Top 5 Phones that Were Announced During the MWC 2018
Asus ZenFone 5The Mobile World Congress (a.k.a MWC) 2018, one of the biggest events in the mobile industry has just recently ended last Friday in Barcelona. As we look back at the festivities, MWC this year felt a little underwhelming, probably because Samsung stole the show before the event even officially began with the launch of the Galaxy S9. Nevertheless, the show still had its fare share of highlights that is worth talking about. Hence, below are some of the most notable handsets that were seen last week.
Samsung Galaxy S9
It goes without saying that the main highlight of the event was the official announcement of the Galaxy S9. Despite looking similar to its predecessors, this new addition to Samsung’s prestigious line of Galaxy flagship smartphones come with improvements that potentially make it the bests smartphone in the market when released.
First off, Samsung has improved the placement of the fingerprint scanner, placing it right below the rear camera, making it more accessible for users. Speaking of its rear camera, Samsung decided to equip the phone with a single dual-pixel 12MP camera with f/1.5 and f/2.4 apertures.Despite not having a dual-lens setup for its primary camera, Samsung claims that the Galaxy S9 will still be able to snap clear and sharp photos regardless of the lighting conditions thanks to its larger aperture.
Another noteworthy feature that comes with the phone is the AR Emoji function, which enables users to turn themselves into animated emojis which can be shared with contacts via messaging and social media.
LG V30S ThinQ and the V30S ThinQ Plus
Another brand that decided to unveil new phones during the trade show was LG. Revealing new variants to its most recent flagships, the LGV30 and V30 Plus, the new phones are known as LG V30S ThinQ and the V30S ThinQPlus. Both phones look similar to the V30 and sport a 6-inch FullVision display. Both models are also equipped with a Snapdragon 835 processor and 6GB of RAM.
Both V30S models also have upgrades in the camera department in the form of an AI Cam. The AI Cam is also designed to suggest the best camera settings based on image recognition; simply pointing the camera at the objector person and the camera will adjust accordingly. The V30S camera will also have a new Bright Mode which produces brighter pictures by combining four pixels into one. This will be useful when it comes to taking photos in low-light environments.
Nokia 8 Sirocco
Nokia also ensured that it stays relevant in the industry by revealing several new models at the MWC event, one of them being the Nokia 8 Sirocco. It has a 5.5-inch edge-to-edge OLED display with 2,560 x 1,440p resolution. Internally, the Nokia 8 Sirocco is fitted with a Snapdragon 835 processor with 6GB of RAM and 128GB internal storage. The phone will also feature dual primary cameras, comprising of a 12MP and a 13MP shooter at its rear. The Nokia 8 Sirocco will also have QI wireless charging capability to charge its 3,260mAh battery. This phone will also be supporting Google’s Android One, which means monthly Android security updates.
Sony Xperia XZ2
Sony also introduced two new smartphones at MWC in the formof the Xperia XZ2 and Xperia XZ2 Compact. Both these phones offer a bold andrefined design language that diverts the duo away from the signature look thatwe have become accustomed to, featuring thinner bezels and curved corners. Bothphones have similar specs – Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset, 4GB of RAM, and a19MP rear camera. Sony has also worked to improve the cameras on the XZ2 toprovide more functions, including recording 960 fps slow-motion footage at1080p resolution and the ability to create 3D models of various objects.
The differences are seen in the display size and the battery capacity. The standard device has a 5.7-inch Full HD+ screen and a 3,180mAh battery while the smaller model will sport a 5-inch Full HD+ display and a2,870m Ah battery.
Asus ZenFone 5
Making its debut MWC appearance, Asus took this opportunity to officially reveal the ZenFone 5 smartphone and its variants, the ZenFone 5Lite and the ZenFone 5Z. The core model is fitted with a massive 6.2-inch 2,246x 1,080p resolution display with a notch atop the screen like the one on the iPhone X that houses the front camera, earphone, and proximity sensor. Under its hood, the ZenFone 5 will be equipped with a Snapdragon 636 processor with an option of either 4GB or 6GB of RAM and 64GB of built-in storage. Like many other smartphones today, the ZenFone 5 will also come with a dual primary camera setup, consisting of a 12MP main camera with a secondary wide-angle sensor.
Based on the smartphones revealed during the MWC, 2018 is building up to be an exciting year for the industry. With big names such as Apple and Huawei not introducing any smartphones during the event, smartphone aficionados will have something to look forward to in upcoming months.
About Jonathan So:
Jonathan works for an e-commerce website and is all the rave about things about tabletop games, K-pop and movies. I am a keen writer on tech,lifestyle and business-related topics too.
