Samsung Galaxy S10 Series
Expected to come in three variants, namely the S10e, S10 and S10+, the flagship ‘S’ series from Samsung is getting a design overhaul in terms of a punch-hole camera in the display and an almost bezel-less design. The most affordable of the lot, the S10e is expected to have a 5.8-inch display and a 3000mAh battery, while the S10 will have a 6.1-inch display and a 3300mAh battery and the top-end S10+ will have a 6.5-inch display and a big 4000mAh battery.
Under the hood, the S10 will sport the Snapdragon 855 chip for the US variants, while the global variants will ship with the latest Exynos SoC. We’re also expecting the top-end S10+ variant to be launched with a whopping 12GB of RAM and 1TB of internal storage which will be a first for any smartphone. A recent price leak also reveals that the S10e will start at 749 Euros and the S10+ will go up to 1,499 Euros. The launch is slated to take place on February 20, a few days prior to MWC, just like how Samsung does it each time. We can also expect a variant with support for 5G.
Huawei Foldable Smartphone
Huawei is set to unveil their take on the foldable smartphone design this MWC and if the brand’s poster uploaded on their official Twitter account is anything to go by, the phone will also have support for 5G. Other than this, not a lot about the smartphone is known, but it‘s safe to say that the new Kirin 980 will be powering the smartphone. The phone is set to be unveiled on February 24, so we’ll have to wait until then for further info.
Nokia 9 and 8.1 Plus
The Nokia 9 has been long rumored to launch with a penta-camera setup to the rear, a first for the smartphone world and looks like MWC is finally going to be where we see it in reality for the first time. Initial rumors pointed towards the Snapdragon 845 under the hood instead of the new 855 but it would be wise to wait for the official announcement before concluding. The Nokia 8.1 Plus is also expected to be announced alongside the Nokia 9, which might be HMD’s first phone with the new punch-hole display design. Other than this, not much is known about the smartphone, but being a premium mid-ranger, we might see the Snapdragon 710 or 675 in the SoC department. The launch is scheduled for February 24.
LG G8 and V50 ThinQ
LG is another brand which refreshes its flagships every year at MWC and the G8 ThinQ is the phone expected to succeed the G7 ThinQ. There’s no major design overhaul expected as early leaks still point towards a pretty big notch on the display. The internals, however, would receive an update. Unlike past years though, the V series flagship from LG, generally launched mid-cycle is also expected to launch alongside the G8 as the V50 ThinQ. Speculations also point towards a variant with support for 5G.
Sony Xperia XZ4
While some of you might have already written Sony off the smartphone race, the XZ4, if rumors are to be believed is going to be one powerhouse of a smartphone. The SoC, of course, will be the new Snapdragon 855, with a huge 6.5-inch display embracing the front speculated to sport a 21:9 aspect ratio. The camera is expected to be a glorious 52MP sensor and the battery would be a mammoth 4400mAh unit making the XZ4 a complete package.
Honourable Mentions
Oppo’s phone with 10X Hybrid Optical Zoom
Oppo has been teasing its new 10X hybrid zoom cameras and while we don’t know much about them or which smartphone will be the first to sport it, a tweet by the brand with the hashtag “Go Closer” reveals that they’re launching a new smartphone on February 23 with the new set of zoom cameras. While some earlier speculations pointed towards the F19 and F19 Pro, latest rumors point towards the Oppo X2 sporting this camera setup. Rest of the specifications of the phone are currently unknown.
Vivo APEX 2019
Vivo recently announced its new concept phone, the Vivo Apex 2019 which is a one-of-a-kind button-less and port-less smartphone. Surprisingly, the phone also skimps out on the front facing camera (at least it’s not visible) and the phone can scan your fingerprints anywhere on the display. The Snapdragon 855 will power the smartphone. We’ll have to wait to see where Vivo has relocated the front-facing camera or if there is one at all. These were a few upcoming smartphones that interested us the most and what makes us look forward to these phones is that there’s something unique about each of the above mentioned smartphones which gives us a small peek into where technology is headed in the future.
