Foldable phones and 5G devices were expected to be the matadores at the annual Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. And so they were, keeping the promise to introduce new form factors and design solutions – both material and immaterial – in the once innovative and now struggling smartphone world, an overly saturated market that’s experiencing its mid-life crisis. But this year there was more than foldable and 5G: on MWC’s stage, we saw new screen ratios, double displays and much more. It’s the reaction of an industry that has to show that there’s still room for innovation. And money to earn, of course. The promise was kept and new promise were made. Of many devices unveiled, very few of them, and none of the most interesting, are available right now. Something is changing in the smartphone world, but we'll have to wait a bit more to touch it by hand.
All the future flagship smartphones (and some smartphones from the future)
In consumer electronics, the future is not today. Here are the best devices unveiled during MWC 2019. Many of them will be available only in a few months.
Samsung Galaxy Fold
Huawei Mate X
Nubia Alpha
Nokia 9 PureView
Sony Xperia 1
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- Alessandro Scarano
- 28 February 2019
Samsung started the MWC the week before it even began, from San Francisco, with the launch of Galaxy S10. It's one of the most complete smartphones you can buy, available in 3 different sizes and with one 5G-ready version. DJ Koh also launched a new pair of true wireless earbuds, the Galaxy Buds, and of course Samsung’s first foldable phone, the device that everyone was expecting from the Korean company. It didn’t disappoint, even if some choices, like the small 4.6" frontal display – mitigated the overall wow-effect of this device.
Richard Yu promised a foldable phone for the MWC, and he delivered. There was also some big news for the Chinese company’s laptops, like the OneHop filesharing system, but the foldable Mate X stole the scene. It has a triple camera and a display that wraps around the device. It’s also “very expensive” - as Mr Yu honestly admitted. You can read everything about it here.
Nubia Technology is a Chinese manufacturer associated with ZTE, that holds 49,9% of its stakes. This year Nubia presented one of the most innovative and strange products of the MWC. Alpha is a foldable smartphone that transforms into a wristband that's all but a minimalist design champion. The display counts 11 different layers; it's 4” large, but with an unprecedented 45:9 screen ratio. It should be available in Europe in Q3, this year.
HMD Global, the company that’s behind all the mobile devices branded as Nokia, has presented its first smartphone powered by 5 Zeiss cameras – 3 with a monochromatic sensor and 2 with an RGB. It’s called Nokia 9 PureView and shoots 12MP HDR pictures with an incredible dynamic range of 12,4 stops and full scene depth of field, which should mean great details in shadows and no burned highlights. Nokia 9 is already available.
Sony has rebooted its smartphone line, with the new flagship Xperia 1 and mid-range Xperia 10. These are most probably the simplest names that the Japanese company has assigned to one of its devices since the launch of PlayStation. They come with a complete redesign. “Of course we are famous for music and gaming, but cinema is a big part of Sony’s heritage”, says Alessia Rehnicer, Marketing Manager of Sony Mobile Italia. This vision leads to the first disruptive feature of new Xperia phones, the unprecedented 21:9 ratio screen. “This is the best solution for watching videos and movies”, Rehnicer comments. The display has no notch, but there’s a little bezel on the top of the phone, “that’s useful to handle the device in landscape mode”. The multimedia experience is enhanced by Dolby Atmos. Xperia 1 is the first smartphone of the Japanese company with a triple camera. Its Cinema Pro feature was developed in collaboration with the engineers of Sony’s professional digital cinema camera division known for its CineAlta brand. “Our new flagship phone was conceived for those who love cinema. To watch it, but also creatives”, says Alessia Rehnicer. The Xperia 1 will be available in late spring, while global sales for the Xperia 10 series will kick off on March 18.
Not a “smartfold” but a double screen solution. The V50 ThinQ is the new LG flagship and its first 5G-enabled smartphone. Its tech specs are quite impressive, with a Snapdragon 855 chipset onboard, triple camera, 4000mAh of battery capacity and a 6,4” QHD+ Oled display. But the most interesting feature is not embedded in the phone itself, but in one of its accessory. The Dual Screen cover is a secondary Oled 6.2” display that connects to the phone can be used to enhance the experience multitasking, with the contemporary use of two fullscreen apps, one for each display, or as a touch joypad for games – and in the 5G era, expect to stream console titles on your smartphone directly from the cloud. Expect the V50 to be available later this year. LG also unveiled the new LG G8, with gesture controls (“Air Motion”), the new infrared Z camera and Hand ID, that uses veins instead of face recognition to unlock screen and authorize payments.
The fifth more important smartphone company in the world announced that it will launch a phone with a disruptive new technology. “We will cover broad focal lengths of 16 mm-160 mm," said Chuck Wang, Product Manager, OPPO. The 10x lossless zoom triple camera will feature a 48MP main sensor and a 120-degree ultra-wide lens. The camera module is only 6,76mm thick, thanks to a periscopic module developed by Oppo. The Chinese brand also showcased its first 5G smartphone.