Mobile World Congress – otherwise known as MWC – is the world’s biggest mobile phone exhibition, and the 2015 edition is underway in Barcelona.
Many of the top manufacturers in the game traditionally choose to announce their latest flagship phones during the event, and this year is no different. It’s not all about mobiles though. We’re also looking forward to seeing an avalanche of new wearables and tablets, as well as a few other wares.
“The edge of innovation” is the tagline for this year’s event, which officially kicked off on 2 March. However, as is the norm, the main bulk of the action took place a little earlier. Here are some of the biggest launches we’ve seen so far.
Pebble
We got our hands on the Pebble Time and Pebble Time Steel smartwatches, and each of them has made a great impression. For the first time, we think we’ve found a wearable we’d actually like to own, and that’s saying something.
Nokia
If you thought Nokia was dead and buried, think again. The company’s shown off its first tablet since Microsoft took a huge bite out of it, and the Nokia N1 looks like an Android version of the iPad Mini 3. It’s great in some ways and not so good in others, but if it costs anything similar to the $249 it does in China, we’ll be paying attention.
LG
The LG FxO is a mid-range phone running Firefox OS, and it’s exciting. Clad in a translucent body so you can see all of the innards, it packs a visual punch and its specs have convinced us that this could be the device that brings Mozilla’s mobile operating system to a wider audience.
Less impressive is the LG Watch Urbane, which represents the company’s attempts to smarten up its wearables. It certainly looks better for being clad in metal, but that’s pretty much it – we’re expecting a major price hike too.
Microsoft
The Microsoft Lumia 640 and Microsoft Lumia 640 XL have also been introduced to the world, both of which will be upgradable to Windows 10 when the new OS comes out. The XL, as its name suggests, is a beast with a 5.7-inch screen, while the 640 is the much-improved follow-up to the 630. They look like strong low- to mid-range offerings, but we’re a little sad not to have been treated with a flagship.
Samsung
The South Korean behemoth has unveiled the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. Its new flagship is a big improvement on the Galaxy S5, featuring a 5.1-inch, 2,560 x 1,440 Super AMOLED display, a 64-bit, octa-core Exynos processor, 3GB of RAM and a 16-megapixel main camera. The Edge, meanwhile, is largely similar but has a three-sided display. Both phones will come in a range of colours and hit the market on 10 April.
Related: Samsung Galaxy S6 vs S6 Edge: What’s different?
HTC
The Taiwanese manufacturer has also launched its latest flagship, the HTC One M9. It looks very similar to the HTC One M8, which we’re pretty happy about. The biggest change is that last year’s duel-lens camera has been ditched for a more traditional 20.7-megapixel primary shooter. Qualcomm’s new 1.5GHz 64-bit, octa-core Snapdragon 810 processor keeps things ticking alongside 3GB of RAM. It’ll beat the Galaxy S6 to market, hitting the shelves on 31 March. The company has also revealed the HTC Vive virtual reality headset and its first fitness tracker, the HTC grip.
Huawei
Huawei’s been very busy indeed, introducing three new wearables and a pair of smartphones to the world. The beautiful Android Wear-running Huawei Watch looks like the pick of the bunch, featuring a round 1.4-inch, 400 x 400 display, a sapphire crystal glass face and a range of straps. We’ve also seen the TalkBand B2, TalkBand N1 activity-tracking headphones and wallet-friendly Y630 and Y635 mobiles.
Sony
Sony’s taken it relatively easy in comparison to its main rivals. So far, the Japanese giant has only opted to launch its latest tablet and mid-range mobile. The Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet is a beauty. Its stunning 2,560 x 1,600 display is complemented by Qualcomm’s latest 1.5GHz 64-bit, octa-core Snapdragon 810 processor and 3GB of RAM. It weighs 396g and is just 6.1mm thick too.
Related: Sony Xperia Z4 release date, rumours, news, specs and price
The Sony Xperia M4 Aqua, meanwhile, looks like a solid offering with battery life, imaging capabilities and waterproofing its standout features.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
