For phone lovers, the Android space is the place to be. Inside the Android Kingdom things move fast and, for the most part, set the goalposts for the rest of the market. Often, what you find in contemporary Android phones eventually makes its way down to iPhones and what few other rivals remain!

QHD panels is one example of this; dual-lens cameras and curved OLED displays are others. 2016 was a decent year for Android releases, with strong handsets from all major players. Sales were, once again, dominated by Samsung in the Android sphere (and Apple elsewhere).

There were some pretty big developments, however, such as the Galaxy Note 7 disaster and Google entering the fray with its Pixel phones. The latter point is a huge deal for hardcore Android fans, as this is the first time Google has actually taken the bull by the horns and released its own, bespoke smartphone.

We had Nexus phones before, phones that will be greatly missed, but what Google is doing with Pixel is bigger, better, and far more innovative. And while the entry of Android’s keeper into the mix will give Google’s many hardware partners cause for concern, from a user perspective it is brilliant.

The Android space now, truly, has an iPhone equivalent handset that will get timely updates as soon as they’re ready. That means no more waiting six-twelve months for the latest version of Android and access to a bunch of exclusive Android software features.

But if 2016 was good, well… you ain’t seen nothing yet. Already, next year’s Android space looks hugely innovative and very competitive. Below is a break down of the Android phones we’re looking forward to most.

Android Nokia Phones

Nokia is returning to the market it helped create. Only this time it will be releasing Android-powered phones. These handsets have been rumoured for over 12 months now, but it looks as if we’ll finally see them unveiled at MWC 2017 inside Q1 next year.

There will be a mid-range handset and a flagship handset. Obviously, we’re most interested in the flagship, which is tipped to build on Nokia’s existing design pedigree with support from the latest hardware and specs.

Out of all the phones on this list, the Nokia Android phone is perhaps the most tantalising. After all, it’s not very often one of the greats comes out of retirement for one last stab at the top spot.

OnePlus 5

OnePlus’ 2017 flagship release will not be called the OnePlus 4, apparently; rather, the company will skip the number four – it is bad luck in Asia – and go right along to five. This isn’t a big deal, but it does have the potential to confuse a few punters!

The handset is tipped to feature a unique ceramic chassis, Qualcomm's next-generation CPU, which has yet to be announced, mega amounts of RAM, a bump to QHD for the display and big advancements to its imaging capabilities.

Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus

Apple’s apparently doing three iPhones in 2017 and, as we all now know, anything Apple can do, Samsung can do better. True to form, and likely a move to make up for this year’s Note 7 fiasco, Samsung is prepping three versions of its market-leading Galaxy S flagship: the Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8 EDGE and Galaxy S8 Plus.

The PLUS model will be the ultimate flagship in the series, packing a 5.8in 4K AMOLED panel, crazy amounts of spec and hardware and, according to some sources, full support for Samsung’s S-Pen.

Nothing’s official in this regard just yet. But the move makes sense given Apple’s plans and the removal of the Note 7 from 2016’s market.

Samsung Galaxy X

The Samsung Galaxy X could well be the most interesting and controversial phone of 2017. Reports suggest this handset will be the first, truly flexible handset, meaning you can fold it, roll it and bend it.

Samsung has been trialling this flexible OLED technology for years, and apparently 2017 is the year we will FINALLY see it put to use inside a commercial release...assuming the Galaxy Note 7 debacle hasn't scared the bejesus out of the firm enough not to bother with anything new - that is one line of rumour, but hopefully an inaccurate one. You can read more about the handset in our Mega Thread ALL About The Samsung Galaxy X.

LG G6

The LG G5 was a flop in 2016. Big time. And this was a massive shame because the handset itself was one of the most interesting released this year. It was also a solid performer and it had a brilliant camera.

I positively loved this phone when I reviewed it earlier on in 2016 – check out my full review for more details: LG G5 Review: 2016’s Most Interesting Release.

LG has confirmed it is ditching the modules for this year’s flagship, but hope to see plenty of additional innovation inside the handset, as LG, more than any other brand in the space, has been consistently pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with phone design.

The LG G3, G4 and G5 were all exceptional phones… and we expect more of the same from the LG G6.