Phones
When Do New Phones Come Out: Smartphone Buyers Guide 2024
Whether you’re eyeing the new iPhone 16 or you're an Android fan looking forward to what's next from Google, Samsung, and others, this article can help you mark your calendar for popular new phone releases.
While phone manufacturers don’t publicize the exact dates for new phone releases too far ahead of time, Apple, Samsung, Google, and other phone makers each have timeframes when they normally release upcoming smartphones.
Unlike Samsung, Apple only has a single phone: the iconic iPhone, with the latest generation launching around the same time each year. Meanwhile, Samsung has several popular phone series, each following a slightly different release timeline. Likewise, Google doesn't release all of their phones on the same schedule.
In chronological order, here's our ballpark timeline for phones coming out in 2024 and heading into 2025.
Samsung Galaxy A55 Release Date
In keeping with the release timing for the last several A-series phones, the Samsung Galaxy A55 was released on March 11, 2024 in European markets. But Samsung is not currently selling the Galaxy A55 not in the US — and hasn't given us any reason to believe they plan to do so any time soon.
Google Pixel 8a Release Date
Unlike Apple, Google doesn’t release all phones in a series at once. While the Pixel 8 and the Pixel 8 Pro were released in October 2023, the more budget-oriented Google Pixel 8a was rumored to be launched around May 2024 in line with when previous generations of Google’s Pixel a-series had been released. For example, the Google Pixel 7a was released in May 2023. In fact, the rumors were right—the Pixel 8a release was announced on May 7, 2024.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 Release Date
For the last several years, Samsung has announced and released its new foldable devices in late summer. For example, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 was announced in July 2023 and officially unveiled in August 2023 during the Galaxy Unpacked event in South Korea. This summer, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 was unveiled on Wednesday, July 10th at the company’s Unpacked event and became available for preorder that same day.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 Release Date
Like the Fold5, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 was released at the August 2023 Galaxy Unpacked event in South Korea, so it's not surprising that the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 release date matched up with the Z Fold 6 on July 10, 2024.
Google Pixel 9 Release Date
The Google Pixel 9, and its premium siblings the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL, were released and made available for preorder on August 13, 2024, at the company's Made By Google event. The Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro XL began shipping on Thursday, August 22. The Pixel 9 Pro, meanwhile, had a slightly later release date of Wednesday, September 4th.
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold Release Date
Google's latest entry into the foldable market, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, was released on August 13, 2024, at the Made By Google event. The device hit the shelves on Wednesday, September 4th, 2024. The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold succeeds last year's Pixel Fold, the first-gen foldable phone from Google.
iPhone 16 Release Date
On September 9, 2024, Apple unveiled the iPhone 16 Series with a buzzy new marketing line for the event: It's Glowtime. The iPhone 16 colors stand out in five bold hues for the base and plus models while the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max colors include four sophisticated titanium finishes.
September 13, 2024, is the iPhone 16 pre-order date, with the official iPhone 16 release date following a week later on September 20, 2024.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Release Date
Samsung tends to release the flagship Galaxy S-series at the start of the new year. We saw its flagship Galaxy S24 series revealed on January 17, 2024, at the Galaxy Unpacked 2024 event, including the Galaxy S24 Ultra, the Galaxy S24 Plus, and the Galaxy S24. The Samsung Galaxy S23 followed a similar pattern as Samsung launched it during the Galaxy Unpacked in-person event in February 2023.
With those dates, we can expect the Samsung Galaxy S25 series to follow a similar pattern, coming out in January or February 2025.
What Other Phones Will Be Released in 2024?
Aside from the popular smartphones noted above, here’s a shortlist of some other upcoming phone releases:
- OnePlus 12 Release Date: Released in February 2024
- Motorola Edge Plus Release Date: This model hit the market on June 20, 2024
- Motorola Razr Release Date: Rumors are flying that this flip favorite will hit the market in September 2024
- Galaxy A16 Release Date: This is another Samsung phone that is expected at the end of 2024
Note that we’ve focused on phones sold in the U.S., which is why we haven’t mentioned upcoming Xiaomi or Oppo phone releases.
With so many new phone choices, you might be wondering which one to get, whether it’s better to wait, or whether you might miss out on some great deals right now. That’s where our free, unbiased Phone Deal Finder below can help. Just answer a few questions about what you’re looking for, and we’ll show you the best phone deals you qualify for in a matter of seconds.
What Big Tech Developments Are Coming in 2024?
With all these new mobile phones coming out, it’s important to consider the biggest, most crucial tech developments and innovations coming to 2024 phones. Will we see bigger screens, a faster data transmission speed, or something completely new? How will the specs change? Which phone will offer the best camera?
New Chipsets
We expect better processing chipsets on many of these phones. Based on what we saw with last year’s phones, this year we can expect to see the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 from Qualcomm, the Tensor G4 from Google, and the A18 Bionic chip from Apple. What does that mean for you? Simply put, faster phones that can multitask with multiple apps, without suffering from performance drops.
Bigger, Better Screens
Expect OLED screens, brighter resolutions, faster refresh rates, better anti-glare tech, and perhaps slightly larger sizes. That being said, phone screens are already pushing the boundary of what you can hold in your hand, so we don’t expect them to get too much bigger.
Wireless Charging
We wouldn’t be surprised to see continued advancements in wireless charging, either. Last year’s batch of new phone releases almost all featured wireless charging capability. This year, manufacturers will improve on that, perhaps speeding it up, or making it easier to use even when you’re using a bulky phone case.
Better Cameras
Most new phones have improved their main cameras too – adding megapixels, telephoto, and ultrawide lenses on the rear cameras, improving the camera sensor, adding optical zoom capabilities, enhancing image processing software, and more.
While not many manufacturers radically upgrade camera hardware anymore, little improvements like these keep things moving forward.
Software Upgrades
There will most likely be software upgrades, though those are not specific to new phones. Typically, when a new iOS, One UI, or Android OS is released, that new software is rolled out to a subset of recently released phone models.
AI
Lastly, the newest batch of 2024 phones may be more compatible with AI processes. The Galaxy S24 started this trend – Samsung announced that the phone, powered by a software called Galaxy AI, would be able to take better images, auto-translate live calls, and intelligently organize your notes. Other manufacturers won’t risk falling behind. At its Glowtime event on September 9, 2024, Apple confirmed that Apple Intelligence (aptly referred to as AI for short) will be available on all iPhone 16 models for free as a software update with the first set of features available in beta next month and more to follow.
The Bottom Line
Love new gadgets? As you can see, you’ll have lots of options if you want to pick up a new phone in 2024. Whether you’re a fan of Apple, Samsung, Google, or some other manufacturer, odds are your favorite brand will have a great new phone ready to purchase by the end of the year.
However, it can be tricky to wade through all the potential offers and deals to find the best ones. With our free, unbiased Phone Deal Finder, you can easily find the best phone deals for your budget and your unique needs in no time.
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