CES 2016 is just over two weeks away, followed by MWC 2016 in February and we expect see some new smartphone reveals to kick off the New Year. While the prices of existing devices begin to fall to make room for their successors, smartphone makers are aiming to wow us with innovation and design. As PhoneArena reports, there are a number of high-end smartphone releases to look out for during the first six months of 2016.

Ahead of Apple's expected Fall release of the iPhone 7, we'll get to see what rival hardware makers Samsung and Sony plan to offer. With Android 6.0 Marshmallow updates rolling out to LG G4 smartphones, rumors surround the next-gen LG G5. Word in the wild has the G5 housing none other than the latest Snapdragon processor and rocking 21MP and 8MP shooter on the back and front, respectively.

With a design slightly bigger than the leather-backed G4, the G5 is said to arrive on the scene with an all metal unibody design and a 5.6-inch QHD display. Sounds like it's out to give Samsung and Apple a run for their money.

One of the most anticipated devices of the year is the Samsung Galaxy S7. Industry analysts expect Samsung to keep its same metal and glass design features on its current Galaxy S6 phone. The Galaxy S7 is rumored to feature a 5.2-inch Super AMOLED QHD display, Samsung's own Exynos 8890 and a 20MP primary camera.

Samsung is rumored to bring back the sorely missed microSD slot, a feature that was pulled from its Galaxy S6 and Galaxy Note 5 offerings. As J.K. Shin proudly declares during its Unpacked events, Samsung listens to its customers.

We'll know soon enough if there is any truth the some of these rumors--in the meantime, take them with a grain of salt.

Tags: smartphones smartphones lg samsung