MWC Barcelona 2019
Every February, the tech world moves to Barcelona in Spain for Mobile World Congress, or MWC Barcelona, as it’s now called. Often a platform for new smartphone and tablet launches, this year, MWC 2019 didn’t disappoint.
Huawei Mate X
Hot on the heels of Samsung, and arguably the biggest announcement in Barcelona of MWC 2019 was the Mate X from Huawei. A foldable 5G ready smartphone that keeps the display on the outside!
The Mate X is a Tablet/Smartphone hybrid which has an 8″ FullView display when fully open thanks to a combination of the flexible OLED panel and a very clever hinge system Huawei are calling the Falcon Wing!
But if that doesn’t impress you then the specs will. The Mate X will come with a Quad 40MP Leica lens main camera, 512GB onboard storage, a 4,500mAh battery with fast charging and a 6.6″ viewable display when in phone mode!
Huawei Mate X is due for release before June 2019 and expected to be priced at €2300/$2600.
Visit huawei.com for further information.
Nokia 9 Pureview
While others were going bigger, folding, or tweaking, Nokia took a different approach for their new flagship device; 5 identical lenses!
The identical part is important as most dual, triple or quad lens cameras today have a mixture of wide/ultra-wide/DoF, but the Pureview does things a little differently! When you take a photo, the software stitches all the images into one, giving you a higher level of detail and better light, so Nokia says.
The front is wrapped in Gorilla Glass which is just as well, as it won’t be easy finding a case! There are QI wireless charging and the 2019 ‘must-have’ feature of an under-display fingerprint sensor. There is 128GB of onboard storage for all those photos but no MicroSD slot to expand on that.
Nokia 9 Pureview is due for release any day now and expected to be priced at around £530/$699.
Visit nokia.com for further information.
Energizer Power Max P18K Pop
If you thought the name ‘Energizer Power Max P18K Pop’ was big then take a look at the device! Make no mistake, this is a huge 18,000mAh battery pack with an Android smartphone stuck to it; but for outdoor adventurers, it could be an important device to have packed!
Energizer is claiming this is the biggest battery on a smartphone so far and it has some impressive staying power! Once you have completed the 9-hour charge time the P18K Pop can remain in standby for 50 days. It will also double as a power pack so you can charge other devices from it.
If you can look past the large battery, the Power Max is a reasonable device, with Android 9 (Pie), a 6.2″ IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen with a triple-lens rear main camera and a pop-up front-facing selfie cam.
Energizer is expected to launch the Power Max P18K Pop in the second half of 2019. Price TBC.
More information can be found on Energizer.com.
Lenovo Tab V7 Ultra-Portable
Not falling under the Motorola brand, the Tab V7 seems to hold on to the Lenovo name due to being labelled as a tablet/smartphone hybrid. For most though, the Tab V7 fits into the ‘Phablet’ category, and Lenovo have made it with travelling in mind!
A large 6.9″ IPS Full HD display paired with forward-facing Dolby Audio™️ speakers and powered by a 5,180mAh battery, the Tab V7 is a media player in your pocket. It keeps the 3.5mm headphone port, where many others are moving away from them, and has a MicroSD port expandable up to 128GB.
To further enhance its traveller friendly spec the Tab V7 has a dual sim tray and enhanced security with a rear fingerprint scanner and facial recognition scanning with the front cam. All of that in a device that’s expected to be under €250 on the launch day!
Lenovo Tab V7 is due to be released in April, with prices starting from around €249.
Visit lenovo.com for more information.
Sony Xperia 1
A few handsets were launched by Sony in Barcelona this year, but it was their new flagship device, the Xperia 1, that brought something different to the smartphone market!
The Xperia 1 takes over from the XZ3 which was only launched about 6 months ago during #IFA2018, but it has some big improvements! To start the Xperia 1 has a world-first – a 4k OLED display! And they’ve not cut back on the size, at 6.5″ that puts it into the ‘Phablet’ market.
Another first, but for Sony, is the new triple-lens main camera which is made up of a 16mm, 26mm and a 52mm arrangement for better landscape and photos in general.
The battery seems small at 3,330mAh if you are going to be making much use of the 4K display, but there is plenty of storage with 64GB onboard and a MicroSD slot for expanding up to 512GB.
Sony Xperia 1 will go on sale before Summer 2019 and start at £849.
Visit sonymobile.com for more information and pre-register.
Join the Conversation
So with MWC 2019 in Barcelona over for another year, we now have 5 new, and very different types, of smartphones. I still maintain that the market is stagnant with similar rectangular devices, but has 2019 become a turning point? #DifferentIsBetter
Do any of these catch your eye? Still think the iPhone is a smartphone leader? Ready to swap your Android device for one of these
your comments below or join the conversation on Twitter.