Mobile World Congress #MWC2015: What to expect

CES 2015 in Las Vegas has already been and gone so our thoughts turn to MWC 2015 (Mobile World Congress) in Barcelona where many of this year’s smartphones and tablets will be launched. Here’s what to expect from MWC 2015 from the big names including Samsung, Sony, HTC, LG, Huawei and others.

Scheduled for 2-5 March, MWC 2015 is only a matter of weeks away. For all you fans of mobile tech products it’s the highlight of the calendar with CES only bringing a handful of devices this year – namely the LG G Flex 2.

We’ll be heading to mainland Europe to bring you full coverage of the show but until then let’s take a look at what to expect from the big names which will be exhibiting in Barcelona including smartphones, tablets and wearables.

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) surprisingly enough, though codenamed the HTC Hima .

While the name doesn’t impress the specs should, with rumors of truly flagship worthy tech. There’s also talk of a 5.2-inch HTC One (M9) Plus, which is supposedly packing a QHD display and a fingerprint scanner and there’s a moderate 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 smartwatchas 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 and indeed Samsung has now sent out invitations to a press event on March 1.

It also looks a lot like Samsung is working on a curved screened variant of its next flagship dubbed the Galaxy S Edge, so keep an eye out for that, as the bendy line on Samsung’s invite strongly suggests it will be present.

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 instalment after the launch of the Xperia Z3 in September 2014.

Don’t get too excited though, because recent rumors suggest Sony is switching to releasing just one flagship a year and that as such the Xperia Z4 might be pushed back to the summer. That’s further supported by reports from Xperia Blog that Sony won’t have a formal press conference at MWC.

Whether or not the Xperia Z4 makes an appearance though Sony will have a booth at the show and we’re bound to see something from the company. For one thing we’re due an update to the 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 possible 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.

As with the Sony Xperia Z4 though there are conflicting rumors. The latest whispers suggest LG will sidestep MWC 2015 and won’t launch the G4 before May, so don’t count on it making an appearance.

LG has already launched two Android Wear smartwatches, the G Watch and G Watch R, so we’d say it probably won’t 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. In fact it’s doing one better, because as well as having a booth Microsoft has also announced a press conference for March 2.

There’s not a huge amount of news regarding exactly what will be on show, 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. Then again there are also reports that Microsoft won’t bring out any major new hardware until later in the year.

So what will the press conference be about? Our guess is more Windows 10 for phones information, coupled perhaps with some mid-range or low-end handset announcements.

We’re also hearing mutterings that Microsoft may 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.

The company is reportedly planning on announcing new tablets and wearables at the trade show, though there isn’t much in the way of details on them other than the fact that at least one wearable will apparently be running Android Wear.

Honor

The breakout brand from Chinese firm Huawei launched its impressive Honor 6smartphone 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 Oppo 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.