The biggest mobile show on Earth is about to begin!
Mobile World Congress is about to begin in a few days, and it’s the biggest event in mobile, serving as the platform for many brands, manufacturers and services to show off their wares for the year. An avalanche of news will be pouring from Barcelona in the next few days, so we’ve put together a list of major launches that you might want to keep an eye on during the show.
Samsung
After being absent in MWC last year, the Korean company has returned to launch their latest flagship at the MWC. The Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus are the company’s worst kept secret and already has been detailed in numerous leaks. The company’s Galaxy Unpacked launch event is sure to be the talk of the town, as Samsung spares no expense when it comes to announcing their newest flagships.
ASUS
Taiwanese company ASUS has always marched to the beat of their own drum and hasn’t really been a big force in MWC in the past few years, content in launching their devices during CES and COMPUTEX. This year is different though, as the Taiwanese brand is launching a flagship product, the ZenFone 5, in MWC for the first time ever. Will this finally mean that the company is fixing their launch and release schedule to match those of their competitors?
Huawei
Huawei’s a familiar face at MWC, and has used the event in the past to launch their P-series of devices. Notably though, the Chinese company will not be launching their flagship at MWC this time around, choosing instead to launch their P11 (or P20) at a different, separate event in France. Huawei will still have a presence in MWC though, and we expect them to launch a tablet (or two) during the show.
Sony
Japanese manufacturer Sony has been present in many MWC’s years past, and this year is no different. We expect the company to launch their newest Xperia flagships during the show, including their Xperia XZ Pro, XZ2 Compact and a load of other Snapdragon 660-equipped phones.
Nokia
HMD Global was a hit at last year’s MWC, announcing a slew of products including the revitalized Nokia 3310. This year we expect the company to release a global version of the Nokia 6 (2018), as well as announce their first Android One phone, the Nokia 7 Plus. There’s also a good chance we may see the first Android Go from the brand. Will we see the oft-rumored penta-camera flagship from HMD Global? We’re not sure, but we’ll be there to cover if they do.
Motorola
Lenovo-owned Motorola is also expected to make an appearance at the show this year, sporting their latest Moto G6 lineup of devices. Specifically, we expect the Moto G6, Moto G6 Play, and Moto G6 Plus to make an appearance, as well as the Moto X5 and Moto Z3.
Motorola’s Moto G6 series are all expected to be mid-range products, sporting decent internals with big batteries for maximum longevity.
LG
While LG isn’t skipping this year’s show, the company has publicly stated that their next flagship won’t be announced any time soon. That being said, they are showing off the V30+ during MWC, possibly as a stop-gap device until the G7 is ready for an announcement later this year.
Xiaomi
As they have confirmed their presence at MWC 2018, there’s little detail to what they plan to launch. Based on recent leaks and rumors, we expect to see the global launch of the Redmi Note 5 and Redmi Note 5 Pro, and the unveiling of the Mi MIX 2S, which will be Xiaomi’s first phone sporting a Snapdragon 845 processor.
We’ll be flooding the site with MWC updates in the next few days, as Unbox heads on over to Barcelona to cover the biggest mobile show in the world. Stay tuned!
