GoKawiilOne quarter in, and we've already seen some polarizing smartphone launches in 2026. While Google's Pixel 10A and Samsung's Galaxy S26 Plus are arguably the most iterative upgrades, phones like the Galaxy Z TriFold, Xiaomi 17 Ultra and Oppo Find N6 are keeping us on the edge of our seats. These are strong follow-ups to the best phones of 2025, a year that saw Samsung reinvent the Galaxy Z Fold and Apple announce an all-new, slim and light iPhone Air.
After early 2026 phone launches, there should be room for a few more surprises. But a RAM shortage and the increasing competition around generative AI might be a larger challenge for phone-makers to overcome this year. And that puts more pressure on brands to release bold designs and add features that are as useful as they are innovative.
The folding phone market is expected to attract more entrants. We could finally see Apple launch a folding iPhone, Motorola teased its first-ever book-style foldable -- the Razr Fold -- and rumors say that Samsung might release a wide-screen foldable, similar to the Huawei Pura X.
The bottom line? There are a bunch of exciting smartphones to look forward to in 2026.
Phones that have already been released in 2026
Apple
The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max marked the return of vibrant colors to Apple's highest-end iPhones. Prakhar Khanna/CNET
A split iPhone 18 launch strategy
Apple introduced a slew of upgrades with the iPhone 17 line -- an 18-megapixel selfie shooter, upgraded rear camera optics, thermal cooling on the Pro variants, among other updates. It also added the thin iPhone Air to the lineup. This year, the Cupertino company could shake up its iPhone launch timeline.
For years, Apple has continued to announce the base iPhone model alongside its Pro siblings, while also experimenting with Mini, Plus and Air variants. This could change in 2026. According to a report from The Information and Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the Cupertino-based company may push the launch of the vanilla iPhone 18 to early 2027 in a bid to make space for the iPhone Fold.
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