Top 5 Smartphones to Expect at MWC 2017
We’re just a week away from this year’s Mobile World Congress (MWC). Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017, which is the biggest trade show for smartphones, is kicking off on February 27. Major mobile manufacturers like LG, Samsung and Lenovo will be present in Barcelona to announce their upcoming flagship phones. MWC 2017 will be held on 27 February to 3 March. Sunday 26 February will be the big launch day, the day before the show opens to visitors, with a number of confirmed press events.
1. LG G6
LG’s most recent ambitious smartphone is the G6. The G5 was announced at Mobile World Congress and its successor is said to be launching in Barcelona as well. A report from Korea’s Electronic Times claims LG is not convinced with the modular idea for the G6 smartphone, after the failure of G5. LG later confirmed the G6 will come with a 5.7-inch 2880 x 1440 Quad HD+ LCD display. It will sport an ultra wide 18:9 aspect ratio, delivering a pixel density of 564 ppi for a super sharp and immersive viewing experience. In terms of specs, LG G6 will most likely come with a Snapdragon 821 processor, a non-removable battery, and Google Assistant onboard. The rumors also point to the possibility of being water resistant.
2. Nokia 8
Nokia is making a comeback in the smartphone market and has signed up with HMD Global for licensing, distribution and manufacturing of its smartphones. Nokia and HMD have confirmed they are holding an event on February 26, where more Nokia phones are expected. Apart from the mid-range Nokia 6, the company is planning a high-end smartphone, which is dubbed as the Nokia 8. In terms of design, it could have an IP68 rating for water and dust protection. Nokia 8 was recently in the news when the prototype of the phone was spotted at Qualcomm booth at CES, with some crazy camera optics in line. Apparently, the prototype unit was running a Snapdragon 835 and 6GB RAM. It’s possible that Nokia is going to move forward with the Nokia 8, and we might get to see this phone at MWC 2017.
3. Samsung Galaxy S8
Earlier Samsung was expected to announce the Samsung Galaxy S8 at Mobile World Congress 2017. Samsung dominates the Sunday, which in this case is 26 February. The company has booked in a press conference for that date. The invitation by Samsung shows the outline of what looks like a tablet. Maybe that suggests that we’ll be seeing the Samsung Tab S3 launched. As for the Samsung Galaxy S8 launch, a few dates had been suggested after MWC 2017, with large events coming up in New York and other locations. Samsung won’t miss the opportunity to dominate headlines. We’re expecting Samsung to strongly chaff the Galaxy S8 at its MWC press conference as it did at previous events.
4. Moto G5 Plus
Motorola does have a press event in Barcelona. The device in question is the Moto G5 Plus. The phone’s design is pretty similar to that of the Moto X that was leaked a number of times in the past. The speculative Moto G5 Plus was recently spotted on a Romanian site and it did reveal the full specifications. It includes a 5.5-inch FHD display, a Snapdragon 625 processor. It would come with 4GB RAM, 32GB of internal storage and a microSD card support. The rear camera would be 13MP, while the front camera will be 5MP and a 3,080mAh battery. It may run Android 7.0 Nougat and will include a fingerprint scanner. The leaked photos of the Moto G5 Plus reveals a metal-body phone with a curved back.
5. Huawei P10
Huawei has a mixed history with MWC. It often uses the conference to launch new devices, but not always the new flagship. It then gets its own, large, launch event a month later. Huawei gave out press invitations for an event in Barcelona on 26 February, saying a flagship device is being released. It has since followed that up with a video on YouTube confirming that flagship device will be the P10. Google also recently revealed the Huawei VR headset and there is a doubt that the Huawei Mate 9 Pro may be announced for the UK and US at MWC 2017 too, perhaps along with wider Alexa availability. There are also rumors of the Huawei Watch 2, which is a second-gen Android Wear 2.0 watch. It is said to be more sporty this time around and offer a cellular connection.
Conclusion
Whether it’s the biggest brands around or upstart manufacturers, the expo usually brings a ton of intriguing devices. 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. Now you know what to expect from this year’s Mobile World Congress.
Dhruvil is a Writer & Marketeer for Nimblechapps, joined in December 2014, based out of Sydney, Australia. He has worked briefly as a Branding and Digital Marketing Manager before moving to Australia. At Nimblechapps, he worked on Social Media Marketing, Branding, Email Marketing and Blogging. Dhruvil studies Business at University of Western Sydney, and also handles Operations for the company in Australia.