Mobile World Congress 2015: what to expect

MWC is quite possibly the biggest yearly event in the mobile world. At MWC 2014 for example we saw the Samsung Galaxy S5, Sony Xperia Z2 and a plethora of other smartphones, tablets and smartwatches.

MWC 2015 is expected to be every bit as big and there are already rumblings of some of what might be on show - how about the Samsung Galaxy S6, HTC One M9, LG G4 and Sony Xperia Z4?

Any one of those could be a show stopper all on its own, but there are lots of other things going on in the mobile world too. Here's what we know so far.

HTC

HTC has sent out invites to a special event it's holding on March 1 in Barcelona, teasing us with the headline "utopia in progress."

We expect the Taiwanese firm to launch its next generation flagship smartphone at this event, currently dubbed the HTC One M9, but rumors suggest it may sport a different name when it comes to market.

Codenamed handset HTC Hima is claimed to be a phablet sized flagship, and there's an outside chance this could make an appearance too.

It's not just the company's flagship phone we'll be keeping an eye out for though, with other reports suggesting we may be treated to an HTC smartwatch as well.

Samsung

Samsung returned to MWC last year with a bang, launching the Galaxy S5 at the show after shunning it in 2013, opting instead for a standalone launch for its Galaxy S4.

Multiple sources all point towards MWC 2015 for the launch of the Korean firm's next blockbuster mobile - the Samsung Galaxy S6.

There's also word that Samsung may be working on a curved screened variant of its next flagship - currently being referred to as the Galaxy S6 Edge, so keep an eye out for that.

Want more? Good, because rumblings about new tablets and a circular smartwatch have also been spotted in the run up to MWC 2015.

And let's not forget about Samsung's own mobile operating system, Tizen, which has finally seen its first handset go on sale in the form of the Z1 and we could see more in Barcelona.

Sony

We're potentially in line for a flurry of flagships at MWC 2015 and Sony's offering could arrive in the form of the Xperia Z4.

The Japanese firm is currently enjoying a six month cycle of flagships and MWC falls at the correct time for its next installment after the launch of the Xperia Z3in September 2014.

We're also due an update to Sony's 10.1-inch Xperia Z2 Tablet, plus there's a chance we'll see another Android Wear smartwatch to join the SmartWatch 3 in Sony's ranks.

LG

Another possible flagship? Oh, go on then. Yep, the LG G4 is also being linked with a MWC 2015 launch, making for a glut of high-end smartphones.

Last year the LG G3 was launched at its own unique event in London, and with a potentially crowded line up of new devices at MWC it will be interesting to see if LG will jump in at the deep end or play the waiting game and do its own thing afterwards.

The latest rumors suggest LG will sidestep MWC 2015, in favor of another standalone event to launch the G4.

LG has already launched two Android Wear smartwatches, the G Watch and G Watch R, so we'd say it's less likely it'll roll out another at MWC 2015 - but we're not ruling it out completely.

Microsoft

Last year Nokia caused a storm at MWC by launching handsets running a heavily modified version of Google's Android operating system.

The sad news is Nokia is unlikely to be at MWC 2015, and if it is its presence will be much, much smaller. On a positive note Microsoft will be taking over what was the Nokia booth, exuding all things Lumia and Windows Phone.

There's not a huge amount of news regarding exact devices, but it's been a while since the flagship Nokia Lumia 930 was launched, so it's about time for a new hero for the Windows Phone brand.

Talk about a successor to the 41MP Nokia Lumia 1020 refuses to die down, so we'll be on the lookout for another powerful cameraphone too.

We're also hearing mutterings that Microsoft may also be readying a new wearable which could be shown off in Barcelona.

Huawei

You can expect some new devices from Huawei after the firm confirmed its MWC 2015 press conference for March 1.

It's currently not clear what exactly it'll be launching, but we reckon a flagship smartphone and perhaps some middle and lower tier options will be on the cards - oh and possibly a wearable or two as well.

Honor

The breakout brand from Chinese firm Huawei launched its impressive Honor 6 smartphone in the second half of 2014 alongside the entry level Honor 3C - and it's returning with three new devices at MWC 2015.

That's all the details we have for now, with the invite for the Honor press conference in Barcelona giving little else away. Prepare yourself for a trio of low cost, high spec handsets though.

Oppo, ZTE, OnePlus and others

You can be sure that the likes of Huawei and ZTE will be bringing their own arsenal of mobile devices to Barcelona and there will be plenty to see from the slightly more fringe players of the mobile market.

Source: http://www.techradar.com/
Author: Mutaz Hamid, handelot.com