Upcoming Smartphones of 2017

With a new year comes new flagships to look forward to. So what can we expect from the shiny new smartphones of 2017?

1) Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+

Samsung (and other phone manufacturers) has started to challenge the status quo of the "default" screen aspect ratio of 16:9 that everyone has been so used to. The S8 and S8+ sport a 18.5:9 aspect ratio (i.e. more height for the same width) with curved corners and edges. The advantage of such a unique aspect ratio would be to watch widescreen movies in greater comfort, not to mention little to no bezels which certainly makes for a stunning-looking phone.
It also sports the latest and speediest Snapdragon 835 processor, only officially exclusive to Samsung and Sony's XZ Premium at this point of time. One notable thing is Samsung's decision to ditch its signature physical home button for on-screen buttons, though the increase in screen length should make up for that.
Samsung's newest flagship also sports their own AI, Bixby, which is pretty much similar to Google Assistant. Bixby boasts machine learning capabilities that can understand your habits and personalities via your activities on your S8. Bixby also understand natural language, meaning that you can converse with it in incomplete information, and it can still interpret your message or request. Samsung are so confident in its AI's capabilities that it claims that it can do anything that you can already do via touch.

The S8 and S8+ also showcases its ability to function as a desktop. Using Samsung's new Desktop Experience (DeX) Dock, one is able to use the phone as a computer, provided he/she already own a monitor, keyboard and mouse, of course. The "computer" may run Android, but in desktop mode, it does support windowing. Also, some apps, such as the Microsoft Office suite, have already been optimised for this unique platform.

2) LG G6

LG has also adopted an unusual screen aspect ratio of 18:9 (or 2:1), but lacks curved edges (a love or hate feature). Its screen is also the first to sport Dolby Vision HDR, meaning that it can deliver HDR-grade video content from Amazon and Netflix. The phone also comes with an impressive dual camera setup that allows you to take wide angle pictures. Alongside being certified for IP68 (i.e. waterproof) and coming out with Google Assistant from the box, this phone is set for success. Don't let the Snapdragon 821 fool you into thinking that this is a weak phone; last year's flagship processor is still more than capable.
The LG G6 has already been released in South Korea, with an official announcement for Singapore slated on April 5th.

3) Sony XZ Premium

This phone is so shiny it hurts - bringing this out in public would definitely turn heads. The Sony XZ Premium is not all looks however. It boasts a 4K HDR screen, something that literally no other phone can boast of and even televisions can be jealous about. The phone's camera is also capable of shooting in super slow motion of up to 960fps. With the Snapdragon 835 powering it, lag will definitely not be an issue.

The Sony XZ Premium will be released on Spring 2017.

What do you think of the latest upcoming smartphones? Are their innovations enough to capture consumers' hearts (and wallets) or are they simply gimmicks? Do let us know in the comments below!