The annual Mobile World Congress (MWC) officially on Monday, February 26th, but most companies have scheduled their events tomorrow, and some of them including LG, Catphones, ARCHOS and others have already started introducing new products. The upcoming week is going to be a cornucopia of smartphone goodness and we’re on ground already to bring you the latest on the latest! With the tone set, we thought it right to bring you a quick rundown of the latest buzz from Barcelona about what to expect. So without further ado, here’s the top announcements we expect from MWC 2018.
Samsung
We already know all the details about the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ smartphones, including detailed specifications and the price. The design, battery capacity and the display of the Galaxy S9 series is expected to be similar to the Galaxy S8 series, but the internals will have a minor upgrade. The Galaxy S9 is said to feature 12MP variable aperture camera to adjust between f/ 1.5 and f/ 2.4 aperture as well as 480fps super slo-mo recording. The Galaxy S9+ is said to come with dual rear camera.
The fingerprint sensor will be moved below the camera to make it easy to access. The phones are said to be powered by Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 in the U.S. and Octa-Core Samsung Exynos 9 Series 9810 SoC in other counties. Recent benchmark listings show promising results for the Exynos 9810, but we will have to wait to find out. While the S9 is said to stick to 4GB RAM, the S9+ is said to feature 6GB of RAM. These are also said to feature dual stereo speakers tuned by AKG.
Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ rumored specifications
- S9 – 5.8-inch Quad HD+ (2960 × 1440 pixels) Super AMOLED Infinity display with 570ppi, Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection
- S9+ – 6.2-inch Quad HD+ (2960 × 1440 pixels) Super AMOLED Infinity display with 529ppi, Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection
- Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 with Adreno 630 GPU / Octa-Core Samsung Exynos 9 Series 9810 processor with Mali G72MP18 GPU
- S9 – 4GB LPDDR4x RAM with 64GB storage (UFS 2.1), expandable memory with microSD
- S9+ – 6GB LPDDR4x RAM with 128GB storage (UFS 2.1), expandable memory with microSD
- Android 8.0 (Oreo)
- Single / Hybrid Dual SIM (nano + nano / microSD)
- S9 – 12MP Dual Pixel rear camera with LED Flash, f/2.4-f/1.5 variable aperture, 480fps super slo-mo
- S9+ – 12MP primary rear camera with f/2.4-f/1.5 variable aperture, LED Flash, 480fps super slo-mo, 12MP secondary rear camera with f/2.4 aperture
- 8MP auto focus front-facing camera with wide-angle lens
- Water and dust resistant (IP68)
- Stereo speakers, Ultra High Quality Audio Playback – PCM: Up to 32 bits; DSD: DSD64/128
- Sensors – Accelerometer, Barometer, Fingerprint Sensor, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Hall Sensor, Heart Rate Sensor, Proximity Sensor, RGB Light Sensor, Iris Sensor, Pressure Sensor
- 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac (2.4/5GHz), VHT80 MU-MIMO, Bluetooth 5 (LE up to 2Mbps), GPS with GLONASS, USB 3.1, NFC, MST
- S9 – 3000mAh battery with fast Charging both on wired and wireless (WPC and PMA) charging
- S9+ – 3500mAh battery with fast Charging both on wired and wireless (WPC and PMA) charging
The Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2018 will take place at 6 p.m.CET (10:30 PM IST) in Barcelona on February 25, 2018. It will offer live stream for the event as usual on its website samsung.com/galaxy and on its YouTube Channel.
HMD Global / Nokia
HMD Global is expected to introduce several Nokia smartphones at its event tomorrow including Nokia 1, Nokia 4, Nokia 7 Plus and we might also see flagship Nokia 9. We already know that Nokia 7+ will be Android One smartphone with Snapdragon 660, dual ZEISS lens and a 6-inch FHD+ full-screen display0 Nokia 1 is expected to be Android Oreo (Go edition) entry-level smartphone and the Nokia 4 is said to be powered by Snapdragon 450. Google already confirmed that Android Oreo Go edition phones and new Android One phones will be introduced at the MWC.
Nokia 7+ rumored specifications
- 6-inch (2160 × 1080 pixels) Full HD+ 18:9 2.5D curved glass display with Corning Gorilla glass protection
- Octa Core Snapdragon 660 14nm Mobile Platform (Quad 2.2GHz Kryo 260 + Quad 1.8GHz Kryo 260 CPUs) with Adreno 512 GPU
- 4GB LPDDR4x RAM, 64GB internal storage, expandable memory up to 128GB with microSD
- Single / Dual SIM
- Android 8.0 (Oreo), upgradable to Android 8.1
- 12+ 13MP rear dual cameras with ZEISS Optics, 2X optical zoom, dual-tone LED flash
- 16MP front-facing camera with ZEISS optics, f/2.0 aperture, Tetracell technology
- Fingerprint sensor
- 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz), Bluetooth 5, GPS + GLONASS, USB Type-C
- Fast charging
HMD Global event is scheduled for February 25th, Sunday, at Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art and starts at 4PM CET (8:30 PM IST). It will offer live stream on Facebook and Nokia.com/phones.
Sony
Sony is expected to introduce its flagship Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact smartphones at the MWC. Both the phones are expected to feature full-screen displays, aluminum frame and 3D glass body. There are said to be powered by Snapdragon 845, run Android 8.0 (Oreo) and the fingerprint sensor will be moved to the back of the phones.
Sony Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact rumored specifications
- XZ2 – 5.7-inch (2160 x 1080 pixels) 18:9 Triluminos Display with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection
- XZ2 Compact – 5-inch (2160 x 1080 pixels) 18:9 Triluminos Display with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection
- Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Mobile Platform with Adreno 630 GPU
- 4GB RAM, 64GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 256GB via microSD card
- Android 8.0 (Oreo)
- Single / Dual SIM
- Water Resistant (IP65/IP68)
- 19MP rear camera with Exmos RS sensor, 1/2.3″ sensor, f/2.0 lens, Predictive capture, 5-axis stabilization, 4K video recording, 960fps slow-motion video
- 8MP front-facing camera with 1/ 4″ Exmor R sensor, 18mm super wide-angle for 120 degrees field of view, f/2.4 aperture, 1080p video recording
- S Force stereo speakers, DSEE HX, LDAC, Digital Noise Cancelling
- Fingerprint sensor
- 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz / 5GHz) MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS/ GLONASS, NFC, USB 3.1 Type-C
- XZ2 – 3180mAh Battery with Qnovo Adaptive Charging technology, Wireless charging
- XZ2 Compact – 2870mAh Battery with Qnovo Adaptive Charging technology
The Sony MWC 2018 event takes place on 26th February, Monday at 8.30AM CET (1PM IST) and it will offer live stream at blogs.sonymobile.com
Huawei
Huawei is expected to introduce new Huawei MediaPad M5 series of tablets – MediaPad M5 (10), MediaPad M5 (10 Pro) and MediaPad M5 (8) at its MWC event. The MediaPad M5 10 is said to feature a 10.8-inch (2560 x 1600 pixels) LCD display, powered by Kirin 960 SoC with 4GB RAM and 32GB storage with microSD expansion slot, 13MP rear camera and an 8MP front-facing camera.
The Pro version is said to come with 64GB of storage and feature 4G LTE support. It will reportedly run Android 7.0 (Nougat) OS. The company is not expected to introduce its P20 series of phones since it will have a separate event in March in Paris on March 27.
The Huawei MWC 2018 event takes place tomorrow, February 25th and starts at 2PM CET (6:30 PM IST). It should offer live stream on its website.
ASUS
ASUS teaser already hinted at the Zenfone 5 series with Snapdragon SoCs. Press shots of the Zenfone 5 Lite already surfaced, and we recently saw sketches of the Zenfone 5 with iPhone X-like top-notch and dual rear cameras.
The Zenfone 5 is said to feature 5.7-inch FHD+ display, dual rear cameras and come with metal body. The Zenfone 5 Lite is said to come with dual front cameras and rear camera with 20MP on the front and 16MP on the rear, one with 120-degree wide-angle lens, along with LED flash on both the sides and a full HD+ 18:9 display. The Zenfone 5 Max is said to pack huge battery and 18:9 screen. All the Zenfone 5 series smartphones are expected to run Android 8.0 (Oreo) with ZenUI 4.0.
The ASUS MWC 2018 is scheduled for Tuesday, February 27th, 2018 and starts at 7:30pm CET (12:00 AM IST February 28th). As usual it will offer live stream at asus.com
Lenovo / Motorola
Motorola is expected to introduce G6, G6 Plus and G6 Play smartphones at the MWC. Moto G6 is expected to sport a 5.7-inch (2160×1080 pixels) Full HD+ 18:9 display and powered by the Snapdragon 450 SoC with 3GB RAM+32GB storage and 4GB RAM+64GB storage with a microSD card slot for memory expansion. It is said to feature 12+5MP dual rear camera setup and a 16MP front camera. It is said to pack 3000mAh battery with USB Type-C port on board.
The Moto G6 Plus is said to sport a large 5.93-inch Full HD+ 18:9 display, powered by the Snapdragon 630 SoC with same 3GB RAM+32GB and 4GB RAM+64GB storage variants. It is also said to feature 12+5MP dual rear camera setup and a 16MP front camera along with 3200mAh battery with USB Type-C.
The G6 Play is said to feature a 5.7-inch HD+ screen, powered by Snapdragon 430 or 435 SoC, single rear camera and pack a 4000mAh battery. All the phones are expected to run Android 8.0 (Oreo). Even though Moto X5, Moto Z3 and Moto Z3 Play had surfaced, these are not expected to official next week.
Motorola has not scheduled a separate event, but Lenovo has an event on February 26th, so we can expected some Lenovo and Moto devices at the event.
LG
LG earlier this week announced new K8 and K10 2018 edition of smartphones that includes K8 2018, K10 2018, K10+ 2018 and K10 α 2018. Both the phones have HD display with 2.5D Arc Glass design.
It will also introduce V30 2018 edition with Vision A.I camera which can automatically analyze objects and recommends the best shooting mode and Vision A.I that further scans QR codes, initiate an image search or provide shopping options including where to purchase, etc. It will also have Voice AI that allows users to run apps and change settings through voice commands alone. LG has partnered with Google to work alongside Assistant. LG is also offering 32 exclusive Voice AI commands.
ZTE
ZTE already confirmed that it will introduce Blade V9 smartphone, which was accidentally revealed in an online listing.
ZTE Blade V9 specifications
- 5.7-inch (2160 x 1080p pixels) 18:9 2.5D curved glass display
- 1.8GHz Octa-Core Snapdragon 450 14nm Mobile Platform with Adreno 506 GPU
- 2GB RAM with 16GB storage, 3GB RAM with 32GB storage, 4GB RAM with 64GB storage, expandable memory up to 256GB with microSD
- Android 8.0 (Oreo)
- Hybrid Dual SIM (nano + nano / microSD)
- 16MP rear camera with LED flash, f/2.0 aperture, PDAF, secondary 5MP camera with f/1.8 aperture, 1.12μm pixel size
- 13MP front-facing camera
- Fingerprint sensor
- Dimensions: 151.4 x 70.6 x 7.5mm; Weight: 140g
- 3.5mm audio jack, DTS audio
- 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS + GLONASS, NFC (Optional)
- 3200mAh built-in battery
Xiaomi
Xiaomi is rumored to introduce Mi MIX 2S with dual rear cameras, 95% screen-to-body ratio and under-display fingerprint sensor, but the company has not announced a separate event, even though it will display its products.
Xiaomi Mi MIX 2S rumored specifications
- 5.99-inch (2160 × 1080 pixels) Full HD+ 18:9 display
- 2.8GHz Octa-Core Snapdragon 845 64-bit 10nm Mobile Platform with Adreno 630 GPU
- 8GB LPDDR4x RAM, 256GB internal storage
- Android 8.0 (Oreo) with MIUI
- Dual SIM (nano + nano)
- 12MP rear camera with Sony IMX363 sensor, OIS, Optical zoom, 4K video recording
- 5MP front-facing camera with OV5675 sensor
- Under-display fingerprint sensor
- 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11ac dual-band (2×2 MU-MIMO ), Bluetooth 5, GPS/GLONASS/Beidou, NFC, USB Type-C
- 3400mAh (typical) / 3300mAh (minimum) battery with fast charging
HTC
HTC is expected to introduce mid-range Desire 12 smartphone at the event and the retail box already revealed the specifications.
HTC Desire 12 rumored specifications
- 5.5-inch (720 x 1,440 pixels) 18:9 HD+ display
- Quad-Core 64-bit MediaTek SoC
- 3GB RAM with 32GB storage, expandable memory up to 2TB with microSD
- Android with Sense UI
- Dual SIM
- 12MP rear camera with LED Flash, PDAF, 1080p video recording
- 5MP front-facing camera BSI esnsor
- 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS + GLONASS
- 2730mAh battery
We can also expect few more Desire smartphones from the company at the event. It has not scheduled any separate event.
Alcatel
Alcatel 1x, 3, and 3x will be introduced its MWC event. The company showcased 1X, 3V and 5 under new Alcatel 1, 3 and 5 serie with 18:9 full view displays and fingerprint sensor on the back at the CES last month.
Others
Avenir Telecom, under its Energizer brand will introduce new Energizer POWER MAX P16K Pro Android smartphone with whopping 16,000mAh battery.
Finnish-based handset maker, Jolla will unveil Sailfish OS 3 and will also introduce new Sailfish devices, and probably Sailfish X support for more Sony Xperia devices. The Jolla event is scheduled for Monday 26 February and starts at 11.30 AM CET (4:00 PM IST) in Barcelona.
You can check out all the MWC 2018 news here. Which smartphone are you eagerly waiting for?