This year’s Mobile World Congress held in the city of Barcelona in Spain has officially wrapped up. For those who were busy the last few days and were not able to follow the world’s biggest tech conference focusing on the mobile industry, we are presenting you this summary of the most significant things that happened and the coolest devices that were highlighted during MWC 2016.
Samsung officially unveiled its two newest flagship devices, the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge. Make no mistake about it, the Galaxy S7 is a great flagship offering from the South Korean tech giant, but its bigger sibling, the Galaxy S7 Edge may be even better. It basically boasts the same high quality performance as the Galaxy S7 but features a larger and crisper display screen, plus a more powerful battery.
The new Galaxy S7 handsets may feature some really cool enhancements, but some users may be wondering if Samsung’s latest offerings are a tad too similar to their predecessors (last year’s Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge devices). That is not necessarily a bad thing, but the most finicky consumers out there may be wanting more. They may want to check out what LG has recently introduced.
Among all the new smartphone devices announced during this year’s Mobile World Congress, the LG G5 may be considered the most feature heavy (or the most ballsy even). Sure, LG’s follow up to 2015’s G4 handset comes with an impressive 5.3 inch Quad HD display screen, and a formidable Snapdragon 820 processor, but what has generated so much buzz so far is its modular design, which allows users to plug in different kinds of modular accessories to further jazz up the G5. What makes the G5 smartphone so exciting is that through its release, LG may have created a springboard for future G handsets that come with even cooler modular accessories.
All the way from China, Xiaomi has caught some unexpected attention with the announcement of its new Mi 5 smartphone. For several years, the company has had a reputation for being sort of a copycat in terms of the design of its devices, but with the Mi 5, the phone maker may have finally launched a product that holds its own. Combining sleek aesthetics with powerful performance (courtesy of its Snapdragon 820 chip set), the Mi 5 should compete well with other flagship devices priced between $300 to $400. The only bummer is, nobody knows yet when the Mi 5 will be launched in the United States market.
Was there any low cost smartphone of note featured during the MWC 2016? Alcatel’s new Idol 4S is worth checking out, with its handsome 5.5 inch Quad HD AMOLED display screen and Snapdragon 652 chip, plus some clever features (it can answer calls no matter which way the user holds the device).
What about wearable devices? Other than virtual reality gear (which was a huge hit in the proceedings), wearables were not making a lot of noise at the MWC 2016, except maybe for new watches from Garmin. Well, there is always next year.
