It wouldn’t be the biggest mobile show of the year without the grand unveilings and launches. So appropriately, the 2019 edition of the Mobile World Congress, held in Barcelona, Spain, earlier this week became a setting where top smartphone brands from around the globe were competing for attention and making headlines with their latest products. Several top-of-the-range smartphones were launched here—from foldable devices to phones with 5G capabilities and five cameras. Here are some of the top picks from the event.
Mate X
By Huawei
Samsung’s Galaxy Fold, announced a few weeks ago, has already managed to win the title of being the first foldable phone of its kind. But Huawei isn’t too concerned about finishing second in this race. Rather, they are focused on winning in the arena of sales and performance. Huawei’s new Mate X was without a doubt a smartphone that stole the show in Barcelona. It is a foldable 5G phone with an 8-inch OLED foldable FullView display. When folded, the primary display converts to a twin-display system: 6.6-inch front panel and 6.38-inch back panel. Powered by the Huawei Kirin 980 processor, this handset comes with a 4500mAh battery. It is also fitted with an integrated fingerprint sensor on the power button, and supports dual SIM feature.
How does the Mate X compare with the Galaxy Fold? Well, Huawei’s smartphone, unlike Samsung’s, does not support wireless charging and is equipped with only three Leica cameras on the sidebar of the primary display (40MP+ 16MP+ 8MP). With its 8GB RAM, the Mate X lags slightly behind the Galaxy Gold (12GB), although the internal storage capacity for both these phones, at 512GB, is the same.
Huawei has not yet revealed the price or a launch date for the Mate X yet. But since it is a 5G-enabled phone, it would likely come with a hefty price tag.
Nokia 9 PureView
By HMD Global
The Finnish brand Nokia unveiled its camera-studded smartphone this year at the Mobile World Congress. The Nokia 9 PureView is laced with five rear cameras (12MP each), out of which two have regular colour sensors while the other three have monochrome sensors—a chromatic range that’s preferred by professional photographers. This 5.99-inch display smartphone also comes fitted with a 20MP selfie camera. The phone runs on a 3320mAh battery and a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset. There’s also a fingerprint sensor under the display for easy unlock. With 6GB RAM and 128GM internal memory, this one is a racehorse in performance terms.
According to an official Nokia statement, “Nokia 9 PureView…brings flagship experiences in a flawless finish with advanced Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset technology, a 2 pOLED ‘PureDisplay’ screen, integrated Qi wireless charging and under display fingerprint sensor. There is no camera bump for a flawless finish that radiates the thoughtful design you expect of a Nokia smartphone.”
As for now, the Nokia 9 PureView is available in just one colour, Midnight Blue, and is priced at $699 in the US.
Xperia 1
By Sony
It has been a while since any Sony smartphone caught our eye. This year, the Japanese brand has decided to up its game by adding its own twist to smartphone technology. In a time when phone technology is becoming more and more compact, Sony has decided to take a different approach. Its new flagship phone, the Xperia 1, is sleek and big at the same time. It flaunts a 6.5-inch 21:9 4K HDR OLED display. The phone features a triple rear camera set, 12MP each, and one 8MP front camera. It is powered by Snapdragon 855 processor, 6GB RAM and supports 128GB data storage. The fingerprint sensor is placed on the side of the phone, integrated with the power button.
Sony is yet to reveal the prices for Xperia 1, which is expected to land in selected markets on 8 March.
LG V50 ThinQ
By LG
In the battle of the foldable phone, LG also seems to have tossed its hat into the ring, with the newly announced LG V50 ThinQ. This 5G-enabled handset comes with a “Dual Screen” as an optional accessory, perfect for an enriching gaming experience. The second screen is identical to the first but sports a 6.2-inch display, whereas the primary is 6.4-inch OLED display and can be detached when required. The downside to this device is that you won’t get any tablet-like experience after attaching the two screens, but you can perform different tasks on the two displays simultaneously, like watching a movie on one and using the other one to write an email. The phone is equipped with a 4,000mAh battery and features a triple rear camera system (12MP+16MP+12MP) in addition to the two front cameras of 5MP+8MP. Its 6GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage, make it a top-shelf product and certainly a bulky device. There are no reports yet on the phone’s price or release date.