3 upcoming alternatives to Samsung Galaxy S8

Samsung is ready to officially reveal the Galaxy S8 today, and we have a good idea of what to expect already.

There’s the high screen/body ratio, Exynos 8895 chipset (or Snapdragon 835), an improved 12MP main camera, IP68 water resistance, Bixby AI assistant and more.

But what if you’re not a Samsung fan? Or the Galaxy S8 is underwhelming? Or maybe you just want to assess all your upgrade options? Here are three high-end smartphones set to hit South Africa (and/or the world) in the coming months.

Sony Xperia XZ Premium

This one doesn’t even have a local release window or price yet, largely owing to the fact that it’s using the powerful Snapdragon 835 chip. You see, reports claim that Samsung has timed exclusivity on those processors, forcing Sony to wait it out.

In any event, you should also expect a ridiculous 4K HDR-enabled screen, a 19MP main camera with a ridiculous 960fps slow-motion recording and IP68 water/dust resistance. A rather astounding combination on paper, then.

We expect more release date clarity in Q2, but I expect this one to launch at least a month or two after the S8.

LG G6

LG has replaced HTC over the years as Samsung’s arch-rival in the Android space. Of course, LG saw a misstep with the G5 (review), but the G6 (hands-on) is shaping up to be a return to form.

The G6 is still using last year’s flagship processor, in the form of the Snapdragon 821, but it’s a pretty beefy chipset anyway. Nevertheless, the high screen/body ratio, 18:9 screen and gorgeous design in general makes it stand out.

Then there’s the dual 13MP camera on the back, with the wide-angle shooter being the same resolution as the normal camera. Toss in IP68 water/dust resistance and you’ve got a rather impressive spec sheet.

There’s been no word on local availability just yet, but we understand that South Africa will get the G6 rather quickly. Keep your eyes open for news in the next six weeks or so, we bet.

Huawei P10/P10 Plus

The P9 (review) finally saw Huawei bring some powerful silicon to the party, delivering a phone that could largely duke it out with other flagships in the power department. Then there was the impressive dual-camera setup, bringing depth-of-field effects and a monochrome camera to smartphones.

The P10 continues this trend, featuring an Apple-inspired portrait mode (which was in turn inspired by Huawei), monochrome portraits and a navigation system that feels very Meizu-like. One weird note is that Huawei somehow claimed that water-resistance was in, when the devices aren’t actually water-resistant.

Otherwise, it seems to be more of an evolution over the P9 rather than a radical change. So those with P9s don’t seem to be missing out on much, really. Still, the hordes of people with P8s or Lite models will want to give this a gander.