Proper now, it’s simple to really feel uninterested in smartphones. In spite of everything, on the high-end, they’re all very highly effective, have nice cameras, typically first rate battery life, and largely related options to their predecessors and rivals, so there could be little to actually set them aside. However belief us: there are nonetheless thrilling telephones being made.
And after we say ‘thrilling telephones’, we’re speaking about handsets that do one thing genuinely new or uncommon, or push properly past typical flagship specs. Telephones that aren’t afraid to experiment and see what sticks.
We arguably noticed some such handsets in 2025 (the Huawei Mate XT, for instance), however in 2026, we’re anticipating a higher quantity to launch. So, beneath, you’ll discover a take a look at 5 upcoming handsets that ought to be value getting enthusiastic about, even (or particularly) for those who’re losing interest with most smartphones.
1. Xiaomi 17 Professional Max / Xiaomi 17 Extremely
This cellphone – and the smaller Xiaomi 17 Professional – stand out primarily by means of having a display screen on the again, so you possibly can view notifications, management media, and extra, with out ever interacting with the primary show.
In fact, this secondary display screen can be used to border pictures, so you should utilize the rear cameras for selfies. And for those who pair the cellphone with an official Sport Boy-like case, you possibly can even use the secondary show to play video games.
The Xiaomi 17 Professional Max additionally has an enormous 7,500mAh battery, which is a far increased capability than most telephones can lay declare to. This cell helps 100W wired charging and 50W wi-fi charging, which additionally has most telephones beat, and the remainder of the specs are all consistent with what you’d count on from a high-end handset, together with a top-tier Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset and 4 50MP cameras (for those who embrace the selfie digicam).
So, what of the Xiaomi 17 Extremely? Effectively, that hasn’t been introduced but, even for China, however leaks counsel it’d get a China launch earlier than the top of 2025, with a worldwide launch potential in 2026. This may in all probability be the same cellphone to the Xiaomi 17 Professional Max, however even higher, with leaks suggesting its key improve could possibly be a bigger 1-inch digicam sensor – which, as with a lot on this collection, would have most rivals beat.
2. Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold
Nonetheless, for those who’re fortunate sufficient to be someplace the place you should purchase this system, chances are you’ll properly need to, as that is Samsung’s first tri-fold smartphone – in different phrases, a cellphone with two hinges and three display screen sections, permitting it to be the scale of a 10-inch pill when unfolded, however only a 6.5-inch smartphone when folded down.
This isn’t the world’s first tri-fold cellphone, as Huawei obtained there first with the aforementioned Huawei Mate XT, but it surely could possibly be the primary remotely mainstream one.
It additionally has some spectacular specs and options, coming in at as little as 3.9mm thick when unfolded, and having a 200MP most important digicam.
3. iPhone Fold
The long-rumored iPhone Fold is about to be Apple’s first foldable cellphone, and the overwhelming majority of leaks now agree that it is coming in 2026.
It is going to in all probability land in September, alongside the iPhone 18 Professional, but it surely’s more likely to be way more thrilling than any of its siblings, and could possibly be the foldable cellphone that makes this fashion of handset really mainstream.
So far as specs go, leakers aren’t in settlement, but it surely’s more likely to have a foldable show of between 7.6 and seven.9 inches, together with a canopy display screen of roughly 5.5 inches.
It could even have two rear cameras, together with an under-display front-facing digicam, which is one thing else Apple has by no means carried out earlier than. If the selfie digicam is beneath the display screen, and the cellphone does not help Face ID as reported, then it might have an all-screen design.
One other design spotlight could possibly be the shortage of a crease, with a number of sources suggesting the iPhone Fold may not have a crease within the space the place the display screen folds. Or that, if it does, it may be virtually invisible. Apple’s want for a creaseless design can also be reportedly a part of why we’ve been ready so lengthy for this cellphone to reach, because the tech apparently wasn’t prepared till now.
4. OnePlus 16
The OnePlus 16 would possibly really feel an odd inclusion right here as a result of we don’t truly know something about this cellphone but, however what we do know is that the OnePlus 15 is an outstanding handset, and one of many only a few that we’ve ever given a five-star assessment to, so it’s honest to say that we’re hyped for its successor.
Not solely does the OnePlus 15 do all of the fundamentals properly, but it surely additionally goes past what most telephones can handle, with, for instance, an infinite 7,300mAh battery and a 165Hz display screen. Most flagships prime out at 120Hz, they usually normally have batteries of beneath 6,000mAh.
So, we hope OnePlus will proceed to push issues ahead with the OnePlus 16, as a result of if it does, this might simply be one of the thrilling telephones of 2026.
5. Ayaneo Pocket Play
That ought to give the Pocket Play a bonus over typical gaming telephones, which could have shoulder triggers however are in any other case principally reliant on their touchscreen or equipment for enjoying video games.
However whereas we’ve seen photos of the Ayaneo Pocket Play and assume it is going to in all probability launch in 2026, we don’t know a lot else about it but, so it stays to be seen what the specs and pricing might be like.
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