MWC 2022 opens today - so what are we expecting to see? MWC is one of the biggest shows on planet when it comes to mobile phones, and usually it is a place where a myriad of new handsets get launched, all wanting to top the best camera phone list.
The good news is that the exhibition is back and live in its traditional February slot - following two years of disruption from Covid-19. In 2020, the show was cancelled at the last minute, and in 2021 the exhibition was delayed to the summer and put on in a hybrid fashion.
• iPhone rumors, Samsung Galaxy news and smartphone leaks
How big this year's show will be, it is hard to predict. With reliance on manufacturers traveling from all over the world, and from China in particular, we can be certain we won't see the crowds of yesteryear return in full. And as the show opened, it was announced that following events in Ukraine, the planned Russian Pavilion has due to a ban by the organizers.
Nonetheless, we do now know that there will be some exciting new products and technologies revealed for MWC 2022…
What is MWC 2022?
MWC stands for Mobile Word Congress - and is organized by the GSMA, the global industry association, first formed in 1995 to promote 2G GSM digital phones. The show was first held in 1987, and in 2019 attracted over 100,000 to the Fira Barcelona Gran Via exhibition halls in Barcelona, Spain. There are now additional MWC spin-off shows in Shanghai and Los Angeles.
When is MWC 2022?
It takes place in Barcelona 28 February to 03 March. And whilst not all companies will be at the show, many will choose to have press briefings and make product announcements to time with the show.
In reality, we expect far fewer launches than usual. But there will be lots of speeches from leading industry figures. Many of the sessions will be centered on the themes of the Internet of Everything (IoE), VR, 5G and the metaverse - and discussing how cellular technology can be used in much, much more than just our phones.
But, all the same, we will be bringing you all the news, as and if it happens…
What we expect at MWC 2022
Thanks to the phone rumors mill and the inevitable teasers from the key manufacturers, we already had a pretty good idea what some of the highlights will be at this year's expo:
Realme at MWC 2022
Realme and Oppo may be owned by the same company, and the Hasselblad partnership may now have switched over from Realme to Oppo - but that doesn't mean that Realme doesn't have its own new handsets at the show. The new flagship is the Realme GT 2 Pro - a 6.7in smartphone with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, plus 50MP main, 50MP ultra-wide and microscope camera for super-close-up pictures (which makes it sound very similar to the Oppo Find X3 Pro).
Realme may also tell us more about the Realme 9 Pro Plus, which we already know will have a built-in heart-rate monitor.
Nokia at MWC 2022
HMD Global, the company that produces Nokia phones, has announced three new phones at the show. We aren’t talking fancy flagships though, instead the company has added three budget models to its growing portfolio: the Nokia C2 2nd Edition, the Nokia C21, and Nokia C21 Plus.
Xiaomi at MWC 2022
Expect full details on the Redmi 10 2022, which was silently launched earlier in the month. There are an increasing number of Xiaomi 12 Ultra rumors, which we hope will have a sensor at least as big as that found on the Xiaomi 11 Ultra - however we don't expect the 12 Ultra to be launched until later in the year.
Xiaomi will also be launching who more Pocophones, with the announcement of the Poco X4 Pro 5G and Poco M4 Pro.
Honor at MWC 2022
Continuing to prove that it has life after its split from Huawei, Honor will be unveiling its Magic 4 series of phones. There could be three different models, with the details set to be announced on 28 February.
• Read more on the Honor Magic4 rumors
Oppo at MWC 2022
A year on from the Oppo Find X3 Pro, Oppo has launched the Find X5 series at the show. The Oppo has a 6.7in screen, a triple camera set-up with two 50 megapixel shooters and a telephoto zoom – and gets rid of the novel microscope camera launched last year.
The camera uses Hasselblad camera technology, has a new dedicated imaging Neural Processing Unit (NPU), to aid night-time shooting. It also boasts a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, and a ceramic back.
• Read more Oppo Find X5 Pro full news & details
• Hasselblad XPan reinvented for the digital era
Oppo has also shown us the superfast smartphone charging tech, that will take your phone from 0% to fully charged in just nine minutes. The 240W SuperVooc charger demo even has its own speeded-up video to show the developing technology in action (see the YouTube video below). 150W charging will be introduced first on the company's OnePlus range of handsets.
TCL at MWC 2022
Budget brand TCL has unveiled no fewer than five new phones at MWC - the TCL 30 series. All five have a 50 megapixel main camera - but only one is 5G (the TCL 30 5G).
Samsung at MWC 2022
Samsung has just revealed its most exciting phones for 2022, with the launch of the Galaxy S22, S22 Plus and the stylus-enabled S22 Ultra - so we don't expect anything else major from the Korean company in Barcelona.
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