Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona is coming next week and it will run from February 27 to March 2. MWC is the world’s largest gathering for the mobile industry. Some of the companies attending, such as HTC, are not expected to have any big announcements. However, many media outlets are reporting that Sony, LG, Huawei, and Nokia are going to unveil some beautiful and innovative smartphones and wearable technology a day before the event starts. Here is a list of some of the exhibitors: Lenovo/Motorola, Twitter, Verizon, IBM, HP, Intel, Huawei, LG, Nokia/HMD, Samsung, Sony, and BlackBerry/TCL.
Many of the teasers for mobile phones this year are focusing on battery life, artificial intelligence, and bezel-less displays. With more and more wearable technology like smartwatches being released, a more conversational AI is becoming a key component for attracting customers. Scrolling or trying to type on tiny screens is not user-friendly, so an AI that can relay speech and pull information from apps or the web will make interacting with smartwatches a much more enjoyable experience. As a result, new Android phones announced at MWC, such as LG’s G6 mobile phone, are expected to be announced as having the AI Google Assistant built in, much like the Google Pixel phone released late last year. In addition, futuristic and affordable bezel-less display phones will be all the rage in 2017. Some of these phones will be designed similarly to Samsung’s latest Galaxy S7 line with bezel-less sides, but some companies are rumoured to be pushing the concept even further with displays that reach the top and bottom of the phone. And finally, with all of these fancy new features being released every year, a long battery life is becoming increasingly important. Poor battery life can have a very negative impact a mobile device’s sales, which is yet another reason why smartwatches are still only slowly building up in popularity.
Other expected devices include virtual reality devices, drones, technology-laden vehicles, and more. While MWC may not have as many different devices being presented as a Consumer Technology Association (CES) conference, it will still be an exciting event. Mobile technology is advancing at a rapid rate and it will only be a matter of time before the technology from sci-fi TV shows and movies will become a reality.
