Samsung, LG, Sony to Lead Parade of New Smartphones at MWC 2018

Mobile World Congress, the year’s biggest mobile technology conference, will convene in Barcelona on Feb. 26 and as has been the case in resent year, Samsung will lead the parade of mobile devices introduced at the show. Samsung has confirmed that it will unveil its new Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ smartphones a day before the show starts. LG, meanwhile, has sidelined one high-end handset in favor of another at MWC this year. With big chipmakers and mobile service providers 5G connectivity is sure to prominent newsmaker in Barcelona.  Read on to learn more about what will be the talk of MWC 2018.

Samsung has confirmed that it will unveil two new high-end handsets ahead of Mobile World Congress on Feb. 25. Those handsets, the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+, are expected to come with nearly identical designs to last year’s Galaxy S8 line and run Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor. The devices will have what Samsung calls a “reimagined” camera as well as mobile applications with artificial intelligence features to provide more insightful information on demand to users. 

LG was supposed to unveil the G7 handset at Mobile World Congress 2018. The smartphone, a successor to last year’s G6 was designed as a challenger to the Galaxy S9. However, LG executives shelved the smartphone and directed Samsung’s engineers back to develop a new G7 from the ground up over fears the original design wouldn’t sell well compared to the Samsung Models.

Although LG won’t deliver an ultra-high-end smartphone at Mobile World Congress, the company has said that it will announce a new version of last year’s LG V30 handset. The new version, LG said, will have an artificial intelligence-controlled camera that will suggest settings that will optimize photo quality. The V30’s design is expected to remain the same.

Sony has confirmed that it will hold a press conference on Feb. 26, the first day of the show, to introduce it latest top-of-the-line smartphone, the Xperia XZ Pro. Details are slim for now, but the smartphone will likely follow current design trends with a bezel-less, wide-screen display. Sony’s smartphone is also expected to run on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 processor.

Qualcomm, Ericsson, and Huawei are all expected to be at Mobile World Congress to discuss progress on 5G wireless development. While they won’t have finished products or services to introduce, look for some updates on the equipment they’re developing since the wireless industry’s decision agreed last year to adopt some 5G technical standards. Widespread 5G service availability isn’t expected for a couple of years.

TCL, the Chinese budget smartphone maker that is producing BlackBerry smartphones under license, has confirmed that it will release at least two new smartphones in 2018. Most industry watchers believe at least one of those smartphones will show up at MWC. Chief among the anticipated announcements is a new version of last year’s BlackBerry KEYOne, which was generally well-received among critics.

Google will not unveil new high-end smartphones at Mobile World Congress since it typically reserves such announcements for its own show later in the year for that. However, Google is making a significant artificial intelligence push with Google Assistant and will likely talk about its latest capabilities, particularly on the Google Home intelligence devices.

Rumors have been swirling for months about a new top-of-the-line Nokia 9 handset from HMD Global, the Finnish company that is manufacturing Nokia brand smartphones under license. The Nokia 9 could come with thin bezels, run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, and compete directly with the Galaxy S9. Look for it to appear at MWC.

Android Wear will be everywhere at Mobile World Congress, according to reports. Both traditional watchmakers and mobile device makers will be on hand to unveil new smartwatches running Android Wear. Most reports suggest the smartwatches will have  round designs and look more classic watches than smartwatches with all the bells and whistles. 

Samsung told investors in an earnings call in January that it will release the foldable Galaxy X smartphone sometime this year. Although it didn’t say when it might unveil the smartphone, some industry watchers suspect the company could offer a preview of the Galaxy X at MWC If so, look for it to be unveiled alongside the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ at the Samsung’s “Unpacked” event on Feb. 25.