The Mobile World Congress is set to kick off on Feb. 27 in Barcelona. It is one of the biggest technology conferences of the year with 100,000 expected attendees from over 200 countries. But forget about the numbers. What matters most are the newest smartphones and devices to be unveiled. Here’s what to expect.
Samsung Galaxy S8
Following the exploding Galaxy Note 7 fiasco, Samsung has decided to delay the launch of the Galaxy S8. There will be no Galaxy S8 launch during the MWC 2017, but to maintain the hype and pique interest, there are reports that the company will give its fans a glimpse of its next flagship smartphone through a 1-minute video clip.
What will Samsung unveil at MWC 2017? The invite rolled out by the company hints it might be a new tablet, the Galaxy Tab S3. The new tablet [translated] will reportedly sport a Snapdragon 820 chip in tandem with a 4 GB RAM. The Tab S3 will run on Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box and might also boast a 9.6-inch display with a 2,048 x 1,536 resolution. The main camera will have a 12-megapixel sensor.
Motorola Moto G5 And Moto G5 Plus
Loyal fans of Motorola can say hello to the Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus at MWC 2017. The Lenovo-owned brand is expected to unveil the successors of the Moto G4 line on Feb. 26, a day before the gates officially open in Spain.
The Moto G5 will give users a full HD 1080p display with a 5-inch screen real estate, while its bigger sibling will sport a 5.5-inch display. Both smartphones will run on Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box and will depend on an octa-core Snapdragon 621 chip and 3 GB RAM.
The two new smartphones are also said to hit the shelves a few days after the MWC unveiling.
LG G6 At MWC 2017
LG is also expected to unwrap the LG G6 smartphone. Tech Times reported about a leaked image of the LG G5 successor acquired by The Verge. The image features the top half of the new smartphone and shows that the designers were still not able to get rid of the antenna bands. The LG G6 might also come with a display sporting rounded corners just like the Galaxy S8 and the Xiaomi Mi Mix.
In terms of LG G6 specs, what we know so far is that it will most likely have a Snapdragon 821 processor, a non-removable battery, and Google Assistant onboard. Latest LG G6 rumors also point to the possibility of being water resistant.
LG might also have other iterations of the new handset such as the G6 Compact, G6 Lite, G6 Hybrid, among others in the pipeline as spotted in some reports [translated].
Huawei P10
The rumor mill is also suggesting that the high-end Huawei P10 alongside with its P10 Plus sibling will debut at MWC 2017.
Huawei P10 specs and features rumors suggest the the P10 will sport an octa-core Kirin 960 processor, 6 GB RAM, a 5.2-inch QHD display, and will run on Android Nougat out of the box. The Huawei P10 Plus will basically have the same specs but with a bigger display. Both handsets will also most likely have Leica-branded cameras.
Sony 4K Xperia Smartphone
Xperia fans might need to stretch their patience a bit as the latest news about Sony MWC 2017 unveiling suggests that the manufacturer will only showcase its Xperia Z5 successor behind closed doors. Loyal consumers can blame the upcoming Galaxy S8 for this move, as Sony decides to avoid the possible collision course with the new Samsung flagship that will possibly hit the market in late April.
It’s not all bad news, though, as Sony might still unwrap some mid-range smartphones in Barcelona. These handsets are codenamed Mineo, Hinoki, Keyaki, and BlancBright.
BlackBerry Mercury
The BlackBerry Mercury said hello to technophiles during CES 2017. The brand is trying to build up the excitement as it gave fans a glimpse of its latest flagship smartphone.
Not much is known about the BlackBerry Mercury specs, but rumors suggest that it will have a 4.5-inch display, run on Android Nougat, and pack 4 GB of RAM. Of course, it will have a physical QWERTY keyboard.
There are also reports that the Mercury will use a Sony IMX378 sensor for its camera. This is the same hardware used by the Google Pixel and Pixel XL.
Nokia P1/Nokia 8
Nokia is still alive, and the brand has actually sent out invites to its MWC 2017 press conference. We’re still not sure whether the new Nokia flagship will use the Nokia P1 or Nokia 8 as its official name. If rumors hold water, this new handset will sport a Snapdragon 835 chip, 24-megapixel main camera, 6 GB RAM, and run Android OS.
There might also be a less potent sibling that will have a Snapdragon 821 processor with 4 GB RAM.
