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The king of MWC 2019 can only be one
You can probably guess what new device I’m talking about. Yes, exactly, about the new Huawei Mate X. The first foldable smartphone of this brand undoubtedly was the biggest hit of MWC 2019. Although a few hours before its official premiere someone leaked the photos and everyone could see it from every side, so the “WOW effect” was a bit smaller, but this smartphone still aroused a lot of admiration among the audience.
It’s also worth mentioning that during the event, CEO of Huawei Technologies Consumer Business Group, Richard Yu, gave an interview to Business Insider, in which he admitted that the company’s engineers were simultaneously involved in three different projects, one of which was a reminiscent of Samsung Galaxy Fold. However, the CEO decided that “it wasn’t good”, so it was cancelled.
Interestingly enough, Oppo could also present its folding smartphone at MWC 2019, but at the last minute the manufacturer gave up on it, because in his opinion such a design doesn’t contribute much to the experience of using a smartphone. The brand representative nevertheless published some photos of his proposal and it turned out that it’s really similar to the Huawei Mate X. A surprising coincidence.
Nubia also presented its folding device at MWC 2019. However, it wasn’t a smartphone, but a smartwatch, which can also act as a phone. However, this project didn’t knock me down – it was terribly clumsy and because of its dimensions it looks just stupid on the wrist, like a device from some really bad science fiction film.
Unfortunately there were no exhibition stands of “android ninjas” with their new custom ROMs – it may have been a pure gossip, but I was actually looking forward to it, and seeing how easy it is to create such a stand – you can buy or rent everything online from sites like ExpoCart – I really did think that they’d show up.
There was a lot of 5G
5G is undoubtedly the future, which in a few years will become a part of everyday life. Manufacturers used this year’s fair to present first smartphones with 5G support. One of them was Huawei Mate X, followed by ZTE Axon 10 Pro and Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G. The latter is particularly interesting, because it has a good chance to be the cheapest smartphone with a 5G modem. Its European price was set at only EUR 599.
In terms of specification Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G is very similar to its original – the most important differences are Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, processor with Qualcomm Snapdragon X50 modem (vs the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 in the original) and higher capacity battery (3800 mAh vs 3200 mAh). It’s also worth mentioning that this smartphone will only be 50 euro more expensive than Xiaomi Mi Mix 3.
“Foldable” smartphone with a 5G modem
I was surprised by LG, because at MWC 2019 it presented its response to folding smartphones. It’s the LG V50 ThinQ 5G – you can connect a second screen to it and greatly increase the working space at your disposal. But who works on their smartphone? It’s very interesting, however, how this experimental approach to the subject will be taken – this will be largely determined by the price, which, unfortunately, we don’t know yet.
And since we are already in the subject of LG, it’s worth mentioning that together with LG V50 ThinQ 5G the flagship LG G8 ThinQ also made its debut. The smartphone attracts attention mainly thanks to its OLED display, which simultaneously acts as a loudspeaker and as the ToF (Time-of-Flight) sensor.
I didn’t like the fact that in some markets LG G8 ThinQ will have a triple camera (main lens + wide-angle lens + telephoto lens), and in others only a double camera (no telephoto lens).
First smartphone with Penta-Les Camera
I’m sure you already know about the Nokia 9 PureView. Until the last moment nobody knew what solutions the HMD Global would use in the camera module, but it seemed almost certain to me that there would be no shortage of wide-angle lens. However, the manufacturer only used five lenses with a resolution of 12 Mpx and an aperture of f/1.8 each, of which two have an RGB sensor and the remaining three have a monochrome sensor.
When you touch the camera’s shutter button, all five lenses capture a picture, which the software then combines into one. Such a system is supposed to make photos of outstanding quality, regardless of the lighting conditions. I’ve already seen samples and they look phenomenal, but only proper tests will show whether the penta-lens camera is actually doing its job, or whether the rule that more isn’t always better has proved its true once again.
The Most “Original” Smartphones
MWC 2019 saw the debut of at least three smartphones that stand out from the crowd (not counting the folding Huawei Mate X). First of all, I will mention the model that enchanted me a long time before its premiere – Sony Xperia 1.
It is the first flagship with a 21:9 aspect ratio on the market, although Sony also presented Xperie 10 and 10 Plus with similar displays. The smartphone also stole my heart because of the fact that it is a return to the old design, which the manufacturer abandoned for a few years – in my private ranking of the prettiest phones in 2019 it has a good chance to be at the top of the list. Unfortunately, the equipment will not be available for sale until June 2019 – such a move is unlikely to help it conquer the market, which is a pity.
Another “original” smartphone is the Energizer Power Max P18K Pop. When the manufacturer announced it before MWC 2019, nobody expected the smartphone to look like it did. With a battery capacity of 18000 mAh, it looks more like a brick than a smartphone. It’s hard for me to imagine that somebody would decide to carry it with them all day every day, but who knows, maybe there will be some brave people willing to do it?
Summary
I tried to make a list the most interesting premieres at MWC 2019, because describing all of them would make this article at least 2000 word long and nobody would read it. Therefore, if you are interested in other devices presented in Barcelona you have to check them for yourself.
Finally, let me write that I am very satisfied with this year’s edition of the event. Manufacturers brought a lot of interesting devices (mainly smartphones) and didn’t let us get bored. At the same time, we have witnessed the announcement of new directions in the development of smartphones, which will become apparent in the coming months.
How do you feel after MWC 2019?
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