Upcoming phones: The future smartphones of 2020

Upcoming phones: The future smartphones 

of 2020

• Google Pixel 4a
• OnePlus 8 Lite
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 2
• Samsung Galaxy Fold 2
• Xiaomi flip phone
• Apple iPhone 12 5G
• Samsung Galaxy Fold E
• Nokia 9.3 PureView
• Samsung Galaxy Note 20
• Pixel 5 
• Apple iPhone SE 2 Plus

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Google Pixel 4a

Google's affordable handset offers access to that great Google camera, but in a phone that's more affordable. It looks like there's going to be a Pixel 4a to appeal to those on a tighter budget, along with a punch hole front camera, 3.5mm headphone socket and a single camera on the back. Rumours suggested a May launch, then a June launch - now it's not expected until 13 July.

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OnePlus 8 Lite/OnePlus Z

OnePlus looks like it's going to offer an affordable phone of its own, which might be called the OnePlus 8 Lite or OnePlus Z. This phone might sit on MediaTek hardware and make a few compromises, but may well offer a more affordable entry point to OnePlus' devices. It didn't launch with the OnePlus 8 models, so might appear in the middle of 2020.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 2

Rumours have started to swirl about an update to the Galaxy Z Flip. Firstly, we might see a 5G version - and that might appear in 2020 and see no other revisions to the phone. But we've also seen plans that suggest Samsung wants to add a third camera to this folding phone, which might appear on the Flip 2. That phone might not launch until some time in 2021, but it's something to be anticipated.

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Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 / Galaxy Z Fold 2

Rumours have suggested that Samsung will be updating the current Fold with a new generation of phone. It's expected that this will be a flagship grade phone with Snapdragon 865 with 5G - perhaps S Pen support - and the cameras from the Galaxy S20+. We suspect it will also have the ultra thin glass of the Galaxy Z Flip. That's likely to see the it as a premium device, although reports say Samsung wants to keep the price under control, so it might be cheaper than the original.

Xiaomi flip phone

Xiaomi has shown off a number of folding prototypes in the past, but now there's talk that the company is looking to source components from Samsung Display. It's believed that Xiaomi is interested in producing a folding phone similar to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip. That would potentially provide a cheaper entry-point to folding phones and add variety to this growing market.

Apple iPhone 12 and iPhone 5G

With the iPhone 11 series launched and out of the way, the big question over 5G remains. Apple had said it wouldn't launch a 5G phone in 2019 and it didn't - but long before the iPhone 11 surfaced there were rumours about the 2020 iPhone - the iPhone 12. There's talk of a new squarer design, no notch, 5G and OLED displays for all three models. But is this just a fan wishlist?

Samsung Galaxy Fold E

There have been several threads of a rumour that suggest Samsung is looking at most affordable folding phones - and the Galaxy Fold E is what we might get. Firstly we've heard that Samsung is looking at a price drop on a special edition in mid-2020 that will clear out old stock and make room for the Galaxy Fold 2. But there's also talk of a Fold model with a small external display like the Z Flip, designed to sell much cheaper - with $1100 suggested. 

Nokia 9.3 PureView

The word on the street is that Nokia wants to update the Nokia 9, but to get it on Snapdragon 865 it's delaying until later in 2020 - most likely IFA in August or September. That's probably because of the work needed to get the camera system working on the new hardware. Where was the Nokia 9.1 and 9.2? A rumoured Snapdragon 855 version never appeared, which might account for the 9.1 number being skipped - and other other models for 2020 moving to x.3, we suspect the Nokia 9 would too.

Samsung Galaxy Note 20

The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 is expected to take the 120Hz display of the S20 series, the camera of the S20+ and present a new phone with S Pen powers. We're expecting two sizes, like the Note 10, and a launch some time in August 2020 and many of the rumours are saying that the Note 20's only difference to the S20 will be the S Pen.

Apple iPhone SE 2 Plus

As soon as the 2020 iPhone SE was announced, rumours started circulating about a larger model. With the iPhone SE essentially taking the iPhone 8 body, there's those wondering if a Plus model will be launched to slot into the iPhone 8 Plus space. While many say that this phone is unlikely to appear (4 year old design and priced higher than the SE makes it close to the XR) there's some saying that it will appear in early 2021.

Google Pixel 5

Google's next phone has already seen some interesting leaks. There's the suggestion that it will use the Snapdragon 765 to make it more affordable and it might ditch the Soli radar tech which had limited functionality. We're still expecting two sizes of phone, but we wouldn't expect to see them until October 2020.