MWC 2018 is coming, so what should we expect?

Jan 31, 2018

MWC 2018 will open its gates in a month’s time

One of the largest tech shows, the Mobile World Congress 2018 will soon open its gates. Starting February 26, tech giants like Samsung, Sony, Huawei, and Nokia will gather in Barcelona to unveil some of the latest advancements in mobile tech.

MWC’s main focus is on smartphones, so what new and exciting mobile models are expected to make an appearance during the event? Continue reading below to make an idea of what’s coming in the upcoming weeks.

Samsung

Samsung will make a comeback at MWC 2018, after last year when it chose to skip the trade show and unveiled the Galaxy S8 during a separate event at a later date.

Well, this year Samsung will soon take the stage in Barcelona to unveil the next-gen Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus. The company already confirmed the Unpacked event for February 25, through the invitations send to the media.

So a day before MWC 2018 officially kickstarts, Samsung will take the wraps off the new phones. We expect the devices to be an incremental upgrade over the Galaxy S8. The design is poised to stay pretty much the same, although Samsung has thankfully moved the fingerprint scanner to occupy the central position under the camera.

There’s also going to be a new Snapdragon 845 under the hood keeping the lights on, paired with either 4GB of RAM (for the Galaxy S9) or 6GB of RAM (in the case of the Galaxy S9 Plus).

As teased by Samsung’s own invite to the event, the two phones will be “all about the camera”, although only the Galaxy S9 Plus will benefit from a dual-camera arrangement, while the Galaxy S9 will take advantage of a single lens on the back.

Also expect the phones to include stereo speakers tuned by AKG, as well as IP68 water & dust resistance and wireless charging.

Sony

After launching the mid-range Xperia XA2 and Xperia XA2 Ultra and the low-end Xperia L2 at CES 2018, Sony is expected to concentrate on the premium category during MWC 2018.

Since Sony launched the Xperia XZ Premium during last year’s event, the company might as well stick with tradition and pull the wraps off the Xperia XZ Premium 2/Pro during the trade show next month.

According to recent leaks, the phone might arrive with a large edge-to-edge 5.7-inch 4K display and a reflective mirror-like back. Apparently, the device will have the fingerprint scanner built into the display and take advantage of a Snapdragon 845 processor, as well as 6GB of RAM, dual-cameras on the back, 128GB of storage and front-facing speakers. It’s also said the Xperia XZ Premium 2/Pro will also be the first Sony phone with a dual-camera setup on the back (18-megapixel + 12-megapixel sensors).

A 3,420 mAh battery, IP68 water and dust resistance and Android 8.0 Oreo are also said to be in the cards. And also an exorbitant price tag, one that will easily surpass the Galaxy S9’s.

Huawei

Rumors are conflicted when it comes to Huawei. The company has sent out invites for a press conference scheduled for February 25, 2018, during which some suspect Huawei will unveil the P20 flagship.

However, other sources claim the Chinese tech giant will be delaying the P20 announcement, because it wants to give the Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro flagships more time to shine. Yet, we shouldn’t have to wait long for the triple lens camera flagship to make an appearance, as some sources claim the phone will be launched shortly after the Barcelona event.

As for MWC 2018, Huawei could have plans to unveil new tablets, smartwatches, and laptops during the trade show.

Nokia

Nokia made a big splash at MWC 2018 last year with its comeback handsets, so in 2018 the company promised to deliver something “awesome” during the event. According to recent reports, the Finnish company, now under HMD patronage is expected to launch the Nokia 6 (2018) and Nokia 7 on the Western market. Both these models already made a debut in China.

Additionally, HMD and Nokia might arrive in Barcelona with the intentions to debut the Nokia 9 – a new flagship which has been the topic of countless rumors in the past. Recent leaks have also revealed the possible existence of a high-end device carrying a total of five cameras reminiscent of the glorious Lumia 1020.

New budget models like the recently leaked Nokia 1 or Nokia 4 might also be in the cards during the Barcelona event.

LG

Last year LG’s G6 was one of the biggest smartphone announcements at MWC 2017, but this year there’s a very high chance its successor will not make an appearance in Barcelona. LG for its part says the flagship will launch “on schedule”, but gives no further indication of the exact date this is supposed to happen. The company’s statement merely states that the launch of the G7 will happen “when the time is right”.

The good news is that even with the G7 delayed, LG might still have a new phone to show in Barcelona. According to a recent report coming out of The Korea Herald the company will introduce a new version of the V30 dubbed “V30+‘α’” which should come with enhanced AI features built around the Google Assistant.

HTC

HTC fans who were anticipating seeing HTC unveil a new flagship during the Barcelona tradeshow will most likely be disappointed.

According to rumors circulating online, the Taiwanese company may instead hold a separate event after MWC, possibly in March or April during which, it might unveil the HTC U12.

Leaks so far seem to suggest the phone will come with a modern bezel-less display with 18:9 aspect ratio with 4K resolution and a Snapdragon 845 processor under the hood.

ASUS

Based on a recent certification from the Wi-Fi Alliance, ASUS might be preparing to launch the Zenfone 5 and in all possibility, we might actually get to see it at MWC 2018.

We don’t have any additional details to share about the Zenfone 5, but given that the Zenfone 4 offers a large battery, dual-cameras and an affordable price tag, we expect its successor to follow the same lines.

 

Source: AndroidGuys