With the Mobile World Congress around the corner and with many companies preparing to impress, we offer our top 5 expectations ahead of MWC 2016.
The highlight event of the Android calendar is on our doorstep. With the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2015 a distant spec of a memory the tech world is readying itself for the latest MWC installment. MWC 2016 will take place in Barcelona’s Montjuïc Exhibition Centre from the 22nd to the 25th of February. Last year we saw everything from the flagship HTC One M9 and Samsung Galaxy S6 smartphone to the stylish Huawei Watch and the eye catching Galaxy S6 Edge ““ and that was just the tip of the iceberg. We have similar expectations for this year’s event. Check out BWB’s Top 5 MWC 2016 expectations…
Huawei Event
The Chinese company is flying high after a stellar 2015. Huawei has catapulted themselves into 3rd spot on the largest smartphone manufacturing podium. Huawei has sent out invites for the MWC 2016 event but no teasers were included in the invite to hint at what can be expected.
Reports suggest however that we could see the much rumored Huawei P9 and/or an upgraded smartwatch. Huawei is making waves having seen some really strong handsets in 2015 with the Nexus 6P, Mate S and the 2016 launch of the Mate 8. This year Huawei will have to push new boundaries to sell their expected 120 million smartphones, as other Chinese manufacturers (OnePlus, Oppo, Honor, Meizu and Xiaomi) start entering the market.
Read: Huawei Mate S Review: Ahoy matey!
Samsung
Even with a lot of the attention shifting to their competitors, Samsung’s devices still remain the most anticipated Android devices of the year. Samsung’s Unpacked event is set to happen on February 21st and everyone expects to see the launch of the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. We have a pretty neat roundup of all the Galaxy S7 rumors, chief among those is the expected increased battery life.
Some other expectations from Samsung fans is for the S7 to bring back the micro-SD card slot as well as the water resistant design. Some reports also suggest that that Samsung might also be planning to introduce an upgrade plan like Apple for the S7 that would enable customers to get the new on a contract basis that requires monthly instalments for the mobile. It will also enable customers to upgrade from earlier phone models.
Read: Samsung Galaxy S7 Rumour Roundup: Everything you need to know
HTC One M10
HTC needs to get its mojo back after a uninspired One M9 release last year. The HTC One M8 was proabaly the best Android phone on the market two years back and HTC failed to build on the momentum in 2015. The unveiling of the One M10 at the MWC is still not a surety as some reports say it may be announced at a separate event in March before being released in April.
The One M10 will hopefully incorporate some of the design language of the HTC One A9 (check out our review), while retaining the solid Sense UI and ushering in further improvements in the camera, battery and BoomSound departments.
Read: HTC One A9 Review: the Android iPhone
LG
The company has been quite direct with their intentions for the 2016 MWC. LG sent out invites for its Barcelona press conference on February 21, confirming in the process that it will be taking the covers off its next flagship smartphone, the LG G5. But the company’s latest invite reads “come meet new friends on the playground”, which suggests we might see more than one device. Could we also see an LG 360 VR?
The G5 is expected to have an all-metal body with 32GB on-board storage, a 5.3in 2K display (with “Always On” technology), Qualcomm’s powerful Snapdragon 820 processor, a dual lens rear camera for capturing super wide angle shots and a fingerprint scanner. We have also learned the G5 might get a touch-enabled Quick Cover.
Read: LG G5 Rumour Roundup: Everything you need to know
Blackberry
Following the launch of the Priv, the Vienna is set to be BlackBerry’s second Android smartphone (after ditching the BB10 OS). The phone is expected to have 5inch touchscreen with a keypad, the company’s signature feature. There’s been previous rumours that BlackBerry might move the Passport over to Android too.
MWC 2016 will be a hugely important event for BlackBerry if they intend on reasserting themselves in smart devices. With a whole host of new competitors hitting the market now is the time for them to step up and gain back some of the market share lost over the past years.
There are a lot of things we are looking forward to at the 2016 MWC. From new battery technology to modular phones and funky smartwatches. Let us know what you are most excited about in the comments below.
Read: BlackBerry‘s “œVienna“ smartphone leaks
Follow Jaco on Twitter: @Jaco_vdWalt
