After the buzz of CES in Las Vegas, fans of smartphones and wearables are looking forward to Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, February 27 to March 2, 2017.
Like every year, most of the big mobile-device manufacturers — such as HTC , Huawei and Sony — will have new, top-of-the-range models to show off at Mobile World Congress. However, at this year’s event, all eyes are likely to be on Nokia.
Nokia is set to make a big comeback as a phone maker in 2017, with a first major announcement expected in Barcelona. The brand is thought to have a high-end smartphone in the pipeline, the first in a new range that could include around half a dozen models, landing from this year. Unsurprisingly, all of the devices are expected to run the Android operating system. Nokia was, for a long time, the world’s leading mobile phone maker, with iconic models that were the stars of their time (3310, 8110, etc). However, the firm was soon overtaken by the new wave of smartphones, first by Apple , then Samsung .
As for Samsung — the world’s leading smartphone maker — isn’t expected to bring its early awaited Galaxy S8 to the event. The handset is likely to be unveiled at a special event in March. The South Korean tech giant could, therefore, stick to revealing a new tablet and a smartwatch at the Barcelona event.
Samsung’s key rival, LG , is likely to make headlines with its new G6. This model follows the G5 , a highly innovative modular smartphone that was presented last year but which failed to win over the public.
Special guests due to appear on stage at MWC to discuss the future of the telecoms industry include Mats Granryd, director general of the GSM Association (GSMA), which organises Mobile World Congress, as well as John Stankey (AT&T), Eugene Kaspersky (Kaspersky), Reed Hastings (Netflix) and Rajeev Suri (Nokia). Last year, Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook) caused a sensation at the event with his enthusiastic speech on virtual reality.
