2025 was a great year for smartphones, but I think 2026 looks even better

2026 is expected to bring some interesting smartphones. Here are the phones I’m most excited about.

2025 was a fantastic year for smartphones. There was truly something for everyone. You had the Vivo X300 Pro catering to photography enthusiasts, the OnePlus 15 offering a brilliantly balanced yet blisteringly fast experience, and the iPhone 17 Pro models delivering class-leading performance, some of the best video capabilities on a smartphone, improved thermals, and, of course, the finesse of iOS.

iPhone Air 2 needs to have a better speaker system. (Shaurya Sharma - HT )

By Shaurya Sharma

Shaurya Sharma is the Technology Editor at Hindustan Times Digital Streams, where he oversees technology coverage across digital and social platforms. With over eight years of experience across editorial, video production, and digital media, his work focuses on smartphones, AI, consumer gadgets, and shaping audience-first content strategies for modern tech consumers.

He began his career in 2018 as a fashion cinematographer before turning his lifelong passion for technology into a profession. From spending his childhood immersed in tech magazines, video games, and the latest gadgets to covering the global consumer tech industry today, technology has remained a constant throughout his journey.

Over the years, Shaurya has worked with some of India’s leading media organisations, including CNN-News18, Sportskeeda, and Guiding Tech, where he led video initiatives that combined strong editorial storytelling with engaging visual and social-first execution.

A graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication from Manipal University, Shaurya has reviewed hundreds of products across categories including smartphones, laptops, gaming consoles, cameras, and wearables. Beyond work, he is passionate about animal welfare, environmental causes, and automobiles, particularly turbo-petrol cars

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Then there was the Realme GT 8 Pro, which stood out with its fun, film-like shooting experience, thanks to Ricoh GR-inspired film tones. And let’s not forget the iPhone Air, a device that genuinely pushed the boundaries of smartphone design. So while 2025 may go down as a great year for gaming and smartphones alike, I believe 2026 could take things even further. Here are the phones I’m most excited about in 2026 and why they could change the game.

1. iPhone Fold

This has been a long time coming. Apple has deliberately stayed away from the foldable category for several generations now, even as Samsung has released multiple iterations of its Galaxy Z Fold series. Despite that, the iPhone Fold is finally expected to arrive in the second half of 2026, alongside the rest of the iPhone 18 lineup, which could include the iPhone 18 Pro and the iPhone 18 Air. Interestingly, the standard iPhone 18 may reportedly launch later, sometime in 2027.

2. Realme GT 8

Realme already launched the GT 8 Pro earlier this year, and in 2026, we should see the arrival of the standard Realme GT 8. You might wonder why an upper mid-ranger makes this list. The reason is simple. I had a genuinely great experience reviewing the Realme GT 7, which delivered excellent performance, solid battery life, and a very balanced overall package. Naturally, expectations from the GT 8 are high. The GT 8 Pro’s Ricoh GR-inspired cameras also made photography genuinely fun, so as a sibling device, the GT 8 has a lot to live up to.

3. iPhone Air 2

The iPhone Air this year wasn’t a perfect device, but it undeniably pushed the envelope when it came to design. It looks stunning and feels excellent in the hand. However, it did come with compromises. The single speaker setup was a weak point, sounding noticeably tinny, and while battery life wasn’t terrible, it wasn’t ideal either.

With the iPhone Air 2, I’d really like to see Apple address these shortcomings. A dual-speaker setup alone would make a big difference, as audio is arguably the weakest link of the current iPhone Air, not the cameras, which perform surprisingly well despite being a single-camera system.

4. Vivo X300 FE

Earlier this year, Vivo launched the X200 FE, which successfully brought much of the magic of the larger X200 and X200 Pro into a more compact form factor, complete with Zeiss cameras. While the Vivo X300 is indeed compact, it’s also quite expensive, crossing the ₹70,000 mark. If Vivo can introduce an X300 FE priced around ₹50,000 to ₹55,000, with Zeiss optics intact, it could be an incredibly compelling option and one I’d be very excited about.

5. The next Nothing flagship

Nothing Phone (3) arrived after a long wait, but it ended up disappointing many. The pricing felt excessive at launch, only to drop quickly, which frustrated early adopters. On top of that, it cut corners on key hardware features such as an LTPO display and a true flagship-grade processor. With its next flagship, I’m hoping Nothing listens closely to user feedback and delivers a genuinely radical improvement, one that finally lives up to the brand’s promise.