Mobile World Congress: The Big Reveals of MWC 2015 (So Far)

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The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) gets all the attention when it comes to TVs and other gadgets, but Mobile World Congress is the world’s biggest annual event for new smartphone reveals. Like CES, the Barcelona event is a multi-day affair with keynotes by leading tech companies along with a staggering number of new product releases and demos.

Mobile World Congress: The Big Reveals of MWC 2015 (So Far)
Source: Mobile World Congress

Another thing MWC 2015 shares with CES is the annual no-show by Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), despite that company’s dominance in the industry.

MWC officially kicked off Monday (and runs until March 5) but some of the most highly anticipated mobile devices were unveiled at news conferences on Sunday.

After day one of MWC 2015, here are five of the biggest reveals so far.

MWC 2015 Reveals: Samsung Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge and Samsung Pay

Samsung Electronics Ltd (OTCMKTS:SSNLF) held its Unpacked event on Sunday where it unveiled three products that will be key to revitalizing its smartphone business in 2015.

MWC 2015 Reveals: Samsung Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge and Samsung Pay
Source: Samsung

The Galaxy S6 is the follow-up to last year’s disappointing Galaxy S5. This time, Samsung’s flagship smartphone has skipped the cheesy plastic and gone with a metal and glass look. It’s definitely an upgrade, although from some angles it looks suspiciously similar to Apple’s iPhone 6.

The Galaxy S6 Edge is something altogether different — the first smartphone with a wraparound display. The Galaxy S6 Edge can display information independently from the main screen, running it along those two edges.

Both new smartphones ditch Qualcomm, Inc. (NASDAQ:QCOM) Snapdragon CPUs in favor of Samsung’s own Exynos processor.

Both phones also use technology from recent acquisition LoopPay to generate the equivalent of a temporary magnetic strip, the basis for Samsung Pay. Arriving this summer, Samsung’s new mobile payment system takes on Apple Pay by letting retailers use their existing magnetic card readers.

For the full scoop on the Samsung Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge and Samsung Pay, check out our Unpacked event coverage.

MWC 2015 Reveals: HTC One M9

The HTC One M8 was the best-looking Android smartphone of 2014. With Samsung faltering, it seemed like this year’s version could threaten the Galaxy crown in terms of sales, too.

MWC 2015 Reveals: HTC One M9
Source: HTC

Unfortunately for HTC, Samsung made the switch to a premium metal and glass design, so they are now on more even footing appearance-wise.

Meanwhile, the One M9 looks almost identical to last year’s model although despite retaining the 5-inch display, the company was able to shrink the overall size slightly. It’s still a good look, but there’s no visual novelty to the design and that may cost HTC potential upgrades from previous generation owners.

The controversial Megapixel primary camera is gone (still used as a selfie cam) and the primary camera is now a standard 20MP sensor. The bad news for HTC is that early reviews have found the camera lacking.

With stereo, front-facing BoomSound speakers, the One M9 probably still retains the title of loudest smartphone, for those who hate carrying a Bluetooth speaker.

MWC 2015 Reveals: Microsoft Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL

Still no sign of a new flagship Lumia smartphone under Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) ownership, but the company did introduce two new mid-range Lumia Windows smartphones.

MWC 2015 Reveals: Microsoft Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL
Source: Microsoft

The Lumia 640 is a 5-inch version that’s expected to sell for less than $200, while the Lumia 640 XL should satisfy the phablet crowd with a 5.7-inch screen — it’s priced at $245. Both phones ship with Windows 8.1, and will be eligible to upgrade to Windows 10.

AT&T Inc (NYSE:T) and T-Mobile US Inc (NYSE:TMUS) have been tapped to carry the new Windows phones in the U.S.

MWC 2015 Reveals: Sony Xperia M4 Aqua

Sony Corp (ADR) (NYSE:SNE) is another company that’s pondering its mobile future but at MWC 2015 at least, it was business as usual.

MWC 2015 Reveals: Sony Xperia M4 Aqua
Source: Sony

The company didn’t release a new flagship smartphone but it was showing off the new Xperia M4 Aqua.

It’s a mid-range device (expected to fetch $340) that has a metal-look plastic case and a 5-inch HD display. It has two-day battery life a 13MP primary camera and a wide angle 5MP “selfie” shooter on front. It ships with Android 5.0 (Lollipop).

What makes the Xperia M4 Aqua stand out among other mid-range Android phones is the fact that it’s waterproof (thus the name) and certified for PS4 Remote Play.

MWC 2015 Reveals: Android Pay

Finally, another mobile payment scheme, this one from Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG, NASDAQ:GOOGL). Say hello to Android Pay.

MWC 2015 Reveals: Android Pay

Yes, this is the same company that’s reportedly been twisting arms trying to get partners to sign on for the latest version of Google Wallet.

Google Wallet, Android Pay — what’s the difference?

The way Google explained it at its MWC 2015 keynote, Android Pay is meant to be a mobile payments framework over top of Android, supporting biometric sensors and NFC. In theory, any company could then build its own mobile payment service for Android devices.

And Google will be setting the example, with Google Wallet — which is still alive, but will now be built on the Android Pay framework.

It may sound confusing, but Google is clearly on a mission to ensure Apple Pay doesn’t take over the mobile payment space and that Android partners — like Samsung with its Samsung Pay — who go it alone will do so in a way that still benefits Android. And Google.

There’s still three days of MWC 2015 in Barcelona. Stay tuned for our conference wrap.

As of this writing, Brad Moon did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.

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Brad Moon has been writing for InvestorPlace.com since 2012. He also writes about stocks for Kiplinger and has been a senior contributor focusing on consumer technology for Forbes since 2015.


Article printed from InvestorPlace Media, https://investorplace.com/2015/03/mobile-world-conference-big-reveals-mwc-2015-so-far/.

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