
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Waterfall Display: Moto Edge / One 2020
Motorola should have presented its new smartphone – called “Moto Edge” or “Moto One 2020” – at this year’s MWC but it was canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak. It’s a pity, as we didn’t get the chance to check out its new Waterfall Display.
In short, the Waterfall Display is a screen with an edge curved at a specific angle so that the bezel of the screen is not visible at all. This creates a higher screen-to-body ratio, a highly immersive experience that will be perfect for media, all this while reducing the overall footprint of the handset.
Under-Display camera: Oppo Find X2
Chinese smartphone maker Oppo has chosen to equip its Find X with a pop-up camera. The next iteration of the handset, in turn, will not have this solution, Oppo choosing to go with an under-display front-facing camera instead.
The handset will have a more-than-decent configuration, powered by a Qualcomm’s SnapDragon 865 SoC, paired with a 3K display with a 120Hz refresh rate.
Super-fast charging: Nubia Red Magic 5G
Nubia made some sizeable waves with its Red Magic gaming phones – and it prepares for even more. While most of the phone’s known specs are rumors, there are quite a few interesting innovative features already leaked that may turn this phone into a sensation.
One of them is a super-fast 80W charger that could charge the phone within minutes. This may or may not be true – but even without it, the phone’s large 144Hz screen deserves a mention.
108-megapixel camera: Mi Mix Alpha
This is one of the phones that was already announced – Xiaomi didn’t wait for the MWC to present it. What makes the Mi Mix Alpha stand out is its triple camera setup that has one camera with a 108-megapixel sensor. The camera software on the phone will also come with an amazing feature: it will be capable of recording video at a whopping 960fps (at a 1080p resolution).
The phone was presented last September and it is set to be released later this year.
Affordable price: several phones
Finally, among the many flagships and insanely expensive phones, let’s take a look at the more affordable side: handsets that stand out of the crowd through their configuration, their low price or both. Several major smartphone makers now focus on the customers without pockets deep enough for their best and brightest handsets.
Even Apple – the Cupertino giant has resisted releasing a successor to its iPhone SE for years. Now, it is expected to launch one, called “iPhone SE 2”. The handset will be similar to the iPhone 8 with a 4.7” screen and the familiar rounded shape but it will be equipped with Apple’s latest A13 Bionic SoC. While it won’t exactly be on the cheap side, it will definitely be much cheaper than its “full-on” counterparts.
OnePlus is also preparing to launch a mid-range phone – an unusual move for the manufacturer. The upcoming OnePlus 8 Lite is rumored to have a 6.4” screen, a dual camera, and a configuration built around the Snapdragon 600 or 700 series. It is said to be aimed especially at India and other similar markets.
