In the spirit of my previous post, I figured I would do a Part 2 of my Tech Wish List. This time however, I want to discuss the specific phones that I am most looking forward to in 2019. Rather than be an exhaustive list, I’ve chosen to focus on a handful of phones that I feel are really going to make an impact, or who are the successors to some of my favorite phones I’ve reviewed on the channel.

Redmi Note 7

This is the only phone on this list that we already know everything about, as it has already been announced and will be released for purchase shortly (and I hope to get my hands on this as soon as possible!). I watched the Redmi Note 7 launch event, and was fairly impressed with Xiaomi’s first “Redmi” sub-brand release. Snapdragon 660, USB-C, 4000 mAh battery and 48 megapixel main sensor are all specs that you can be happy with in a mid range phone. Yet it was when the price dropped (in that typical dramatic Xiaomi style) that I really felt the impact of this release. Xiaomi is once again making a statement with the Redmi Note 7: they are the leaders in offering the best phones for the best price. Coming in at a starting price of 999 Yuan (or just under 150 USD), the Redmi Note 7 offers an incredible value, second only to the Pocophone F1. I really hope it’s a sign of what Xiaomi hopes to achieve with their Redmi sub-brand in 2019.

Xiaomi Mi 9

On June 12th, 2018 I pressed “record” and filmed a 3 minute video on my most recent tech purchase: the Xiaomi Mi 8. I don’t know why I felt the need to record that day, but looking back I can’t think of a better phone to have done it with than the Mi 8. The iPhone X had been released just 7 months back, and Android phones had started releasing notch style phones to the market. I had already tried out the P20 Pro and even was in possession of the One Plus 6, but it was the Mi 8 that really wowed in terms of value (remember this is pre-Pocophone era here!). While the Mi 8 wasn’t a perfect device, it was that performance (Snapdragon 845, 6.21” HDR AMOLED display, 4000 mAh battery), great dual cameras and overall build quality that compelled me to share my thoughts in video form. No matter how many Xiaomi phones I review, I will always remember the Mi 8, and it’s for this reason alone that I am so excited for the release of the Mi 9 in 2019. I’m not sure what that phone will look like, or if it will capture that same balance of premium design and value as the Mi 8 did, but you can be sure I will be there to cover it the same way I did on that warm evening in June.

P30 Pro

While Xiaomi dominated the summer phone releases with devices like the Mi 8, Mi A2, Mi Max 3 and Pocophone F1, it was Huawei (and it’s sub brand Honor) that revved it into overdrive by the end of the year. I don’t know if you had that feeling, but it seemed like Huawei or Honor were releasing a new phone EVERY DAY for a while there (as a Tech Youtuber covering these releases it sure felt that way!) Yet for all the Huawei/Honor phones I covered in 2018, one of my favorite phones of the year was one that I actually never did a video on. From around the middle of April until right before I started my channel I used the P20 Pro as my daily driver, and there was no other phone (other than the Pixel) that I used as my main Android phone for longer in 2018. When I made my annual trip to the States, I brought two phones: the iPhone X and the P20 Pro. I remember chatting with people about the amazing camera on the phone and captured some photos on my trip that may still be some of the best low light shots I’ve ever taken. I eventually sold the P20 Pro, yet not a week has gone by that I don’t think about that phone and all the amazing camera experiences it made possible. If the P30 Pro is able to capture that wonder and amazement in camera performance that the P20 Pro did, then 2019 may prove to be an even bigger year for Huawei and Honor.

Pocophone F2

Is it any wonder that the successor to the Pocophone F1 is on this list? The most disruptive phone of 2018, the Pocophone redefined our expectations of what true value in the smartphone world could be (and a debut phone from a new brand no less!). Of all the successors to the ones on this list, no phone will have a harder, more challenging task of matching the heights of its predecessor. We all remember back to the One Plus 2, the successor to the revolutionary One Plus One that was critically panned for its design, performance and missing features (no NFC was a major misstep). The reality is it’s hard to strike as perfect a balance of price to features and performance as the One Plus One and Pocophone F1 did. But if there is any company that will be able to pull it off in 2019, its Poco by Xioami with the Pocophone F2.

Finally I wrap up here with a few honorable mentions of phones I’m super excited about:

Mi A3 - Probably the top selling Android One smartphone in the world, I’m very excited to see how Xiaomi can modernize the design and performance of this phone to compete with the likes of the Nokia 8.1, and Moto X4/G6.

Mi Max 4 - The best big budget phone of 2018 was hands down the Mi Max 3. Will be very exciting to see what chip, camera and display Xiaomi will decide to use on the Max 4 (and what about a Max 4 Pro version?).

One Plus 7 - Can One Plus finally put some decent haptics in their phone?! I have warmed up again to One Plus in the past few months, so am excited to see how far they can push the design and camera quality on their “Flagship Killer”.

iPhone XI - What can Apple do to turn the tide on it’s dismal end of 2018? Can Apple offer something truly unique and groundbreaking to match it’s prices that are becoming harder to justify each year? I love my iPhone XS Max, but the sticker shock of Apple’s recent products is really starting to become a problem, so I hope they are able to course correct in 2019 ( bezel-less iPhone SE 2 for $499 perhaps?).

Here’s to a year of epic releases and exciting phones! I’m pumped and ready! Are you?!

This is Frankie Tech! Signing off! Thanks for reading!

One of my favorite shots taken on the P20 Pro, taken at Maison Bourbon, in New Orleans.