So what's next 2nd half 2015 ?

[Savor]

Oversaturated (Android) market already?

Samsung Galaxy S6/S6 edge - Nah
HTC One M9 - No thanks
Sony Xperia Z4 - Japan exclusive but seems forgettable
LG G4 - Not as incremental as M9 but G3 looks better

2015 overall has been fairly disappointing when it comes to flagships. It seems the 2015 successors have worse battery life than their predecessors or didn't improve that much. Whether the QHD, less efficient 64-bit processors, same or smaller batt capacity, or whatever the case may be, I expected more after the stellar crop from 2014. Designs also got worse or very little changes with the exception of the S6/S6 edge although you can say it got worse too losing key features and a shatter prone all-glass design.

It is like video games for me. I remember when I was all for cutting-edge graphics. Once we got to PS2-levels, I started playing pretty games with BORING gameplay. It seems the more advance we go with mobile, some of us want to go backwards like folks downgrading from an iPhone 6/6 Plus to a 5s for the overall comfort. Increases in footprint and resolution with the overrated/overpriced flagships have made the midrange market alot more interesting for average folks.

Why bother going Xperia Z3 when people can go M2 Aqua for far less and won't really lose much in experience? And how come most flagships lose features like removable battery and micro-sd slot but lower end phones like a $50 Nokia Lumia 635 which has better battery life and louder sound than most flagships I've used gets to retain those features for long term flexibility?

For flagships, I look forward to maybe only the Note 5 and only if it still offers swappable battery and memory. But I am still waiting on that unlocked phone with amazing specs in the $200-$300 range. We are getting to a point that even the camera in that range is no longer awful anymore. And they lack the useless QHD to kill more efficiency. My G3 Beat has a rear cam in between iPhone 4s and iPhone 5 quality. Its 2540 mAh is close enough to the 4.5"/HD Z3 Compact's 2600 mAh which has amazing battery life but pricier for that more powerful 801 chip.

I had to revamp on companies I have to watch closely. I threw out Sony in my Top 5 because THEY WILL NEVER GET IT when it comes to prices. These are the five OEM's to watch in the midrange price level.

LG
Xiaomi
Meizu
Huawei
OnePlus

Honorable mentions to ASUS, Motorola, Nokia, and ZTE. Except ASUS uses Intel, Motorola doesn't include removable battery and micro-sd on their Moto G's or X's, Nokia is catered toward WP which is underwhelming with apps, and ZTE is still a dark horse and huge underdog like on Gionee/BLU-level.

Best smartphones under $250

Xiaomi Mi 3
Huawei Honor 4X (Snapdragon 410/3000 mAh)
LG G3 Beat (best-looking in group esp in gold)

Forget MediaTek and Intel under that price.

Still waiting on a newcomer to join that list. Hopefully with swappable batt, expandable storage, "4.5-"5 inch HD, 2500+ mAh, more RAM, and a Snapdragon 410 or 615 instead of another generic MediaTek or unproven Intel mobile SoC with questionable standby time.

OnePlus One may had its share of flaws, but that was one of the most exciting announcements from last year and became a personal favorite to Jon4Lakers by the end of 2014. Might still be best smartphone under the $350 range and trumping the Nexus 5 near the same price range in a lot of areas.

 

[skratch77]

Can't wait for arms next gen a72 cores.this is at 1.9ghz and 28nm target clocks are 2.5ghz on 16/14nm and samsung leaked it's next exynos will hit over 2200 single core on geekbench

 

[apolloa]

Liking the new look MacRumors, very sleek

I was going to add on here earlier, the announcement by the OnePlus company is nothing special, just a price drop, the founder was interviewed and said so BUT they also confirmed the new TwoPlus will be launched in the third quarter of this year and will again involve some sort of invite system:

http://www.phonearena.com/news/Pei-...1st-had-nothing-to-do-with-the-sequel_id69890

 

[Technarchy]

Looking forward to the following

Moto 360 2
iPad Mini
iPhone 6S
Samsung Gear A/Gear Circle
Note 5
Surface 4
Any updates to the Macbook Pro as I want one in the next 6-12 months

On a whole I think most of the industry is not all that interesting.

 

[AustinIllini]

Regardless of what Android or Apple do, it will likely be a big year for Windows 10

 

[Technarchy]

Regardless of what Android or Apple do, it will likely be a big year for Windows 10

I'm not convinced just yet. I'm not seeing anything in the windows 10 mobile space that will launch MSFT into relevance; If you don't have mobile, you don't have momentum at this stage in the industry and I don't see that changing in the short term.

 

[AustinIllini]

I'm not convinced just yet. I'm not seeing anything in the windows 10 mobile space that will launch MSFT into relevance; If you don't have mobile, you don't have momentum at this stage in the industry and I don't see that changing in the short term.

For any company except Microsoft that is certainly true, however most of us go to jobs where we work on Windows 7 machines. The MSFT influence on enterprise is enough that many of us will have to adopt Windows 10 in some form in the next 18 momths

 

[Technarchy]

For any company except Microsoft that is certainly true, however most of us go to jobs where we work on Windows 7 machines. The MSFT influence on enterprise is enough that many of us will have to adopt Windows 10 in some form in the next 18 momths

I don't think anyone can debate that MSFT owns enterprise, and that will force people to change in some cases, but that's not the most enviable of positions compared to a Apple where millions of people are willingly and happily throwing money at you.

Though, I do think Windows 10 is going to chip away at Google a bit based upon the weakness of Google I/O this year. And in terms of services, MSFT is way more of a proper competitor to Google today than it was a couple of years ago.

 

[AppleRobert]

Oversaturated (Android) market already?

Samsung Galaxy S6/S6 edge - Nah
HTC One M9 - No thanks
Sony Xperia Z4 - Japan exclusive but seems forgettable
LG G4 - Not as incremental as M9 but G3 looks better

2015 overall has been fairly disappointing when it comes to flagships. It seems the 2015 successors have worse battery life than their predecessors or didn't improve that much. Whether the QHD, less efficient 64-bit processors, same or smaller batt capacity, or whatever the case may be, I expected more after the stellar crop from 2014. Designs also got worse or very little changes with the exception of the S6/S6 edge although you can say it got worse too losing key features and a shatter prone all-glass design.

It is like video games for me. I remember when I was all for cutting-edge graphics. Once we got to PS2-levels, I started playing pretty games with BORING gameplay. It seems the more advance we go with mobile, some of us want to go backwards like folks downgrading from an iPhone 6/6 Plus to a 5s for the overall comfort. Increases in footprint and resolution with the overrated/overpriced flagships have made the midrange market alot more interesting for average folks.

Why bother going Xperia Z3 when people can go M2 Aqua for far less and won't really lose much in experience? And how come most flagships lose features like removable battery and micro-sd slot but lower end phones like a $50 Nokia Lumia 635 which has better battery life and louder sound than most flagships I've used gets to retain those features for long term flexibility?

For flagships, I look forward to maybe only the Note 5 and only if it still offers swappable battery and memory. But I am still waiting on that unlocked phone with amazing specs in the $200-$300 range. We are getting to a point that even the camera in that range is no longer awful anymore. And they lack the useless QHD to kill more efficiency. My G3 Beat has a rear cam in between iPhone 4s and iPhone 5 quality. Its 2540 mAh is close enough to the 4.5"/HD Z3 Compact's 2600 mAh which has amazing battery life but pricier for that more powerful 801 chip.

I had to revamp on companies I have to watch closely. I threw out Sony in my Top 5 because THEY WILL NEVER GET IT when it comes to prices. These are the five OEM's to watch in the midrange price level.

LG
Xiaomi
Meizu
Huawei
OnePlus

Honorable mentions to ASUS, Motorola, Nokia, and ZTE. Except ASUS uses Intel, Motorola doesn't include removable battery and micro-sd on their Moto G's or X's, Nokia is catered toward WP which is underwhelming with apps, and ZTE is still a dark horse and huge underdog like on Gionee/BLU-level.

Best smartphones under $250

Xiaomi Mi 3
Huawei Honor 4X (Snapdragon 410/3000 mAh)
LG G3 Beat (best-looking in group esp in gold)

Forget MediaTek and Intel under that price.

Still waiting on a newcomer to join that list. Hopefully with swappable batt, expandable storage, "4.5-"5 inch HD, 2500+ mAh, more RAM, and a Snapdragon 410 or 615 instead of another generic MediaTek or unproven Intel mobile SoC with questionable standby time.

OnePlus One may had its share of flaws, but that was one of the most exciting announcements from last year and became a personal favorite to Jon4Lakers by the end of 2014. Might still be best smartphone under the $350 range and trumping the Nexus 5 near the same price range in a lot of areas.

I am curious about the LG G4 Stylus on tmobile. It will have 16GB storage, 2 GB Ram, and good battery and decent camera.

 

[AppleRobert]

At least for this week and my radar and is probably going to be the Iphone 6s.

I have a Nexus 6, Note 4, Sony Z3, Moto X2014, should I continue?

I ditched the 6 Plus because of its size, heck the Nexus 6 really wasn't much bigger considering its larger screen size. I have an iphone 5, the 6S is my move unless it is unweilding or I don't care for the specs.

 

[superstarmc]

Nexus 5, 2.0
Moto 360, 2.0
Note 5 (even though I'm not a big Samsung fan)
Both IPhones

 

[Twixt]

Definitely Note 5, hoping for a removable 4000mAh+ battery and micro SD Card, same form factor as Note 4 with 6 inch screen !

 

[grkm3]

Why the need for more storage guys? Google photos gives us free unlimited space and stores 16mp photos!

IV already uploaded all mine and deleted every picture on the phone and use the app to get them back.

Seriously cloud space is the future and way to go!

 

[Fireblade]

Why the need for more storage guys? Google photos gives us free unlimited space and stores 16mp photos!

IV already uploaded all mine and deleted every picture on the phone and use the app to get them back.

Seriously cloud space is the future and way to go!

Because not everyone has unlimited data I guess...

 

[MRU]

Why the need for more storage guys? Google photos gives us free unlimited space and stores 16mp photos!

IV already uploaded all mine and deleted every picture on the phone and use the app to get them back.

Seriously cloud space is the future and way to go!

Because some of us like to store/carry more than just photos or whatever is in the cloud on our devices .....

Likewise 16gb devices in 2015 (which realistically equates to around 8gb after format and system) need to say goodbye in 2015 and 32gb needs to be the new minimum for all flagships regardless of manufacturer / platform.

 

[grkm3]

Because some of us like to store/carry more than just photos or whatever is in the cloud on our devices .....

Likewise 16gb devices in 2015 (which realistically equates to around 8gb after format and system) need to say goodbye in 2015 and 32gb needs to be the new minimum for all flagships regardless of manufacturer / platform.

Well to be fair Samsung is getting a lot of crap for ditching micro SD but are silent about them upping the base model to 32gb and keeping the price the same as last years 16gb gs5.

That 80 dollars you would spend on a fast uhf SD card can be put towards a 128gb flagship or a 64gb version.

I have all my apps and a few custom roms on my gs6 and a few torrent movies and sitting at 47gb free on my 64gb gs6.

I had all the galaxy s phones with micro SD cards and never once needed the extra space.

It's just something people like to complain about and won't ever run into an issue without them.just like the removable battery!

IV had a gs2,galaxy nexus,gs3,gs4,gs5 and now on the ga6 and I have never once in my life swapped a battery in them.

I did have an OEM extended batter on my gs5 but got rid of it because of the extra bulk and weight.

 

[grkm3]

Because not everyone has unlimited data I guess...

Data cap is a whole other issue and 99% of people capped are on WiFi 24/7 im on unlimited data and blow through 2gb taking a dump in the morning.

People can easily upload on WiFi and are already in WiFi because a day of Facebook and instantgram is an easy 2gb on data network

 

[MRU]

Data cap is a whole other issue and 99% of people capped are on WiFi 24/7 im on unlimited data and blow through 2gb taking a dump in the morning.

People can easily upload on WiFi and are already in WiFi because a day of Facebook and instantgram is an easy 2gb on data network

Good way to generalise and disregards the other 98% of the world that isn't North America

 

[MRU]

Well to be fair Samsung is getting a lot of crap for ditching micro SD but are silent about them upping the base model to 32gb and keeping the price the same as last years 16gb gs5.
.

Again North America. Here in Europe and other parts of the world the S6 comes at a noticeable price increase over the S5.

 

[grkm3]

Good way to generalise and disregards the other 98% of the world that isn't North America

I own a restaurant and the amount of people daily that asked me for the WiFi password was insane that I actually have it posted on the wall now.

Are you telling me you make it a month on data without using WiFi? I highly doubt it and would be willing to bet people only go on social media when on a WiFi network.hence uploading picture to Google photos is not an issue because you are already on WiFi 99% of the time.

2gb is nothing these days.heck even my gs6 update was 700mb.

And Samsung's msrp is exactly the same from the gs5 so if it's higher in your country its because of price gouging merchants

 

[MRU]

I own a restaurant and the amount of people daily that asked me for the WiFi password was insane that I actually have it posted on the wall now.

Are you telling me you make it a month on data without using WiFi? I highly doubt it and would be willing to bet people only go on social media when on a WiFi network.hence uploading picture to Google photos is not an issue because you are already on WiFi 99% of the time.

2gb is nothing these days.heck even my gs6 update was 700mb.

And Samsung's msrp is exactly the same from the gs5 so if it's higher in your country its because of price gouging merchants

Again your post has nothing but continuous false assumptions in it.

1. Many countries do not have 'unlimited' data with carriers and enforce tight data caps. It's not uncommon in Europe and Asia to have a 1gb data plan per month.

2. It doesn't matter if these people may also use wifi - the fact remains you are generalising without any actual real knowledge of what the status of play is outside of NA. What people in your restaurant do does not equate to everyone else in the world.

3. Samsung's price MSRP may indeed be the same in the U.S as the S5 - it does not mean that it's the same everywhere else in the world - yet you imply and generalise in such a way.

 

[jamezr]

2015 is already half gone. I am looking forward to see the new Nexus line especially the efforts by Huawei.
I am super excited to see what the Note 5 will be. Especially a N5 with the S6 body design! Always excited to see what the next iphone will be. But not sure I will get the IP6s. If the rumors are correct there isn't enough to get me to upgrade over my current IP6.

 

[apolloa]

Well i went and checked out some of the current top models today in the phone stores.

The S6 Edge looks nice and has that nice smooth curved glass but the screen looks nothing special? Seems a pointless gimmick.
The Xperia Z3 feels like a giant slab. The Nexus 6 IS a gigantic slab! Man that's a huge phone.
Then we have the cool well designed Note.

I also looked at the G4, it's a well designed phone and it feels very good in the hand, it hides it's size well but it IS still a bit cumbersome but it feels MUCH better then the Z3. The G2 Flex just looks odd?

So I think they can do better, and for me I am still going to wait and see what this new 5.2" LG Nexus ends up like as for me that seems the perfect size, I can appreciate the 5.5" G4 screen real estate but it's a bit too big for me.

 

[epicrayban]

It's amazing how less-interested I am about new phones now that I've found one that I'm overall so satisfied with. I notice I'm reading and posting around here a heck of a lot less due to this reason, too.

Kind of funny.

 

[gotluck]

I think it is between small nexus and iphone 6s (when jailbroken) for me

the snapdragon 810 really hurt non-samsung android this year (the 805 in the nexus 6 is arguably better). I'm afraid of the next nexus using the chip too.