Upcoming phones: The future smartphones of 2021

(Pocket-lint) - With the gait of smartphone improvement moving truthful fast, there's ever thing waiting successful the wings. No sooner person you spied the latest handset, that there's anticipation for the adjacent large thing.

Here we look astatine those phones that haven't yet launched, the upcoming phones for 2021. We'll beryllium updating this database connected a regular basis, with those instrumentality rumours we deliberation are credible and exciting.

As for already-launched handsets, we've rounded up the best smartphones for 2021 elsewhere - those we see to beryllium the champion crossed each platforms. If your fund is simply a small smaller, determination is besides our budget smartphones for nether £200 diagnostic - and there's a mid-range roundup up to £400 arsenic well. 

The upcoming procreation of phones

Before we dive into the detail, present are immoderate of the anticipated handsets for 2021:

• Google Pixel 5a 5G
• Nokia X50
• Sasmung Galaxy S21 FE
• Apple iPhone 13
• Google Pixel 6
• Google Pixel Fold
• Apple iPhone SE 2 Plus
• Huawei Mate 50 Pro
• Samsung Galaxy S22 family
• Oppo folding phone
• Samsung Galaxy Fold E

Google Pixel 5a 5G

Leaked designs for the Pixel 5a came arsenic thing of a astonishment - but did travel from a reliable source. They were followed by Google confirming it was coming, truthful we're looking astatine a existent phone. The motorboat is expected successful August 2020, but it mightiness beryllium constricted to the US and Japan.

• Pixel 5a rumours and leaks

Nokia X50

Although determination person been galore rumours surrounding a Nokia 9 PureView replacement, the way seems to person gone cold, alternatively suggesting that Nokia mightiness motorboat a Nokia 8.3 replacement with 5 cameras - and perchance called the Nokia X50. This could person a 6.5-inch display, tally Snapdragon 700 bid hardware and person a 108-megapixel main camera. There are rumours of a September oregon October motorboat event.

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE

Although Samsung has a motorboat lawsuit connected 11 August, it's not thought that the S21 FE volition beryllium included, with a motorboat aboriginal successful the year. You tin expect it to connection worth for wealth and beryllium to beryllium a fashionable model, with a 6.4-inch show and a camera strategy the aforesaid arsenic the Galaxy S21+.

• Samsung Galaxy S21 FE rumours

Apple iPhone 13

A mates of aboriginal rumours person hinted astatine Apple reducing the notch connected the display, with immoderate besides saying that Apple volition follow an under-display fingerprint scanner. It's besides thought the mini exemplary mightiness beryllium dropped. There mightiness beryllium a boost to a 48-megapixel camera to enactment 8K video capture.

• Apple iPhone 13 rumours

Google Pixel 6

A mass of leaks has shown disconnected the plan for the aboriginal Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, suggesting a reasonably extremist design, a alteration of absorption successful the cameras and a Google-designed spot called Tensor to powerfulness it all. We're expecting an October 2021 launch.

• Google Pixel 6: Everything you request to know

Google Pixel Fold

News of a folding Pixel archetypal appeared successful 2019, with a 2nd leak successful 2020 suggesting that the codename was Passport, and that it would beryllium launched successful Q4 2021. With expanding enactment for folding and larger phones successful Android 12, and quality from Korea that Samsung Display has been tapped-up to proviso a 7.6-inch folding show for Google, a folding Pixel mightiness beryllium connected the horizon.

• Folding Pixel: What the rumours say

Apple iPhone SE Plus

As soon arsenic the 2020 iPhone SE was announced, rumours started circulating astir a larger model. With the iPhone SE fundamentally taking the iPhone 8 body, there's those wondering if a Plus exemplary volition beryllium launched to slot into the iPhone 8 Plus space. With the caller iPhone 12 mini costing overmuch much than the SE, volition Apple capable this cheap-but-big gap?

Huawei Mate 50 Pro

The Huawei Mate 50 Pro is said to beryllium huge, with a 7000mAh artillery and a 6.8-inch display. It's said to beryllium powered by the Kirin 9000, but we person doubts astir Huawei's spot stock. It wouldn't beryllium expected to motorboat until October 2021.

Samsung Galaxy S22 family

The Samsung Galaxy S22 household of devices - the S22, S22 Plus and S22 Ultra are expected to motorboat successful January 2022, moving from a 6-inch instrumentality up to 6.81-inches. There's claims of an LTPO display. The Ultra volition person a 108MP main camera and 12x optical zoom; the smaller phones volition person a 50MP main camera. We mightiness besides spot the Exynos and AMD level disposable for these devices.

• Samsung Galaxy S22 rumours and leaks

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold E

There person been respective threads of a rumour that suggest Samsung is looking astatine much affordable folding phones - and the Galaxy Z Fold E is what we mightiness get. There's speech of a Fold exemplary with a smaller outer show similar the Z Flip, designed to merchantability overmuch cheaper - with $1100 suggested. Could this beryllium a cheaper Fold exemplary for 2021? 

• All the leaks suggesting a cheaper folding telephone from Samsung

Oppo folding phone

Oppo has shown disconnected folding telephone prototypes before, including an out-folding device. But the astir caller leak suggests that Samsung Display volition supply a 7.7-inch show for a clamshell-style device. Little other is known. 

Writing by Chris Hall. Originally published connected 3 May 2013.