Mobile World Congress is the industry’s largest event for smartphone launches. Everyone who’s anyone is there –unless your company name is Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL).
MWC 2017 officially started today, but the big announcements took place over the weekend.
And in many ways, they set the stage for the coming battle for best smartphone that will pit Apple’s 10th anniversary iPhone 8 and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd’s (OTCMKTS:SSNLF) comeback Galaxy S8 against everyone else.
Here’s what you need to know about MWC 2017.
Cutting Edge New Smartphones
Mobile World Congress is the venue where many manufacturers choose to launch their new smartphones. That means the trends are set for what to expect in the coming year. At MWC 2017, there have been a few standouts that lead to some interesting conclusions.
LG’s new G6 smartphone is one of the most talked about releases. The company abandoned the modular design it introduced in last year’s G5. The new G6 incorporates design elements expected in the iPhone 8, with a glass front and back held together with a stainless-steel band.
While bezels are still there, they’re been minimized by moving the power button and fingerprint sensor to the back. The result is a 5.7-inch display in a compact body — and the display is wowing with its 564 ppi pixel density and support for HDR. The LG G6 also has a dual lens 13 megapixel camera, but unlike the iPhone 7 Plus, the extra lens is wide angle rather than telephone.
Another interesting flagship release is the P10 from China’s Huawei. This new premium smartphone includes Leica-branded cameras and a Portrait Mode to compete with iPhone 7 Plus feature. In addition, the P10 uses Huawei’s own processor, the Kirin 960. This is bad news for Qualcomm, Inc. (NASDAQ:QCOM), which is seeing more smartphone makers follow the lead of Apple by ditching the Snapdragon to develop their own customized chips.
When the iPhone 8 arrives in the fall, its expected all-glass design isn’t going to be as unique as Apple might have hoped. Cameras are going to be a big battleground, too, putting pressure on Apple to go further than it did with the dual-lens iPhone 7 Plus.
No Galaxy S8 at MWC 2017
Samsung traditionally unveils its new Galaxy S smartphones at Mobile World Congress. Not this year. Delayed by the Galaxy Note 7 battery investigation, Samsung is expected to unveil the Galaxy S8 at an event on March 29.
The company did take the wraps off two new tablets, though. The Galaxy Tab S3 and Galaxy Book. The latter is offered in two different sizes, runs Windows 10, comes with a snap-on keyboard case and stylus and is aimed at Microsoft Corporation’s (NASDAQ:MSFT) Surface Pro.
Google Assistant Coming to Android Nougat and Marshmallow Devices
Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG, NASDAQ:GOOGL) has had a big decision to make since introducing Google Assistant. The company broke with tradition to make its new AI-powered digital assistant exclusive to its own Google Pixel smartphones. But that restriction means the number of phones running Google Assistant are outnumbered by Siri-powered Apple devices and Amazon.com, Inc.’s (NASDAQ:AMZN) Alexa-powered smart speakers.
Google chose MWC 2017 to announce it’s decided to go back to the strategy of volume over exclusivity. Google Assistant will start rolling out to devices running Android Nougat and Marshmallow starting this week.
BlackBerry and Nokia Makes a Splash at MWC 2017
If you’d asked anyone a few months ago what companies would be generating buzz at MWC 2017, it’s doubtful that BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) or Nokia Corp (ADR) (NYSE:NOK) would be anywhere on that list. But they both pulled it off. Sort of.
BlackBerry’s last hurrah in smartphones is the new BlackBerry KeyOne. The last phone with the company’s name on it that was designed in-house combines Android with a classic BlackBerry keyboard. There’s grumbling about the $549 price, but a general feeling that had BBRY released this phone a few years ago, it might still be relevant in the smartphone space.
The other big surprise was the return of the Nokia brand. Finland’s HMD Global bought the rights to use the Nokia name on phones, and at MWC 2017 it announced three new Nokia Android smartphones aimed at the Chinese market.
The company is also bringing back the classic Nokia 3310 cell phone. Considered to be virtually indestructible, the Nokia 3310 was first released in 2000 and sold over 126 million units. The new version is a little less sturdy, but has new colors, and updated display and runs just over $50.
Nokia gets some licensing revenue out of this, but was not involved in the development of the new phones bearing its brand.
Everyone Against the iPhone 8
The announcements from MWC 2017 largely set the stage for the coming battle for smartphone supremacy. Samsung still must take the wraps off the Galaxy S8, but after that happens, we’ll largely know what Apple’s iPhone 8 will be up against.
It looks like Apple’s 10th anniversary iPhone will face a strong field with large displays, impressive cameras, Google Assistant on board and new designs — at least some of which follow the direction Apple is expected to take.
Who will have the best smartphone of 2017? With the big Mobile World Congress reveals over with, the ball is now in Samsung and Apple’s court.
As of this writing, Brad Moon did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.
