MWC 2018: What to expect
By Robin-Leigh Chetty 21 February 2018 | Categories: feature articlesNews sponsored by:
When it comes to the world of mobile, there are few events bigger than Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. It's in the name after all. This year's iteration kicks off this Sunday, 25 February, with Day Zero seeing a number of big profile companies showcasing their wares. The rest of the manufacturers will also have devices in tow, but with so many rumours floating around, it can be difficult to tell fact from fiction.
To that end, we've compiled a roundup of what to expect from each of the major exhibitors at MWC 2018 in the coming days.
Huawei
If you're aiming to see a successor to the P10 and P10 Plus, it won't be happening at MWC 2018, with Huawei having sent out invites for a Paris-based event to be held on 27 March.
That said, there will still be some new Huawei branded devices on the cards for MWC, with rumours suggesting that a series of MateBooks could be on the way. There are also talks of a pair of smartwatches too, with Huawei having debuted the Watch 2 and Watch 2 Classic at MWC 2017.
Huawei's press conference is taking place at 15:00 (SAST) on 25 February.
Ready to discover #NewHorizons? A different perspective is coming... 25.02.18. Barcelona. #HUAWEIMWC2018 pic.twitter.com/oLirM4ye19
— Huawei Mobile (@HuaweiMobile) February 8, 2018
LG
This year's LG press conference for MWC might be a little lacklustre, especially with reports noting that the company will not debut a new G series flagship phone. Instead the company will unveil an updated version of the LG V30 from IFA 2017, which is said to be called the V30s.
In terms of differentiating features, the V30s is believed to be touting Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 845 processor, as well as some AI functionality. This will take the form of object detection and more intuitive camera shooting modes, but no word on whether the AI will be smarter than that.
Unfortunately, LG will not be hosting a live streamed press conference for MWC 18.
Nokia (HMD Global)
HMD Global (which owns the license to make Nokia phones) made quite the splash last year at MWC 2017, buoyed in the most part by the reveal of the new Nokia 3310. As for what they have in store for this year's conference, it does not look likely that a nostalgic feature phone will appear.
Instead the focus will be solely placed on smartphones, and HMD Global is said to have four offerings in the cards. To that end, the Nokia 1, a new Nokia 6, Nokia 7 and Nokia 7 Plus are all expected in Barcelona. As for the Nokia 9 or Nokia 8 Pro, that device may only be unveiled later in the year.
The HMD Global press conference will be live streamed on the Nokia Mobile Facebook page at 17:00 (SAST) on 25 February.
Samsung
The worst kept secret for MWC 2018 is Samsung's impending unveiling of the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus. As in previous years though, a series of leaked images have already given us a pretty good idea of what the flagship phones will look like, as well as what they're sporting.
Both devices are said to feature the same dimensions as last year's iterations, while also sporting Infinity Displays (18:9 aspect ratio) and curved edges. Dual cameras are present too, as is a fingerprint sensor on the rear and rumours suggest a new battery will yield up to a day and half of battery life.
Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked press conference is set to take place on 25 February at 19:00 (SAST), finishing off Day Zero.
Sony
The Japanese phonemaker has been falling behind its competitors in recent years, and needs to have an impressive MWC 2018 to win back favour with Android users. On the devices front, Sony is expected to have one flagship and two mid-range phones on show in Barcelona.
The latter will likely take the form of the XZ2 and XZ2 Compact, which are follow ups to the phones they debuted at IFA 2017. As far as flagships go, a refreshed design is being touted for the successor to last year's spec heavy XZ Premium. The name is unknown for now, but some are saying it will be called the XZ Pro, and will feature an edge-to-edge 4K display.
As always, Sony will be hosting their conference on the first morning of the MWC, 26 February at 09:00 (SAST).
Join us. 26.02.2018 #SonyMWC pic.twitter.com/n6IQ82XRVZ
— Sony Xperia (@sonyxperia) February 19, 2018
Most Read Articles
Have Your Say
What new tech or developments are you most anticipating this year?