What to expect at this year’s Mobile World Congress

Every year, around the end of February, a huge tech exhibition happens in Barcelona, Spain. This is where global brands show off their latest products with focus on the smartphone industry. Along with IFA, which happens in Berlin, Germany around August or September each year, the Mobile World Congress (MWC) is one of the biggest tech exhibitions in Europe and the world.

Having been to Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2017) earlier this month, I would say the MWC in Barcelona is looking just as, if not more exciting.

Here are some teasers and possible product launches we’ll see in Barcelona this February:

Huawei is going to reveal their newest flagship smartphone, the Huawei 10. Not much is actually known about the P10 but my guess is that it will follow a similar design signature as the P9 but with the same second-generation Leica-certified camera used by the recently released Huawei Mate 9. On that same note, expect the Kirin 960 chip to power the P10 and to be paired with either 4GB or 6GB of RAM and storage options of either 32GB, 64GB and 128GB.

Following previous iterations, a 5.2-inch P10 might have a full HD display while the 5.5-inch P10 Plus could be upgraded to a quad HD display. It’s also possible we’ll see a limited edition P10 Porsche Design with curved edges, a similar collaboration Huawei did for the Mate 9.

 Oppo will find its way to MWC 2017. I will be heading to Barcelona for MWC to cover the launch of Oppo’s latest flagship phone. While it’s not yet confirmed, the rumor is that it will be the Oppo Find 9.

The Oppo Find 9 is said to be sporting the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chip and comes with up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB storage. The 5.5-inch display will only have full HD resolution and a 21MP rear camera but Oppo’s biggest secret is the Super VOOC fast-charging technology that is rumored to be able to charge the phone in a mere 15 minutes.

Xiaomi held off at CES in time for MWC. Xiaomi’s Hugo Barra did not reveal anything new in their smartphone line-up during this month’s launch at CES. Perhaps, that’s to make way for a bigger reveal in MWC and it’s supposed to be the Xiaomi Mi 6.

Not much is known about the Mi 6 except that it will come in two variants – one running a Mediatek Helio X30 with 4GB RAM and 128GB storage while the other will come with a Snapdragon 835, 6GB RAM and 256GB storage.

What I personally want from them is a 5.5 or 5.7-inch Xiaomi Mi Mix in pearl white.

Samsung will be a no-show. While everyone is eagerly awaiting for Samsung to reveal the Galaxy S8, there won’t be any Samsung phone in MWC. Instead, I expect them to follow their usual calendar and hold a Samsung Unpack event in New York sometime end of March. I hope to be able to attend and cover that one, too.

I’m sure we will see other smartphone vendors like Sony, LG or Lenovo to bring their latest and greatest in Barcelona. As for Asus, I think it’s still going to be the Zenfone 3 Zoom and Zenfone 3 AR.