Samsung, Sony, LG, Asus, Nokia and Huawei. The world's largest technology companies are gearing up for the biggest smartphone technology event. There are a few obvious themes and trends that this year’s Mobile World Congress will witness. In terms of new smartphone launches, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 will finally make its debut on the Samsung Galaxy S9, S9+ as well as Asus’ ZenFone 5 and Sony’s mysterious redesigned Xperia flagship. The chipset is expected to bring improved imaging using its Spectra 280 ISP along with a massive performance boost which will see 2.5X higher display throughput, 30 percent faster graphics rendering and a noticeable improvement in visual processes. Benchmarks of the SD 845 have already proved that the chipset will rule the Android roost this year and we can’t wait to see its magic on the upcoming flurry of flagship smartphones at MWC 2018.
Another emerging trend we see MWC kick-off is the adoption of ‘The Notch’ on Android smartphones. With the next iteration of Android OS – Android P– bringing support for the ill-famed iPhone X-like notch, we will most likely see the Asus ZenFone 5 kickstarting the trend this year at MWC. Besides the Notch, a more powerful push towards bezel-free displays with the popular 18:9 aspect ratio can also be expected from smartphones launching at the event. Of course, Android Oreo out of the box is a must for the new crop of phones, failing to include which could be a big miss by a company.
Expectations and rumours galore, there’s a lot to look forward to from the mammoth mobile technology event. Here’s a quick sneak peek for you.
Samsung
Galaxy. Galaxy. Galaxy. No, Samsung is not launching three phones, but the past few months have been all about the numerous leaks and rumours surrounding the next Samsung Galaxy flagships – Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+. The two phones are going to debut the Snapdragon 845 chipset as well as Samsung’s own Exynos 9810, both crazy powerful if leaked benchmarks are to be believed! As we already told you, expect some quality photography skills from the S9 and S9+ thanks to variable aperture, along with fun features like 3D emojis (Cos Apple has em’ too, you know), Slow-mo videos, improved Bixby and more. The screens on the S9 and S9+ are expected to be the same as last year’s 5.8-inch, 6.2-inch Super AMOLED panels and the RAM variants will also be pretty standard with – 4GB for S9 and 6GB for S9+. Design of the two smartphones is not expected to see a major change, apart from thinner bezels and a centrally place fingerprint sensor. Head here to read more about the upcoming Galaxy S9 and S9+ smartphones. You can also check out the latest big S9 leak here. The Galaxy S9 and S9+ launch on February 25, 10:30PM IST.
Sony
Sony is up to something and the Japanese electronics giant has managed to shield its plans pretty well till now, albeit some weak rumours here and there. Word has it that Sony has redesigned its flagship smartphone candidate for MWC and that the company might do away with its age-old rectangular, boxy design philosophy to opt for flexible or curved displays instead. If Sony indeed does so, it will be a welcome move for sure. Going deeper into specifics, it is rumoured that Sony might launch the Xperia XZ2 and the Xperia XZ Pro (also being referred to as XZ2 Pro). The smartphones are also expected to feature the flagship SD 845 SoC with 4K resolution displays, 6GB RAM, and a first for Sony – dual cameras. You can check out the latest predictions for Sony’s flagship launch at MWC here. The Sony MWC launch event is slated for Feb 26, 1PM IST.
Nokia
HMD Global made its Nokia comeback last year at MWC and this year one should expect them to go all guns blazing. The most anticipated of all is the Nokia 7 Plus, images for which have already surfaced online. Based on the leaked renders of the Nokia 7 Plus, one can expect the phone to feature the taller 18:9 aspect ratio display. Thin bezels can be seen on the Nokia 7 Plus along with a dual camera setup at the back. The smartphone is expected to be a mid-ranger featuring the Snapdragon 660 chipset, which was earlier seen on the Oppo R11 and Vivo X20, both of which never launched in India. The Nokia 7 Plus will be the first device sporting the SD 660 SoC in India. It is expected to launch in the country sometime in May/June. Besides the Nokia 7 Plus, the company may also launch the Nokia 1 – a low-cost Android Go smartphone and the Nokia 9/Nokia 8 Sirocco flagship. You can read all about Nokia’s MWC launch plans here. The Nokia launch event is scheduled for Feb 25, 8:30PM IST.
Asus
Asus might surprise at MWC with a good budget/mid-range smartphone in the form of the ZenFone 5 Lite which is expected to boast a quad camera setup. However, we are not too happy that Asus is reusing the ZenFone 5 moniker (the previous ZenFone 5s were launched back in 2014). Anyhow, what’s known so far is that Asus is totally aping the iPhone X’s notch and bringing it to its flagship ZenFone 5 smartphone. The device was recently spotted on AnTuTu with 6GB RAM and Snapdragon 845 chipset. The Asus ZenFone 5 might feature a 5.7-inch display with an, you guessed it, 18:9 aspect ratio. The ZenFone 5 will most likely have dual cameras at the back but the 5 Lite will have them on both sides. The ZenFone 5 Lite is rumoured to feature a dual 20MP camera setup at the front and a 16MP+16MP setup at the back, hinting at its selfie prowess. Asus will be revealing the two smartphones and some more variants (as custom commands) in the ZenFone 5 series on Feb 27, 12AM IST. You can read more about the new ZenFones here.
Huawei
Huawei will not bring its flagship P20, P20 Plus smartphones to MWC, instead the company will do a separate launch event on March 27 in Paris. At MWC 2018, Huawei is expected to showcase three tablets in its MediaPad M5 series. As per reports, there will be an 8.4 inch variant of the MediaPad M5 with a 2560×1600 pixel resolution display and Huawei’s Kirin 960 processor with 4GB RAM and 32GB of storage. A 10-inch model and another Pro model with a stylus are also expected at Huawei’s Feb 25 MWC launch event. Besides the MediaPad, Huawei is expected to talk 5G and possibly a new smartwatch at the event.
LG
LG has confirmed the launch of a refreshed version of the LG V30 smartphone at MWC 2018, although the company is not holding any special event for the same. The LG V30 2018 will come with a host of AI features, including 32 exclusive Google Assistant commands. Among the new features is Vision AI, LG’s answer to Samsung’s Bixby Vision and Google Lens. LG has also said that it will improve low-light photography on the smartphone by measuring the brightness of the actual image and adjusting it more accurately. You can read more about the upcoming LG V30 (2018) here. Besides the redesigned LG V30, the company has also announced that it will launch more advanced K10 and K8 series smartphones "enhanced with even more premium features rivaling those of premium flagships." The K10 is equipped with an advanced 13MP rear camera also found on the flagship LG G6 and a high resolution 8MP front camera that supports Bokeh when shooting selfies. The K10 also adds Phase Detection Auto Focus (PDAF) which LG claims is 23 percent faster than traditional auto focus. There's a new Smart Rear Key that unlocks the phone with a fingerprint, it also triggers Quick Shutter for faster photos and Quick Capture for easy screen shots. Another new feature of the K Series camera is Flash Jump Shot, which snaps a photo every three seconds (up to 20 photos) and stitches the images together into a fun GIF for easy sharing. Flash Jump Shot is available on both the K8 and K10 and can be used with either the front or rear cameras.
The updated LG K8 delivers more advanced camera UX features for 2018 and low-light photography has been improved from the previous generation K8 with even brighter, clearer images. Favorite features such as Auto Shot, Gesture Shot, Flash for Selfie and Quick Share are carried over to the new K8 by popular demand.
Google has an Android Garden at MWC 2018. This may be a place where the Mountain View tech giant showcases its latest Google Assistant-enabled hardware, a glimpse of which we saw at CES 2018. We expect Assistant powered Smart Displays to make an appearance here as the company is ways away from launching its next flagship smartphones. We will get you all the scoop from Google’s Android Gardens during our MWC jaunt.
Xiaomi
Some say the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S will make an appearance at MWC after all the leaks that have happened already. But, Xiaomi denies hosting any special events and says that all they have is a booth there. If the company does launch the phone in China ahead of MWC, it may make an appearance at the event in Barcelona. The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S is expected to come with a 5.99-inch bezel-less display, a 95 percent screen-to-body ratio, Snapdragon 845 SoC and 8GB RAM. Posters of the phone have been leaked already, it’s now just a matter of time before the phone is announced.