The advances in smartphones in 2020 have been impressive, but even more innovative devices are to be expected in 2021. Rumors are milling about portless designs, processing speed upgrades and a whole host of new goodies to keep the consumer interested. It’s been a tough year for manufacturers, but that has not kept them from forging forward with new designs.

These much-anticipated smartphones are prepared to hit the ground running in 2021:

1. iPhone 12 Series
Rumored to include the iPhone 12, 12 Max, 12 Pro, and 12 Pro Max, the company is coming fast out of the blocks for 2021. The standard practice is for the next year’s iPhones to be released in September of the previous year. It is not yet certain if the 12 Series will make it to sale by September 2020 as delays have been rumored. Coming up in this range should be the first 5G phones and rumor has it that the Pro versions will feature LiDAR scanners.

2. OnePlus 8T
Details regarding the OnePlus 8T are in short supply. Little is known for certain except that this phone is supposed to be coming before the end of 2020. OnePlus has been focusing most of their attention on the Nord model of late, so that may be the reason for the radio silence. What exactly the 8T will feature is uncertain but based on previous years it’s likely that there will be improvements rather than new tech. If the company had anything new and groundbreaking they would surely have let the world in on the secrets by now.

3. Samsung Galaxy Note 20
Samsung is getting a jump on the 5G competition as they have already released the Galaxy Note 20. Boasting hyper fast 5G, the Note 20 also claims a smart battery which assesses your app usage and adjusts for optimum battery life. This smartphone can link to Windows and Microsoft Note while also offering hyperfast processing power. As an added benefit to creative filmmaker types, the phone also features pro-grade video which allows for in-depth editing.

4. Microsoft Surface Duo
A very interesting concept from Microsoft, the Surface Duo is set for release very soon and certainly stands out in the crowd. Two screens means double the fun allowing you to use two apps at once. How often do you hop between two apps because you need information from one to use in the other? The answer is probably often enough that the Duo would be pretty handy. You can also use one screen to type while the text is displayed on the other, drag and drop across screens and make use of specialized dual-screen apps. This is a really interesting prospect for the future of smartphones.

5. LG Phone B Project
The fabled B Project from LG is still a little way off with an expected reveal date sometime in June 2021. A rollable screen seems so very futuristic but apparently they are hard at work in LG’s Pyeongtaek factory. Very telling is a patent filed earlier this year by LG for a case big enough for a large flexible display. The rumor is that the rolled display is actually a secondary display option that rolls from the side of the handset. At present nothing is certain but LG is definitely acting confident.