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It's not true of every smartphone maker, but certainly the big dogs in the industry are fairly predictable beasts which keep to pretty much the same launch schedule year-on-year.

Apple's preferred launch bracket is in the final quarter of the year, new iPhones tend to get launched in September (or at least they have done for many years now) and then hit the market a few weeks later. New iPads, Mac computers and other products often launch around October/November, although occasionally Apple will put out a new product around WWDC, which usually takes place over the Summer; for instance, this year WWDC 2017 took place in June and Apple launched new Mac and iPad Pro products, as well as a new smart speaker.

Google, on the other hand, is a bit of a loose cannon by comparison. It has become very difficult to guess when new hardware (historically Nexus, but now Pixel devices) will be launched, as the firm likes to keep moving its launches, and even its Google I/O developer conference, all over the calendar. In the past, Google I/O often saw hardware launches alongside new iterations of Android, but that's changed in recent years as the conference has become a place for Google to showcase forthcoming builds early rather than launching them proper. As in the past, Google likes to launch new Android builds aboard new phone parts wholesale (and sometimes tablet) hardware such as the new Pixel series.

All of this is likely simply a case of the company being extremely adaptable and flexible in its plans, and wanting to get things right, being prepared to hold things back if they're not ready, and so on. Hardware is still arguably not Google's primary business, and it is definitely not its primary earner. We don't think the Google shuffle is a bid to keep everyone guessing, but that is undoubtedly one of the side effects!

But not only has Google now ditched the Nexus brand in favour of the new Pixel brand (although it is a spiritual successor, bringing much the same approach to phone design), it has also launched late in the year, early October to be precise, which brings it into direct competition with Apple's iPhone launched the previous month.

This is somewhat unusual for Apple to have a brand new competitor fresh out the gate, but them's the breaks, and, if Google does stick to a regular October launch for Pixels from now on (a BIG if!) then it may become a more frequent occurrence.

The Apple iPhone 7 launched in September 2016 and, true to the rumours, hasn't changed massively from its predecessors, with Apple apparently keeping all the good stuff locked up until 2017. The iPhone 7 does, however, add some new interesting things including an improved processor and camera setup, and, most notably - waterproofing!

But 2017 will reportedly see the first OLED display iPhone ever, with what may be an edge-to-edge or even wraparound display fitted to a completely new body style. This is allegedly the phone Jony Ive always wanted to build, with an iPhone 4S style shell made from either curved glass or clear Zirconia ceramic. The Touch ID Home key will also reportedly be hidden under the display glass.

Thanks to Samsung’s exploding Galaxy Note 7, the iPhone 7 has had a pretty clear run at the market since its release in September. But things are now changing, Google's Nexus line is no more, and has been replaced by the Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones with Android Nougat onboard. The duo was launched on October 4 and carries on the Nexus legacy into the new brand; we're still looking at a highly optimised combination of hardware and software, this time built by HTC.

Like Apple, Google has come to the fray with two handsets: the Google Pixel (5in) and the Google Pixel Plus (5.5in). This approach is more or less the same as Apple’s; the iPhone 7 at 4.7in is slightly smaller. Both phone spare parts share a lot of similarities in how they’re being marketed as well.