Pre-event launches continued to galore at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona this year too, with high-profile launches including that of a five-camera phone by HMD Global and a foldable smartphone by Huawei stealing the show.
HMD Global, which sells Nokia brand of phones, launched four new Android smartphones, including the Nokia 9 PureView, a smartphone with an array of five rear cameras, priced at $699. PureView, launched for advanced photography enthusiasts, will be available for pre-orders in select global markets.
“Last year, here in Barcelona, we promised we will cater a full portfolio of Nokia phones, a Nokia phone for everyone. Delivering on this promise, we have expanded our feature phone lineup from the lowest cost 2G device, all the way to 4G smart feature phones,” Juho Sarvikas, Chief Product Officer at HMD Global said.
The company launched Nokia 210, a 2.5G internet connected device with the iconic snake game, with an average price of $35. It also launched Nokia 1 Plus, an upgraded version of its entry-level smartphone device Nokia 1 that was best seller in key market like India, with a $99 price tag. The company also launched two new Android smartphones for mass market Nokia 4.2 ($169 for 2/16 variant and $199 for 3/32) and Nokia 3.2 ($139 for 2/16 variant and $169 for 3/32).
Xiaomi launched its first 5G-ready smartphone, Mi MIX 3 5G, which will be available in stores from May 2019. The handset, which can connect to sub-6GHz signal, will be shipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 mobile platform with a starting price of €599.
“With this, Xiaomi is now one of the first smartphone manufacturers to produce a 5G phone for commercial use,” Xiaomi Senior Vice President Wang Xiang said, adding, the company has strategic partnerships with global operators such as 3, Sunrise, TIM and Vodafone.
The company also announced the availability of Mi 9, which features an AI triple camera, 20W wireless charging, first in Western Europe priced at €449.
Huawei Consumer Business Group (CBG), which showcased a 5G customer premise equipment (Huawei 5G CPE Pro), unveiled its 5G ready, folding phone Mate X a day prior to MWC events. The handset, expected to be launched by the middle of this year, comes with 8GB RAM and 512GB storage, and is priced at €2,299.
LG Electronics unveiled a 5G smartphone with a dual screen, the V50 ThinQ, which is an updated version of the V40 launched earlier. The South Korean company also unveiled a phone that reads the veins in a user’s hands and uses facial recognition to unlock the handset.
(The writer is in Barcelona at the invitation of Qualcomm.)