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The new year is a time to look forwards into the future as well as backwards into the past, and thanks to a series of leaks, rumors and early announcements, we already know (or think we know) what's coming down the line for smartphones in 2021.

The year 2020 has been a strange and disruptive one for all of us, but the smartphone industry has barely slowed down and we've seen some fantastic handsets appear. These are our picks for the very best phones that launched in 2020.

Google's Arts and Culture lab has launched a clever browser experiment in collaboration with David Li. The Blob Opera puts four operatic voices at your disposal to create glorious AI-driven performances.

All of the major smartphones of 2020 are out – but which is best for you? New Atlas compares the specs and features of the iPhone 12 mini, 12, 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max, the Google Pixel 4a, 4a 5G and 5, and the Samsung Galaxy S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra.

The CZ Smart isn't Citizen's first smartwatch, but is the classic watchmaker's first to sport an all-digital display and be powered by Wear OS, bringing a suite of familiar apps and functions to the traditional design.

Google has released a new Chromecast that is also really its first proper Android TV media streaming device. It's a Chromecast but it also has its own storage, its own operating system, its own remote, and can be used without another device.

The smartphone market, like the world at large, finds itself in a strange spot in 2020: we've seen a wealth of new phones at the upper mid-range of the market, and with the Pixel 5, that's exactly where Google is aiming.

Google has partnered with Parallels to bring Windows to enterprise Chromebooks, meaning business users can now run full-featured Windows apps – including Microsoft Office – and Chrome apps simultaneously.

The Nest Thermostat from Google is one of the most recognizable smart home devices of recent years. The latest model to launch simplifies the design and lowers the price, while packing in some helpful controls using technology from the Pixel 4.

Google has unveiled its latest Pixel phones for 2020 – the Pixel 4a 5G and the Pixel 5. So how do they stack up against the previous generation? New Atlas compares the specs and features of the Google Pixel 4, 4 XL, 4a, 4a 5G and Pixel 5.

Like most tech launches at the moment, Google's October event was an online-only, livestreamed affair, but there was still plenty of new hardware on show: two new Pixel phones, a new Chromecast with Google TV on board, and a new Nest Audio speaker.

Seven months after the first developer preview, Android 11 is officially rolling out now for selected phones (including the newer Pixels). Among the new features are upgrades to notifications, messaging, security and media playback controls.