The smartphone is one of the most-used electronic products in the world. It’s small enough to fit in your pocket and powerful enough to function like a tiny computer. What started with the iPhone has led to a variety of different smartphone manufacturers, each of which brings innovation and helps push the other companies to make a more competitive product.

2017 is set to be an amazing year for the smartphone. Two of the most exciting releases are the iPhone 8 and the Samsung Galaxy S8. Apple may skip over releasing an iPhone 7s to come out with their 10^th anniversary-edition iPhone 8, or they may release both, with the 7s bringing some mid-level upgrades while 8 gives the iPhone a total overhaul. But there’s more out there than just iPhones, which is why we’ve put together this list of some of the best smartphones being released in 2017. Here are the Top Smartphones to be Released in 2017:

 

Move over iPhone 7 and 7-plus, iPhone 8 makes watch-lists in 2017!

There are some rumors that iPhone may skip an iPhone 7s entirely, so it seemed appropriate to do the same. While the iPhone 7 brought a couple major changes to the iPhone’s flagship smartphone, like removing the headphone jack and majorly upgrading its camera, there are still several areas in which the iPhone 8 could radically improve Apple’s smartphone.

Part of the reason Apple has waited until the 8 to unveil some of these features is that 2017 marks ten years since Apple first released the iPhone. At this point, potential features of the iPhone 8 are only rumors. But some of the enhancements that have people particularly excited are an edge-to-edge screen, OLED display, and better water-resistance.

Samsung Galaxy S8

The Galaxy S8 is set to be an improvement upon the S7, as long as it doesn’t catch fire like the Note 7 did. One of the topics on the rumor mill when it comes to the Galaxy S8 is that it could have 4K-quality screen resolution. That would be an immense upgrade and set the bar high for smartphones, which will surely one day end up with screen resolutions of that quality. But as of today, those kinds of phones just aren’t available. Samsung could aim to set the bar high with their next release.

The S8 could also feature a retina scanner, so that instead of scanning someone’s fingerprint to unlock the phone, the device actually scans their eye. This would make the phone much more secure. It will also have a traditional headphone jack, which could woo over some iPhone 7 owners who have gotten tired of not being able to plug their headphones into their phone without an adapter.

There are also reports that the S8, along with other smartphones, will be able to get a 5-hour charge in just 5 minutes, thanks to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 chip.

Unfortunately, there are a few potential downfalls of the S8 as well. One of the not-so-great rumors trending online is that the S8 will have “Samsung” written on top of the screen in an inconvenient place. On top of that, it’s also been said that the S8 will have a fingerprint sensor on the back of the phone, possibly behind or near the camera. That would be problematic, particularly when it comes to convenience, as most smartphone users are accustomed to having the sensor near the thumbprint where they can touch it as they use a home button.

 

Either way, the Samsung Galaxy S8 is set to be one of the most exciting phone releases of 2017.

HTC 11

HTC is a Taiwanese company that has burst onto the smartphone scene as of late. The HTC 11 is set to release sometime in 2017, and is going to be one of the most popular smartphones not made by Apple. There are some early rumors circulating that indicate that the HTC 11 could be one of the most competitive smartphones out there.

First off, the 11 may have Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 processor. This is the same chip that should be powering the Galaxy S8 and the other elite smartphones. It could also have Quick Charge 4.0 from Qualcomm, which would enable the phone’s battery to charge 20% faster.

Some other great features of the HTC 11 include 8GB RAM and 256GB of storage space, on top of a sleek design. It’s set to be one of the best phones in 2017.

 

Blackberry Mercury

This phone was unveiled at CES 2017, the place to be for electronic companies that are wanting to showcase their latest products. This smartphone is currently only using Mercury as a codename until the official name is unveiled. Specifications haven’t been released yet, at this point there are only rumors circulating.

Blackberry is hoping that this smartphone can help them make a comeback into the mobile phone market. Blackberry hoped that the Priv would be their comeback, but for a variety of reasons it wasn’t as successful as they hoped. This new smartphone from Blackberry is going to run Android’s 7.0 Nougat Operating System, and feature the keyboard that many Blackberry fans have gotten used to.

 

iPhone Repair’s Top 4 Smartphones of 2016

 

iPhone 7 Plus

Apple’s current flagship smartphone is the iPhone 7 Plus. It’s got a dual-camera system on the rear that that has optical as well as digital zoom. This iPhone can also shoot video in 4K, a great addition for those that are into videography. It is also the first iPhone that is water-resistant. The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus were released in the latter part of 2016, and are two of the best smartphones on the market right now.

 

Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge

The Galaxy S7 has expandable memory up to 256GB, making it great for those that need to store a lot of information. It has an IP68 water-resistance rating, meaning it’s submersible up to 30 min. in 5 feet of water. It also has a Quad HD super AMOLED display.

One of the other great features of the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge is ability to charge wireless. There is a magnetic pad available on these Samsung smartphones that charges the phone without any pesky cords or wires.

 

Google Pixel XL

The first smartphone from Google was one of the best smartphones of 2016. It comes with Google Assistant, and a variety of other great features. It was also one of the first smartphones to have the Android 7.0 Nougat OS.

LG V20

It doesn’t seem right to list the top smartphones of 2016 without listing the V20 from LG. It’s the first smartphone to have a wide-angle lens on the front and back of the phone. It also supports expandable memory with a microSD card up to 2TB.

The smartphone is one of the most popular pieces of electronics in the world. Those that are wanting to invest in a new smartphone in 2017 will do well with any of the top smartphones coming out in 2017. Those that purchased one of the elite smartphones released in 2016 will have a good smartphone in their pocket, and don’t necessarily need to upgrade this year unless they just can’t help it!