The Mobile World Congress aka MWC 2016 has become one of the most important trade shows in any industry, even if the market-leading Apple is conspicuous by its absence. The event which takes place in Barcelona, beginning this year on February 22, features most of the world’s most prominent smartphone manufacturers, and gives us a massive insight into the direction of the industry in the forthcoming calendar year.
This year’s event promises to be particularly competitive, considering that both Samsung and LG have decided to announce smartphones marginally ahead of the event. Clearly two of the major Android manufacturers are vying for position in the marketplace, and the Galaxy S7 and LG G5 will unquestionably be highlights of the event.
However, there are plenty of other mobiles to be unveiled in Barcelona as well, so here is a rundown of some of the most exciting products that will be revealed at the 2016 Mobile World Congress.
Samsung Galaxy S7
Probably the second most important smartphone in the world after the iPhone, the Galaxy S7 is the flagship device released by the Korean consumer electronics giant. The Galaxy S6 has been considered a return to form from Samsung, and there will be huge expectations regarding this year’s release.
Although Samsung has kept extremely quiet about the Galaxy S7, refusing to even confirm its existence, numerous leaks have emerged which give us a good impression of what to expect from this smartphone contender. It is generally believed that the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge will be rather similar to their predecessors in terms of physical design. Samsung achieved significant critical acclaim for the design parameters of the Galaxy S6, and is not likely to diverge too greatly from its all-metallic visage.
In addition, Samsung will include the revolutionary BRITECELL technology in the Galaxy S7 in an attempt to ensure that the low-light shooting capabilities of the smartphone are significantly improved over other smartphones. However, it is generally expected that the corporation will freeze the resolution of the Galaxy S7 display, meaning that this will be a quad HD unit.
Other specs associated with the Galaxy S7 are the Samsung-manufactured Exynos 8890 SoC – although the Western marketplace may yet receive a Qualcomm Snapdragon-driven version – 4GB RAM, micro SD card support and Android Marshmallow 6.0 OS.
The Galaxy S7 may feature a display slightly larger than five-inches, but the Galaxy S7 Edge is anticipated to be slightly larger, with a 5.5-inch screen particularly mooted. Water and dust resistance, wireless charging and an upgraded fingerprint scanner are also predicted.
LG G5
Competing strongly with Samsung at the Mobile World Congress will be LG and its LG G5. The South Korean giant has been emboldened by an increasingly improved performance in the West, and the LG G5 certainly sounds like a premium smartphone that reflects this reality.
According to murmurings emanating from Korea, the LG G5 will include a 5.6-inch display, and some reports have suggested that it will embrace 4K resolution. This is debatable, though, as other analysts have indeed indicated that a quad HD display is more likely. However, LG itself has indicated that the LG G5 will feature an always-on screen, while a new fully metallic body will form the central feature of the new design parameters.
The LG G5 will also feature a Snapdragon 820 processor, an iris scanner, 3GB RAM and 4,000mAh battery with various storage options. Many people consider the LG G4 to be an absolutely outstanding smartphone, so it will be interesting to see how the Korean corporation builds on the success of this device.
LG X series, LG Stylus 2
Aside from the LG G5, the Korean corporation is also intending to showcase several further devices at the Mobile World Congress. Indeed, LG has already announced the X series and Stylus 2 smartphones, both of which will debut in Barcelona. In addition, the X series, X Cam and X Screen handsets are intended to be mid-range competitors that score points for LG in this increasingly important smartphone niche.
The X Cam will feature a 5.2-inch full HD display, with a 1.14GHz octa-core processor coupled with 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage. The X Screen has a slightly more powerful 1.2GHz quad-core processor coupled with 2GB RAM, and is notable for the extremely competitive 13-megapixel rear and 8-megapixel front-facing cameras included.
Finally, the LG Stylus 2 features a sizeable 5.7-inch HD display, which is in fact larger than that of the anticipated size of the LG G5. It runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow and is powered by a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor. A 3,000mAh battery ensures that this device has outstanding battery life.
Certainly there will be a lot for LG fans to look forward to in Barcelona.
Huawei P9
Huawei has begun to really make a name for itself in the Western marketplace, and is expected to make a big announcement of a new device at the Mobile World Congress. Not too much is known about this particular mobile, but reports have indicated that a 5.2-inch 1080p display, the proprietary Kirin 955 SoC processor, 4GB RAM, a 2,900mAh battery, and a 12-megapixel snapper will be included. Fingerprint sensors have also been spotted in leaked images.
Xiaomi Mi 5
Xiaomi will apparently launch the Mi 5 smartphone at the Mobile World Congress, with the intention of beginning to break into the Western marketplace in a big way. The company has particularly promoted the “amazing” camera included in the device, believed to be a staggering 26-megapixels, while two versions of the Mi 5 will be made available to the public. One features 3GB RAM and 32GB storage and the other possesses 4GB RAM and 64GB storage.
With a 5.2-inch full HD display, 3,600mAh battery, Snapdragon 820 processor and USB Type-C port included this may be one company that begins to become more of a household name in the West in the near future.
Lenovo Lemon 3 Plus
Finally, the owner of Motorola, Lenovo has been speaking about a new smartphone with a metallic body for some time, with the general opinion of analysts being that this device is the Lemon 3. The company has already launched this particular mobile in China earlier this year, but is expected to showcase it at the Mobile World Congress with the intention of shifting significant units in the Western marketplace.
The Lemon 3 will feature a 5-inch full HD display with 1920x1080p resolution, while dual-SIM functionality is also included. It runs off the Android 5.1 Lollipop operating system, and is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 processor and 2GB RAM. It is possible to extend the 16GB of internal storage up to 128GB via micro SD, while the 13-megapixel rear camera has been well-received in China.
Finally, a 2,750mAh battery ensures that the Lemon 3 has a decent battery life, and it will be interesting to see whether Lenovo indeed unveils this smartphone in Barcelona, and whether it can be a success in the crowded Western smartphone niche.
