Round-up MWC 2018 (1/2): Samsung Galaxy S9, Nokia’s comeback, Land Rover smartphone and more
Last week the annual Mobile World Congress took place in Barcelona, Spain, where well-known and lesser-known tech companies present their latest smartphones to the general public. We list the most noteworthy announcements in a two-part summary.
Samsung’s new Galaxy line
In an
earlier article
was already reported that Samsung would present its new Galaxy S9 line at MWC 2018. Keeping their promise, the Koreans presented the Samsung Galaxy S9 and its larger model, the Galaxy S9+. The appearance of the devices has not changed much. The fingerprint scanner on the back has been moved slightly to a more convenient location and the camera now features two lenses. The cameras, both front and rear, are also immediately the features where the most innovation can be found. The dual lens allows you to take great pictures in almost all lighting conditions. Also, you can now shoot super-slomo up to 960 fps.
Other innovations: As with the iPhone X, the front camera now allows you to create animations of yourself. With an additional speaker, the devices have 3D surround sound, which means that music and series can now be better enjoyed. The front camera no longer functions only as an iris scanner but now combines that function with facial recognition for added security. All in all, a few nice new features, but we honestly had somewhat higher expectations from our Korean friends.
Source : Samsung
Nokia is back (hopefully)
The ambitions of the once immensely popular phone maker are finally back in their product line. The Finns introduced no fewer than five new devices with which they are aiming for a spot among the top five largest smartphone companies in the world.
Of the five new phones, four are smartphones, of which the Nokia 8 Scirocco is the flagship and therefore the most expensive. The device is improved in every way from its predecessors. The other smartphones focus more on the budget market so there is something for everyone. Surely the most eye-catching announcement was that of the Nokia 8110. The device formerly jokingly called the “banana phone” because of its unusual way of opening, shape and yellow color has been given a new look. We don’t know much about the new, old device yet but we do know that it features a new version of snake, that it “just” has 4G and wifi, and that it will be on sale starting next June for the reasonable price of €79.
Source: Nokia
Land Rover Explore
Surely an announcement at MWC 2018 from the “Huh?” category is that of carmaker Land Rover. Probably the company’s top executive dropped his smartphone so many times that he just took matters into his own hands. Indeed, with the Land Rover Explore device, the car brand is introducing a very robust smartphone that is ideally suited for long and dangerous trips through nature. You can drop it on the ground with no problem, the battery lasts a day or two and there is a pre-installed app with very detailed topographic maps so you won’t lose your way easily.
Source: Slashgear
And the winner is.
With Apple’s significant (but unsurprising) absence, the smartphone fair in Barcelona turned into a bit of an Android party after all. Nevertheless, the American tech giant became the smiling third of the MWC 2018. Each year, the event’s organizers traditionally present the Global Mobile Awards for the best smartphone of the past year. The five nominees for the prestigious award were the Huawei Mate 10 Pro, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, the Samsung Galaxy S8 (+), the LG V30 and the iPhone X. Despite its absence from the show, the iPhone X walked away victorious. In particular, the cameras, bold screen and intelligent controls were reasons for the win.
Source : Apple
These were just some of the introductions of new smartphones at the MWC 2018 in Barcelona. Next week we continue the recap with Sony, Android Go, LG and some new players in the market, among others. Stay tuned!
