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MWC 2018 teased a 5G-powered world that’s so close to being real
Before packing my bags for Spain, I took stock of my inbox for MWC meeting requests. A quick search showed I had more than 100 emails about 5G. "Solutions for cloud-based 5G infrastructures," one read. "5G is happening," another proclaimed. "Meet with XX 5G exec?" "XX invites you to experience the new 5G era." From demos of super fast phones and connected street lights, to obscure infrastructure projects that will actually form the backbone of 5G, the thirst was real.
Here's what you missed at MWC 2018
This year's Mobile World Congress has been strangely quiet. Despite Samsung's return to the event to launch its latest flagship phones and Google unveiling new Android Go devices, the convention has been almost uneventful. In fact, the most interesting thing to have happened this show has been snow falling in Barcelona, with temperatures dipping close to 38 degrees Fahrenheit (almost 0 degrees Celsius). Although Nokia's parent company tried to drum up interest by reviving an old favorite like it did before, people just didn't care as much the second time around.
These are a few of our favorite things (from MWC 2018)
Mobile World Congress 2018 has finally come to a close, and while this year felt more low-key than usual, there was still plenty to see and appreciate on the show floor. Samsung was here in full-force, Sony outed a pair of surprisingly compelling flagship phones, Vivo showed up with yet another kooky concept -- the list goes on. As always, though, Team Engadget happened upon some other developments that captivated us more than we expected. That's MWC for you -- it'll always catch you by surprise. As we board our planes and begin our long treks home, join us for a final look at some of our favorite things -- not just gadgets -- from MWC. (Oh, and take a gander at our unnerving AR emoji while you're at it.)
For this iPhone clone maker, it's all about survival
A Chinese company called Leagoo made headlines at MWC for showing off its S9, a cheap Android phone that looks like an iPhone X and swiped Samsung's flagship name. These kinds of clones have been a part of the industry forever, clogging up eBay and disappointing whoever buys them. The S9 is indeed the latest in a long line of clones, but as I discovered, the forces that brought it to market are more interesting than the facsimile itself.
Testing the Galaxy S9+ on a night out in Barcelona
The Galaxy S9 and S9+ didn't bring revolutionary changes to the table, but promised a "reimagined" camera that's supposed to change the way we use our mobile shooters. Most of the biggest changes Samsung implemented revolve around improving low-light photography, so what better way to make full use of our scenic surroundings here in Barcelona than to take the S9+ out for an evening sightseeing tour? Here's what we learned (other than that the Gothic Quarter is really pretty, and it can get pretty cold in Spain).
Testing LG V30S ThinQ's hit-or-miss camera tricks
The LG V30S ThinQ isn't a completely new phone, but there are enough new goodies to warrant taking another look at its camera, ahead of a deeper dive on the phone in its entirety. We know it has a fantastic range of features for mobile videographers and vloggers -- arguably the new 256GB storage option is aimed at these users. But how about these newly introduced camera features? Are they worth having? Is the AI cam better than my own judgement? And what about Bright Mode? Can algorithms save blurry night shots? We went out on an (inadvertently) wet and chilly Barcelona walking tour one evening to test these new camera tricks. Are they' enough to dethrone the likes of the Pixel 2, or at least reassess the V30 series when it comes to low-light photography?
The Morning After: Tesla Model 3 review
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous. We're still not done with Mobile World Congress, and the show has a few surprises left -- like LG's G7. But first, it's time to take a ride in the Model 3.
The first Android Go phones blend low prices with lots of promise
The world's first Android Go phones debuted here at Mobile World Congress, and they just might change the way Android works for the developing world. We took some time to get acquainted with some of these new devices, but in case you're not entirely up to speed on Go itself, we've prepared this handy primer.
Mercedes AR app gives truck drivers crucial info on their rig
Mercedes isn't new to experimenting with augmented reality, and at MWC 2018 the company showed off its latest creation with that technology. The "Vehicle Lens" app is exactly what it sounds like: It uses a smartphone to give you an AR view of a car or truck, showing vital information as you move around and point the camera at different parts of your ride. If you have it facing the wheels, for example, you see details about tire pressure. That will come in handy before taking a trip. In addition to that, Vehicle Lens can display engine info like mileage and coolant levels, how much fuel there is and personal info about drivers -- including if they've been driving for too long.
Archos' 'Hello' smart displays are powered by Google Assistant
As Google Assistant continues to get smarter every day, more and more companies are making hardware that's compatible with the platform. The latest one is Archos, which has introduced a couple of Google Assistant-powered smart displays at MWC 2018, adequately dubbed "Hello." Like with other similar products, you can use the Hello display to ask Google for a variety of things, such as the weather, recipes or news. The benefit here of course, compared to something like the Home Mini, is that you can actually view your search results on a screen, as opposed to just hearing what the Assistant has to say.
The Finns who refuse to give up on Sailfish OS
Wander the halls of Mobile World Congress and you'll notice a theme on almost every phone manufacturer's stall: Android. Google's operating system has slowly suffocated every "alternative" adversary including Firefox OS, Ubuntu Touch and Windows Phone. But in the middle of hall five you'll find an unlikely holdout -- Sailfish, a quirky mobile platform by Tampere-based developer Jolla. Walk by the company's stall and you'll find a small group of Finnish employees eagerly showing off the few phones that run their swipe-based software. They're grinning like children, which is no surprise given the hell they've been through to get here. Most people know Jolla for its quirky 'other half' phone. It was the first hardware to run Sailfish OS -- a continuation of the MeeGo platform that Nokia abandoned for Windows Phone -- and boasted swappable backs that could add new hardware features and themed software. Jolla hoped brands would build backs for their most devout fans — a Real Madrid cover, for instance, might come with custom wallpaper, ringtones and an app for watching matches -- but few embraced the idea. Still, the hardware was intriguing because of the operating system it shipped with. In a sea of Android conformity, Jolla stood out.
Even hula hoops are getting the 'smart' treatment
It's been roughly 20 years since I picked up a hula hoop and wiggled my waist with the elegance of, well, a technology journalist with zero coordination. But here I am, in the middle of Mobile World Congress, shaking my booty while a dozen or so attendees look on with a mixture of amusement and befuddlement. I'm trying out the Vhoop, a chunky ring with an embedded motion sensor that tracks your workouts in real-time. They're sent via Bluetooth to a companion app that lists your clockwise and counter-clockwise revolutions, calories burned and workout duration.
An LG G7 showed up in Barcelona after all
After revealing an AI-powered version of its late-2017 flagship, LG seemed to be having a quiet MWC. As it turns out, the real action was happening elsewhere. Israeli news site YNET posted a brief hands-on of a smartphone called the G7 (NEO) that appears to pack a Qualcomm 845 chipset and a 6-inch, 19.5:9 OLED screen with a notch carved into the top. YNET's report further suggests the device could come with either 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, or 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, as well as a 16-megapixel dual camera. Given its name and its apparent horsepower, this just might be the new flagship phone LG was planning to reveal after MWC, though the company stopped well short of confirming that.
Please, Nokia, bring back the 7110 next
It's becoming something of an MWC tradition that HMD Global, the company that builds phones under the Nokia brand, offers a gift to sentimental Europeans. In 2017, the manufacturer rebooted the 3310 while 2018 saw the arrival of a similarly refreshed version of the 8110. When HMD/Nokia returns to Barcelona in 2019, I hope that the company chooses to unveil a new version of the 7110, because I'd be first in line to buy one.
Sandisk's super-fast 400GB microSD is ready for 4K HDR video
It's great that Sony's new Xperia XZ2 smartphone can record 4K HDR video footage, but the bandwidth and storage requirements are bound to be, er, extreme. That's where SanDisk's new 400GB Extreme UHS-I microSDXC card comes in, delivering 160 MB/s read and 90 MB/s write speeds while maintaining compatibility with most devices. It also conforms to the A2 specification (4000 IOPS read and 2000 IPS write), meaning it'll let you launch apps more quickly.
The chaos of unlocking your phone in 2018
PIN codes and patterns are passe. MWC 2018 kicked off with the usual fanfare of a major flagship launch -- the Galaxy S9. With it, Samsung introduced its own, new, face unlock feature. Google may have added the feature to Android many years ago, but it seems technology has progressed enough to make it worth resurrecting by Samsung -- with some extra biometric backup. The House of Galaxy might have also felt the competitive tug of Apple's surprisingly slick Face ID unlock feature on the iPhone X. Samsung wasn't the only company innovating when it comes to how we get our smartphone working. And it's not just the thousand-dollar flagships, either. Biometrics are here in a big way, although no-one seems to know which method's best. How many of these techniques will last to see 2020?
Nokia made a smart, fashionable jacket for first responders
Nokia has been creating unconventional products for years, like that weird touchscreen made of ice from 2010. And now, at MWC 2018, the company is showing off a new, offbeat project that's in the works: the CHASE (connected health and safety equipment) LifeTech FR (first responders) jacket. This smart garment was designed in collaboration with Kolon, a South Korean fashion brand, and GINA, a software developer from the Czech Republic. While the CHASE LifeTech FR may look like a traditional bright piece you'd see on a cop or firefighter, there are a few things that make it different than your average first-responder jacket.
Watch ASUS' Zenfone 5Z launch in under 9 minutes!
When you're going up against serious mobile heavyweights, carving out a little bit of MWC for yourself can be tough. Maybe that's why ASUS held its Zenfone 5/5Z launch on the second day of the show (and that's not counting the pre-event press days). Either way, company CEO Jerry Shen was more than happy to enjoy his time on stage and tell us all about what's new with Zenfone. Catch up on the whole affair right here. Catch up on the latest news from MWC 2018 right here.
Intel's PC concept 'hides' a 5G antenna in a plump kickstand
MWC 2018 has been gripped with 5G fever, even more intensely than in years past. Intel has gone all out for the show this year, with display upon display of 5G demos dominating its booth. One of the new proofs of concept from the chip maker is a detachable PC streaming a 4K video over a test 5G connection using an early modem. Intel also announced a partnership with Dell, Lenovo, HP and Microsoft to bring 5G-connected PCs with XMM 8000 series modems to market in the second half of 2019.
Google beta tests Flutter toolkit for better cross-platform apps
Building apps for both Android and iOS can be a pretty time-intensive task, so it's no wonder that many developers often build for one platform first, followed by the other. There are workarounds to this, such as using Facebook's React Native that lets you build apps just with Javascript. Last year, however, Google introduced its own solution called Flutter. First revealed at I/O, Flutter is an open-source toolkit that lets devs create native apps for both platforms quickly and easily. Plus, it's also compatible with Fuchsia, Google's upcoming OS. Now, at Mobile World Congress, Google has announced that Flutter is officially in beta and is thus ready for wider adoption.
