It's time for world's biggest annual mobile expo: Mobile World Congress. Come March 2, Barcelona, Spain will host the biggest names from telecom and smartphone industry showcasing their very best offerings that will shape the mobile industry in the coming year.
Like every year, MWC 2015 will have smartphone biggies launching their flagship smartphones. Here are seven of the biggest launches that are expected to take place at the event.
Samsung Galaxy S6
The biggest launch at the Mobile World Congress, Samsung Galaxy S6 is said to have a 5-inch display, smaller than the screen size of its predecessor. However, the resolution is said to go up from Full HD (1080x1920p) to 2K (1440x1560p). The Galaxy S6 Edge will have curved screens on both sides, according to leaks and Samsung's teaser videos and images.
The upcoming model will run on the 64-bit octa-core Exynos 7420 chipset, which is made on the ultra-thin 14nm process. The smartphone is said to come in 32, 64 and 128GB variants and is expected to have 3GB and 4GB RAM options. It is expected that Samsung will use a 20.7MP Sony sensor for the Galaxy S6's rear camera; a 5MP camera will be used for taking selfies.
The battery capacity of Galaxy S6 is said to be 2,600mAh, 200mAh lesser than that of Galaxy S5. Samsung is also making on add-on back panels that provide extra functionality to the smartphone, like turning it into an e-reader or place S Health features on the back.
The design too is likely to get an overhaul this year, with metal frame and ultra-thin bezels.
HTC
HTC's flagship smartphone of 2015, the upcoming One M9, is said to be only an incremental upgrade over its predecessor. It is said to retain the 5-inch full-HD display, but run on the octa-core 2GHz Snapdragon 810 processor. It will have 3GB of RAM and 32GB internal storage and microSD card support for storage expansion.
On the imaging front, HTC One M9 will sport a 20.7MP rear camera with LED flash and a 4MP or 13MP selfie shooter with UltraPixel technology. Other key hardware features of the upcoming smartphone are: 2,900mAh battery, BoomSound front speakers with Dolby Audio Surround technology and Bluetooth 4.1.
The smartphone, however, will reportedly have the same design as HTC One (M8), with not much to distinguish it from last year's model except two-tone edges.
Leaked videos show that Sense 7 UI skin is also largely the same, but now allows users to customize the theme with a source image and has a location-aware menu. It also lets users select theme packs for app icons and the BlinkFeed home screen also offers meal time suggestions. There's also a new photo editor.
Microsoft Lumia 1330
The mid-range Microsoft Lumia 1330 smartphone is said to have a 5.7-inch HD screen, which is smaller than the 6-inch panel of its predecessor Lumia 1320.
This smartphone is said to have a 14MP PureView camera on the back, 5MP selfie camera, 1.7GHz dual-core Snapdragon 400 processor, 1GB RAM and 32GB internal storage. It is expected that it will not support India's 4G networks.
Microsoft Lumia 640
Microsoft is expected to launch a couple of affordable Windows Phone 8.1 smartphones at the event. The cheaper of the two is named Lumia 640, which features a 5-inch screen with a 720p resolution, quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor, 1GB RAM and 8GB internal storage.
Also, Lumia 640 will sport an 8.7MP rear camera and 0.9MP front-facing camera. The smartphone reportedly also has a 2,500mAh battery, while its connectivity suite will feature 3G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0.
Sony Xperia M4 Aqua
There's not much information regarding the Xperia M4 Aqua at this point. We can deduce that the phone will be IP68 certified like the M2 Aqua before it. The M4 Aqua will also run with Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the box.
Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet
Sony is preparing the ultra-thin Xperia Z4 Tablet, which leaked out a few days ago to sport a 10" 2K display (2048 x 1080 pixels). A leaked description on Sony's Xperia Lounge app points to "the latest ultra-fast processor", which could be the octa-core residing in the Snapdragon 810 chipset.
LG Watch Urbane LTE
LG seems to skip on smartphone announcements at this year's Mobile World Congress. The company will focus on showcasing its Watch Urbane LTE instead and we can't wait to feel its premium traits.
Huawei Ascend P8
The company is likely to reveal the Huawei Ascend P8. It's going to be powered by Huawei's latest Kirin 930 chipset, which is the first to be made using 16nm process technology. It will sport a 5.2″ Full HD screen as well as dual cameras from the Honor 6 Plus (the device might even get an upgrade to dual-13MP main cameras), and will pack a 2600mAH battery.
