Mobile World Congress (MWC) is the world’s largest telecom and mobile industry forum. Its latest edition is scheduled to take place from 26 February to 1 March in Barcelona, Spain. So all the big brands worldwide are gearing up for the show. At MWC 2018, we are expecting the curtains to go up on some of the year’s most anticipated smartphones. Last year, the MWC witnessed the launch of Sony Xperia XZ Premium, Nokia 8, Huawei Watch 2, LG G6, Samsung Galaxy Book and much more. So expectations are running high for the upcoming event. The focus will be on cutting-edge mobile technology. But that’s not all. Some vintage models, like Nokia’s rehash of the legendary 3310, will also be under the spotlight. Here are the phone launches that will be making headlines at MWC 2018.
SAMSUNG GALAXY S9 & S9+
Samsung will be launching its Galaxy series and will unpack its latest flagship Samsung Galaxy S9+ and Samsung S9. It will have a glass back and an in-screen fingerprint sensor, plus a water repellent coating. In terms of the display, Galaxy 9 is likely to have a 5.65-inch screen and comes with infinity display. The Galaxy S9 will also have smaller bezels and Samsung will retain Bixby in this model. The phone will also feature a 3.5mm headphone jack, and is likely to come with 1,000fps video recording, 3D face scanner and single-lens camera, as well as a 3D sensor front camera. The Galaxy S9 will be powered with Snapdragon 845 along with octa-core chip with four cores running at 2.8GHz and 1.8GHz. The chipset will also allow cameras to record 4K Ultra HD video at 60fps. It is expected to be priced at Rs 50,000 approximately.
MOTO G6
Motorola is all set to unveil its G series at the MWC 2018. The Moto G6 will features 5.7-inch full HD display and stereo sound. The handset comes with 6GB RAM and 16GB storage variant. G5 runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 SoC. It is powered by Android 7.0 Nougat. The device comes in 2GB or 3GB RAM variants and 16GB or 32GB of internal storage, which is expandable, via microSD, up to 128GB. The Moto G5 sports a 13-megapixel rear dual camera which will support NFC chip along with phase detection autofocus, f/2.0 aperture, and dual-LED flash, while the front gets a 5-megapixel wide-angle camera. G5 also features new Google assistant through which user can make calls, navigate, send messages, and manage other tasks just by pressing the Home button. The new G series flagship phone also comes with a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor. Moto G5 is expected to be priced at Rs 15,000.
ZTE BLADE V9
Chinese handset maker ZTE is all set to launch its Blade V9 at the MWC 2018. The upcoming gadget will feature 5.7-inch full HD+ along with 18:9 aspect ratio and on-screen button. The Blade V9 will sport 64-bit, octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 SoC coupled with 2GB/ 3GB/ 4GB RAM and 16GB/ 32GB/ 64GB of inbuilt storage. The device will also come with decent internal storage which will be expandable via microSD card. On the camera front, Blade V9 will feature a 16-megapixel primary camera and a 5-megapixel secondary camera. The cameras also feature AR photo and video shooting mode. ZTE’s new Smartphone will run on Android 8.0 Oreo and will also be tagged along with a 3.5mm headphone jack, Bluetooth 4.2, 4G VoLTE and a fingerprint sensor. ZTE Blade V9 is expected to be priced at Rs 19,999.
NOKIA 3310 (4G)
Last year at the MWC 2017, Nokia made everyone nostalgic with the launch of Nokia 3310 (2G). Now this year at Barcelona, Nokia is expected to launch Nokia 3310 (4G) which is an upgrade over its previous version. The handset will come with high speed internet and will run on Android-based YunOS. This old-school phone will run on 256GB RAM, 512MB internal storage, up to 64GB microSD card support, and Wi-Fi support. Nokia 3310 (4G) is expected to be priced at Rs 3,999.
SONY XPERIA XZ2
Reports of the Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact prototype leaked online recently. And according to the images, it looks like the smartphone will come with a camera shutter button and a curved back panel. The device will also comes with a rear-facing fingerprint sensor but lacks a 3.5mm audio jack. The phone will feature metal-built display along with thin bezel screen. The device is expected to run on Android Oreo. The handset might sport a 5.1-inch full HD display and come with 19-megapixel rear camera, plus a 13-megapixel lens for selfies. The device supports 18:9 aspect ratio display. The smartphone is said to have a rear-facing fingerprint sensor. Sony Xperia will be priced around Rs 49,990.