Mobile World Congress 2018 is wrapping up, and it's time to count the stars of the cellularly-obsessed show. Familiar names find themselves joined by some unexpected additions this year, as the mobile industry attempts to find its feet - and its next big selling-point - amid smartphone upgrade apathy. Read on for the best phones, mobile devices, and innovations from MWC 2018.
Sunday's reveal of the Galaxy S9 kicks off a busy spring for smartphone manufacturers, as many of them will be putting new flagships on shelves. LG is one we expect to see debut a new phone sometime soon, but thus far, it's been relatively quiet on what it has planned for the spring. We may be getting an early look at what the company has planned thanks to a new leak that purportedly shows off the LG G7.
MWC 2018 practically ended on its first day or two, with most of the announcements dumped then and there. There were some late surprises but we pretty much got a feel of the event right from the start. It was almost low-key, somber, and serious, with a few spikes here and there with interesting, if not sensational news. That doesn’t mean, however, that MWC this year was pretty dead. In fact, the biggest winners, at least by the numbers, seem to be the underdogs. Here are just some of the highlights of MWC 2018, especially for the smartphone market.
AI and machine learning is everywhere but, as far as end users are concerned, majority of them are in phones or smart speakers. Some, like Sony, have tried to put AI assistants in earbuds. Bragi, most popular for its intelligent DASH wireless earbuds, are going beyond that. It has announced its new nanoAI, but more than just creating yet another smart assistant or even smart earbuds, Bragi is building a platform for other businesses to build theirs around Bragi’s audio technologies instead.
This week the folks at ASUS revealed a set of 4 new smartphones in what they call their ZenFone 5 Series. These devices are relatively sleek, have their own pill-shaped camera setup at their back, and feature fingerprint scanners. They're running Android, of course, and they've been revealed for the first time in Barcelona at Mobile World Congress 2018.
Navigation app Sygic has announced at MWC 2018 that its Driving Assistant feature for Ford vehicles is now available. The Driving Assistant feature is voice-controlled, interactive co-driver feature that lets drivers ask for nearby rest stops, restaurants, hotels, and traffic jams along their route. The voice control means the drivers can keep hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.
Google already revealed it has big plans for the Google Assistant, and now we're seeing how the AI will make Android apps and services even more streamlined - even if you don't want to talk to it. The search giant announced last week that it was pushing the Assistant's global availability, with the goal of more than 30 languages being supported by the end of the year. However, it also promised a more integrated experience thanks to deals with device-makers and carriers.
Samsung may have spent no short amount of time during its Galaxy S9 talking up the smartphone's new camera, but it didn't take long for Sony to trample all over its parade. With camera specs one of the key factors driving phone-buyers decisions, Samsung's big boast about improving its super-slow-mo mode turns out to be not so groundbreaking a change.
With the rise of smartphones, we've seen a lot of people spark an interest in photography, which has been a nice side effect of putting a halfway decent camera in the pocket of pretty much everyone. What happens when you're ready to graduate to something a little more advanced? Taking the plunge into the world of DSLR cameras can be a little intimidating, but Canon is hoping to make that transition smoother for a lot of people with its new EOS M50.
BMW is at Mobile World Congress and it is talking up some of the new technologies that will be coming to its vehicles. One of the coolest bits of tech is the BMW Digital Key, which is a system that allows users to lock and unlock their car using a smartphone. Once the device is in the car, the engine can be started with the help of the Wireless Charging Pad.
Ford is at Mobile World Congress and has made an announcement that Ford owners around the world can appreciate. Starting in April 2018, the Waze navigation and traffic app will be available to Ford owners around the world. Waze has more than 100 million active users and is the largest community-based navigation app out there.
Lenovo's biggest announcement of MWC 2018 is certainly the new Yoga 730, but with a price starting at nearly $900, these new notebooks definitely aren't for everyone. Enter the Lenovo Flex 14, which was also revealed today and has a much lower starting price than its Yoga-branded brothers. In that sense, this is a 2-in-1 machine that's aimed at people who are looking for a new notebook on a budget.