The largest mobile phone exhibition, the Mobile World Congress, is preparing to open its gates once again, in the capital of Catalonia, Barcelona.
The first MWC events are scheduled for today, Sunday, February 23, followed by the second and biggest wave of announcements on Monday. After last year's lackluster show, several major announcements are expected this year. The 2013 MWC lacked any big "thrills" since the Galaxy S4, last year's flagship from Samsung, was announced two weeks after the show, while the also top-of-the-line HTC One was announced a week before.
On the contrary, at MWC 2014 there will, logically, be the presentation of Samsung's new flagship, the Galaxy S5. In fact, the Korean company has announced the event "Unpacked 5", which has been translated by everyone as the presentation event of the S5.
Rumors have it that the company's new flagship device will come with a 5.25-inch screen, with a resolution of 2560×1440 pixels. There has been much speculation about whether it will feature a fingerprint recognition sensor, while there may also be a change in construction materials (metal instead of plastic).
Samsung is also expected to showcase, along with its other new devices, the Galaxy Gear 2, a successor to the company's first wearable gadget, which will attempt to restore the bad image created by its predecessor.
A big question regarding Samsung's presence concerns the fate of its smartphone operating system, Tizen. Some rumors suggest that Samsung's operating system will appear as normal, while others suggest that it will be withdrawn due to the broader Samsung-Google alliance for the use of Android.
Sony is also expected to unveil its new flagship during Mobile World Congress. The device is tentatively codenamed Sirius or according to other sources D6503 and will be an evolution of the Xperia Z1.
The device is rumored to feature 4K video recording, slow-motion video recording, and a double-tap screen to wake it up. The Japanese company is also expected to unveil its new tablet (Xperia Z2), which according to some leaks will feature a 10.1-inch display, Snapdragon 800 processor, 3GB of RAM, and a 6,000mAh battery.
LG Electronics has already announced new devices that will make their debut during MWC2014. These include the LG G Pro 2, with a 5.9-inch display, the renewed L series with the L90, L70 and L40, and the "small" LG G2 mini with a 4.7-inch diagonal display.
Great interest is expected for the announcements that Nokia will make. There is a strong rumor that the company will proceed to present a device that will incorporate a radically modified version of Android in combination with Nokia applications and user interface. Perhaps before the finalization of the acquisition of the Finnish company by Microsoft, we will have time to see a Nokia device with Android… even if it is a modified one.
Motorola will be in a similar situation to Nokia: waiting for its acquisition, this time by Chinese Lenovo, to be completed. So, nothing substantial is expected from Motorola, even though the Moto X and Moto G seemed to spark some public interest.
On the contrary, Chinese manufacturers are expected to make their presence felt. Companies such as ZTE, TCL (Alcatel), Huawei and of course Lenovo are expected to make a number of new presentations.
Aside from Apple's ever-absent absence from Mobile World Congress, HTC is attempting to differentiate itself from the rest of the manufacturers, at least in terms of communication. The Taiwanese company has announced that it will hold its own event on March 25th to unveil its new flagship, which will replace the One. That is, essentially a month after MWC.
During this year's Mobile World Congress, more information is expected to be released about the BlackPhone, a device inspired by Phil Zimmermann, an expert in encryption and data security.
The device aims to perform all the typical functions of a smartphone, but with the utmost security. The BlackPhone is set to go into production by Geeksphone and will use a modified version of the Android operating system.
Despite all the rumors and leaks, Mobile World Congress is sure to hold many surprises, both pleasant and unpleasant. From February 24 to 27, the heart of technology will beat in Barcelona.
Source: naftemporiki.gr
