If you are in the market for a new smartphone, especially a high-end one with all the bells and whistles, you have numerous options available here in India, from Flip-style foldable phones to regular slab phones. However, if you want those that have the latest hardware, you might want to wait a bit before you make a purchase. That’s because a decent lineup of smartphones are slated to launch soon in India that would be even more powerful than their predecessor and better in every other possible way. So here’s a list of top 3 flagship smartphones to wait for.
iQOO 12
iQOO 12 series is all set to launch today in China at 4:30 PM IST (7PM Local Time) and the India CEO of the brand has already confirmed that the standard model will be coming to India. The India launch date for iQOO 12 is set for December 12, 2023 which is nearly a month away at this point.
The iQOO 12 is set to bring the latest hardware including the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, as well as a revamped design over its predecessor. The device is confirmed to come with a 6.78-inch AMOLED Display with 144Hz Refresh Rate support, 3000 nits peak brightness and a 1.5K resolution. There is a hole-punch cutout at the top centre for the front camera. The device will also have an HDR10+ certification and 2160Hz PWM Dimming.
Under the hood, it will be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC. It will also be the first smartphone in India to come packed with this processor. It will feature up to 16GB LPDDR5x RAM and 1 TB UFS 4.0 storage.The iQOO 12 5G should get a 50MP OIS-assisted main camera, an 50MP ultra-wide camera and a 64MP telephoto camera sensor with 3x optical zoom. The handset should sport a 16MP front camera.
The iQOO 12 packs a 5000mAh battery and supports 120W Fast charging out of the box. It runs on the latest Android 14-based OriginOS skin out of the box. The global variants will boot Funtouch OS 14 out of the box.
OnePlus 12
While OnePlus hasn’t confirmed a launch date for the OnePlus 12 yet, it is expected to arrive in Q1 of 2024 globally, including India. It is supposed to bring a noticeable set of upgrades over OnePlus 11, including the brighter display, more powerful chipset, bigger battery and improved cameras, comprising of a better telephoto sensor. Due to these reasons, we feel it is one of the top 3 flagship smartphones you should wait for.
The device is set to sport a 6.82-inch QHD+ 120Hz Fluid AMOLED LTPO 3.0 display. Furthermore, there will be 2700 nits of peak brightness. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC will power the device with up to 16GB of LPDDR5x RAM and up to 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage.
Additionally, the OnePlus 12 may have a triple camera setup at the rear including a 50MP Sony primary sensor, 50MP 150-degree ultra-wide sensor, and a 64MP periscope telephoto camera. On the front, there may be a 32MP f/2.4 sensor for selfies and video calls.
Reports suggest that it will be backed by a 5400mAh battery that supports 100W charging. Connectivity options would include 5G, NFC, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 and USB-C for charging. Further, it will run on OxygenOS 14 based on Android 14 outside China and ColorOS 14 in China. Lastly, it will support stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos and has a Bionic Vibration Motor.
Samsung Galaxy S24+
Samsung outdone itself with the Galaxy S23 series earlier this year and it performed exceptionally in our reviews as well. Next year, as per what leaks suggest, the Galaxy S24 series will launch on January 17. Out of the three models that would be introduced, according to reports, the Galaxy S24+ will be the one receiving the major upgrade, both in terms of design as well as specifications. It will also be closer to the Ultra when it comes to power, so that would make it an ideal option for those who may not prefer the big and bulky form factor of the Ultra model.
The device should have a 6.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x flat display with 1440 x 3088 pixels resolution. This would be an upgrade over last year’s FHD+ panel. It supports an adaptive Refresh Rate up to 120Hz and touch sampling rate of up to 240Hz. The display could get a max brightness of up to 2500 nits. It will also be getting a design refresh over Galaxy S23+ with completely flat sides, thinner bezels and new colour options.
The Galaxy S24+ comes in 8GB + 256GB and 8GB + 512GB variants. It should be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC in America and Exynos 2400 in other regions, including India.
Galaxy S24+ camera setup may comprise of a 50MP primary wide camera with f/1.8 aperture, multi-directional PDAF and OIS. Then there’s a 10MP telephoto sensor with 3x Optical Zoom support, an f/3.4 aperture, OIS, PDAF and a 12MP ultra-wide sensor with an f/2.2 Aperture and 120-degree FoV. It comes with a 12MP f/2.2 front-facing camera.
It will get a bigger 4900mAh cell over last year’s model, with 45W fast wired charging, 15W wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging. As for the software, the Galaxy S24+ will run on OneUI 6.0 based on Android 14 out of the box. Further, the S24 series will receive 4 major Android OS upgrades and 5 years of security updates.
So these were the top 3 flagship smartphones which in our opinion are worth waiting for, considering the value they are expected to provide for the price.