At the end of 2025, I characterized the previous 12 months as “a boring year in tech” and “a boring year for phones”.
All I wanted in 2026 was a phone that excited me. We’re halfway through the year. So, how’re we doing?
To be quite honest, it wasn’t amazing. The AI-induced memory pricing problem has made life difficult for manufacturers and expensive for customers, resulting in a concerning conservative tendency in the most recent smartphone releases.
However, there are numerous reasons to be hopeful. The second half of 2026 appears to have some of the most intriguing phone releases in years.
Here are the five phones I’m most excited to get my hands on over the next few months.
iPhone Ultra
I’m not a big fan of foldables in general, let alone book-style foldables. But I respect the efforts being made to advance the format, and the Motorola Razr Fold is my surprise hit of the year thus far.
when Apple makes a move in the smartphone business, it tends to influence the direction of the entire industry
As a result, the iPhone Ultra is the phone I am most looking forward to seeing in the second half of 2026. Whether you appreciate the company’s work or not, when Apple makes a move in the smartphone market, it tends to impact the course of the entire industry.
Whether or not you intend to purchase Apple’s first foldable phone, its success (or failure) will influence the shape and capabilities of any foldable phone you do decide to purchase in the coming years.
I certainly see a lot of sense in Apple’s widely speculated strategy here. The business is building an ultra-portable iPad as well as a folding iPhone by using a stubbier 4:3 aspect ratio (supposedly). That makes a lot of sense, as any iPad owner can attest.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8/Wide
From one perspective, Samsung’s now-confirmed (although in a roundabout way) aim to preempt the iPhone Ultra with its own broader foldable may be interpreted as cynical.
the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is tipped to weigh in at just 201g. That’s well into ‘normal’ or non-foldable territory
However, I’m excited to see the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 (as it’s confusingly dubbed), rather than its anticipated boxier 4:3 aspect ratio.
Samsung made significant progress with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, producing a full-sized foldable that was much smaller and lighter than before.
Now, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is expected to weigh just 201g. That falls firmly into the ‘normal’ or non-foldable category.
When I indicated in the previous piece that I’m not a fan of foldables, I was referring to how cumbersome and unwieldy these devices are to use on a daily basis. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 could help resolve this.
Nothing Phone (4b)
As I mentioned in the introduction, mobile phones are uninteresting, particularly low-cost and mid-range models. In 2025, one inexpensive phone challenged that narrative: the CMF Phone 2 Pro.
Nothing’s parent company has revealed that there will be no follow-up in 2026, but it is working on something as interesting. Perhaps more so.
As the name implies, the Nothing Phone (4b) will be more closely aligned with the larger line, featuring the company’s characteristic semi-transparent design and revolutionary Glyph LED notification system.
If the London-based company can nail its pricing (a difficult challenge in current climate) and build on the success of the CMF Phone 2 Pro, this might be one of the most intriguing phones of the year, regardless of price.
Google Pixel 11 Pro
This has not been a very successful year for Google’s Pixel smartphone brand. The Google Pixel 10a was a cynically reused Pixel 9a, and the major Android 17 upgrade appears to have injected a slew of faults into the series.
Hold a gun to my head and insist that I choose one Android phone…I’d probably go for the Google Pixel 10 Pro
If anything, that makes me all the more interested to see what the company has in store for its next flagship phone.
If you held a gun to my head and forced me to choose one Android phone to use for the rest of the year, I’d probably go with the Google Pixel 10 Pro. I’m a sucker for small phones, and Google’s clean UI, Qi2 charging, and Pixel photography experience are all significant advantages.
When you combine reports of all-new camera technology (finally) with a brand-new LED lighting system on the back (yeah, why not), the Google Pixel 11 Pro quickly becomes one of my most anticipated phone debuts of the second half of 2026.
OnePlus 16
This is a distinct kind of enthusiasm. The ‘rubbernecking on the motorway’ sort that makes you feel a bit bad afterwards.
We don’t know what’s going on with the OnePlus brand, but we can confidently say that it’s not good. According to reports, parent firm Oppo is looking into methods to reduce and eventually phase out what is becoming a less significant sub-brand.
Despite this, the sub-brand continues to announce new devices, and a OnePlus 16 flagship phone is apparently planned for late 2026.
I wasn’t as fond of the OnePlus 15 as many others were, owing to its relatively basic look and subpar camera performance. But it was (and still is) a true stamina champ, and it was actually less expensive than its predecessor – a fact that seems increasingly unlikely as 2026 approaches.
We don’t really know what’s going on with the OnePlus brand, but we can say with some confidence that it’s not good
I’m curious to see what the sequel has to offer, and whether we’ll ever see one in this nation.
As you can see, despite a disappointing 2026 for phones so far, there’s a lot to look forward to in the next months. Many of the phone highlights of the year will most certainly occur between now and the end of the year, and I, for one, am excited to see what’s in store.
