The first quarter of 2021 consists of the first three months of the year. We have already seen the likes of iQOO 7 and the Samsung Galaxy S21 series. However, are these all the flagship that we will get in the first quarter of the year? Certainly not. So, the question is, what other flagship are we expecting in Q1 2021. Remember that we have just February and March to complete Q1 2021. We have compiled a list of the top 5 flagship smartphones that we expect to launch on or before the last day of March 2021.
Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro
Since the launch of the Xiaomi Mi 11, the popularity of this device is very high and it has been largely out of stock. According to Xiaomi, it sold over 1 million units of this device in just 21 days. Despite these huge sales, the demand is still high. Well, the high demand for this phone is partly because it is the only model in the flagship series. When the Pro model arrives, the pressure on the standard version will certainly reduce. With the hot sales of the Xiaomi Mi 11, many users who are looking forward to a stronger configuration are curious about the new Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro and even Mi 11 Pro Extreme Edition.
The Mi 11 Pro will come with a 6.81-inch 2K quad curved display. This display will have a resolution of 3200 x 1440 and a pixel density of up to 515PPI. It will also support a 120Hz refresh rate, 480Hz touch sampling rate, and DCI- P3 color gamut display. In addition to the Snapdragon 888 processor, this phone will use LPDDR5 and UFS3.1 storage technology. We expect that there will be a 16GB RAM version.
In the camera department, it will have a 50-megapixel super-outsole main camera. There will also be a new digital zoom periscope telephoto lens with a maximum of 120x zoom. Furthermore, it will have two sub-cameras that are not too small.
In terms of charging capacity, it will support 120W wired fast charging and above 55W wireless fast charging. The battery capacity should be above 4000 mAh. There are reports that the Mi 11 Pro and Mi 11 Pro Extreme Edition will launch as early as next month.
From the renders so far, Xiaomi will bring some design changes with the Mi 11 Pro. These changes are basically on the rear of this device. Just like the regular version, the Pro model also uses a horizontal camera module design. However, the four sensors are now arranged in two rows. This design is different from the previously exposed Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro. There are three cameras, a flash, and a periscope telephoto lens on the far right side of the module. The module has two colours we expect this device to support 120x zoom. This device will be one of the most attractive flagship smartphones of Q1 2021.
Probable Launch Date: March 2021
OnePlus 9 Series
The new OnePlus 9 flagship series will have at least two versions which include the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro. From speculations, the OnePlus 9 series will come with the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 flagship chip. On the front, there will be a 32-megapixel camera from Sony. The rear will have two main cameras (48-megapixel Sony IMX689 sensor). The rear will also have an ultra-wide-angle lens as well as a macro lens. In addition, the OnePlus 9 Pro will have a built-in 4500 mAh battery that supports 65W flash charging and 40W wireless charging.
Other features include dual stereo speakers, and IP68 dust and water resistance. Considering the release of other Snapdragon 888 flagship, the OnePlus 9 series will be a bit late. However, if it offers good value for money, the market will accommodate this series. OnePlus is technically a flagship brand, thus we expect its flagship smartphones to do well in the market.
Probable Launch Date: March 2021
Redmi K40
The Redmi K40 series is yet another flagship that will arrive in the first quarter of 2021. According to a recent poster, this device will arrive on February 25th. This smartphone will probably have two versions. One will use the Snapdragon 888 SoC while the other will have the Snapdragon 870 chip. The company has since revealed that the starting price of this device is 2999 yuan ($463). However, this price tag is for the Snapdragon 888 version. The Snapdragon 870 version will be cheaper.
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The Redmi K40 will adopt an entirely different design from the previous generation. It will use a center punch-hole and a straight display. According to reports, this smartphone will have the smallest punch-hole in the industry, it will be only 2.8mm. On the rear, it will continue to use the huge matrix quad-rear camera module similar to the Redmi K30S. The four cameras are arranged in a diamond shape, and the flash is on the right side of the camera module.
Recently, we saw the packaging box of the Redmi K40 and the image is from Redmi’s general manager, Lu Weibing. According to his Weibo post, there are two versions – one is thick and the other is thin. It appears that the Redmi K40 will not have a charger in the box in some markets.
From the speculations so far, the Redmi K40 will come with the Snapdragon 888 SoC. The official starting price of this smartphone is 2,999 yuan ($463) and it will also come with a 4000 mAh battery. There is no information on the fast charging capacity for now. According to reports, the Redmi K40 screen will be an OLED display made of Samsung E4 luminescent materials, which supports a high refresh rate of 120Hz. This phone will also use LPDDR5 memory and UFS 3.1 flash memory.
Launch Date: February 25th, 2021
Meizu 18 series
Last year, we did not hear much from Meizu in terms of smartphones. The company only released the Meizu 17 series for 2020. This year, the Chinese manufacturer is yet to unveil its plans but we know that it is working on the Meizu 18 series. At the beginning of December last year, Meizu technology said that the first batch of Meizu Snapdragon 888 device will be available in the spring of 2021. Thus, if all goes according to plan, the Meizu 18 series should arrive in March.
From the information so far, the Meizu 18 series has a standard version and a Pro version. These models will come with 4000± and 4500± mAh batteries respectively. What is puzzling is that the standard version supports 30W charging while the Pro model supports 40W fast charging. Obviously, Meizu is some miles behind the competition. Presently, the charging power of mainstream Android flagships exceeds 50W. The likes of iQOO 7 even use 120W fast charging. The charging power of the Meizu 18 series is only a little faster than that of Apple and Samsung.
In addition to the Snapdragon 888, the Meizu 18 series will use a 120Hz Samsung E4 OLED display with FHD+ resolution. The phone will also come with a small punch-hole design. As for the price, it appears that this device will be affordable.
Probable Launch Date: March 2021
ZTE AXON 30 Pro
Over the past few years, ZTE has released a couple of flagship smartphones. The ZTE Axon 20 is the first and only smartphone in the industry with an on-screen camera. According to recent reports, the company is getting set to unveil its next-generation on-screen camera phone, ZTE Axon 30 Pro. Ni Fei (ZTE’s top executive), this smartphone will come with the industry’s strongest imaging system in 2021.
According to a recent Weibo post, the ZTE AXON 30 Pro will be featuring a 200MP sensor. According to reports, this sensor will come from Samsung. Thanks to recent leaks, we know that the model number of the sensor is S5KGND. It has a sensor size of 1/1.37″, a pixel size of 1.28um, and a pixel focus size of 0.64um.
This camera sensor will also utilize the photo binning technique. It can either quad pixel binning to create an image of 50MP or with the 16:1 pixel binning it can produce a 12.5MP photo. Other notable features of the 200MP sensor are dual native ISO, 16K video output support, and quad-core focus.
Probable Launch Date: March 2021
Conclusion
These are the flagship smartphones that are coming between February and March. Most of these flagship smartphones will launch in March if all goes according to plan. Which of these flagship smartphones will you love to own? Let us know your thought in the comment section
