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We're live at Samsung's MWC 2017 press conference
We're here in Barcelona, fingers lightly resting against our keyboards in anticipation. We know we're not seeing a flagship phone, but what could that mean? Maybe new tablets, which has always been a strong suit for the company. But nothing's ever guaranteed. Fortunately we're just about to find out, so keep checking back here for our liveblog kickoff at 1pm ET.
Catch our Samsung MWC 2017 liveblog here
Mobile World Congress is where Samsung usually unveils the latest member of the Galaxy S series. Not this year, though. Delays mean that the company's flagship phone will have to make its debut somewhere else. We do know they will be revealing something, however, and as usual there's a glitzy event to go along with it. Catch our liveblog right here at 1pm ET to find out what.
Say hello (again) to the Nokia 3310
The rumors were true. The Nokia 3310 is back. Courtesy of new brand owner HMD, the phone is returning with a mixture of 3310 charm and some specification upgrades. The good news: It's cheap (around $50), it has Snake, along with those nostalgic ringtones of yesteryear, and it seems pretty darn indestructible. It's an iconic phone, but one that's over 15 years old. That's a long time in mobile. Still, a lot of people are going to want one. Do you?
The new Moto G5s trade fun colors for mature looks
When Lenovo/Motorola first revealed the 4th-generation Moto G and Moto G Plus last year, it did so at a surprisingly secretive launch event in India. That was probably just as well: They were perfectly decent mid-range phones that didn't excite the way earlier G's did. The swanky interior of the W Hotel in Barcelona seems to suit the new G5 and G5 Plus a little better. Lenovo still wanted to build a set of reasonably priced mid-range phones, but it's clear the company was angling to give the G series something of a premium makeover. This year is all about cleaner lines and metal bodies, but I wonder if the G5 and G5 Plus didn't lose a bit of character in the redesign.
Huawei reveals the Watch 2 at MWC 2017
It was almost two years ago to the day that Huawei unveiled the "Watch," the company's first Android Wear device. Today, at MWC in Barcelona, Huawei has just announced its successor, the imaginatively named Watch 2. Perhaps the first notable difference (beyond the design tweaks), is the inclusion of 4G connectivity (on select models, via SIM or eSIM), meaning you won't need a phone for all the smart features to work. According to Huawei, the Watch 2 will debut this month in Spain, France, Portugal, Germany, Italy and, of course Huawei's native China. It will arrive in the US and UK in April. There are a few different strap and color combinations, but prices start at €320 (around $350).
BlackBerry's KEYone is an exciting return to form
With a global launch in the works and the hopes of diehards at an all-time high, the pressure was on BlackBerry and TCL to deliver on all that Mercury hype. We can't render an official verdict yet, but my gut tells me they're onto something. Say hello to the BlackBerry KEYone. Yes, "Mercury" was a better name, and yes, the capitalization is weirding me out too. No matter: Despite the nature of its creation, the KEYone feels like a pretty triumphant return to form for a brand in need of a boost.
Get your BlackBerry MWC 2017 liveblog right here
It's February, which can mean only one thing: the MWC tanks are rolling into Barcelona. We're expecting to see a lot of new phones and tablets. The fun starts later today, with BlackBerry hosting a press conference, where we're expecting to see the final reveal of the "Mercury" phone we saw back at CES. There could be a few more surprises along the way, so be sure to tune in right here at 1PM ET.
LG's latest battery is also a phone
The problem with having a smartphone that you want to use all the damn time is that you'll spend a big chunk of your day wedded to an outlet. LG believes that nobody should have to suffer such an indignity, and has launched the X power2 as a remedy. The smartphone is designed to operate for an entire weekend on a single charge thanks to the 4,500mAh battery tucked inside. It'll also recharge nice and quick, too, taking just two hours to go from flat all the way back up to 100 percent.
All the smartphones we expect to see at MWC 2017
It's that time of year again. Barcelona, with its stunning architecture and succulent jamón, will soon be packed with new smartphones, tablets, wearables, networking gear, app developers and, well, tech journalists like us. By the time you're reading this, we'll already be on the ground in Spain, laying the foundation for a week of intense coverage. Read on for a rundown of what we expect to see as the show unfolds.
Samsung will showcase C-Lab's AR and VR projects at MWC
Samsung will exhibit four new augmented and virtual reality projects out of the C-Lab program at this year's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. C-Lab or Creative Lab is the chaebol's in-house initiative that gives employees time off to work on their most innovative ideas. For instance, the first of the four exhibits is Relúmĭno -- a visual aid app for the Gear VR that can help visually impaired people watch TV and read again "with new levels of clarity." The app does that by enhancing visuals, repositioning images to get rid of blind spots and correcting images that appear distorted for people with metamorphopsia.
LG explains why the G6 has a big 'FullVision' display
Even though LG has yet to fully take the wraps off of its next flagship smartphone, the latest teaser explains why you need the G6 and its "FullVision" display. Measuring 5.7-inches diagonally with a QuadHD+ resolution of 2,880 x 1,440, it has an unusual 18:9 aspect ratio that's taller than you're used to. Because of the extra space, however, it has plenty of room to fit two windows next to each other when held horizontally. LG's press release brags that the G6 is expected to kick off an "era" of similar phones, and its leaked design does seem like a sign of what's to come.
Huawei is launching its P10 flagship smartphone at MWC
Huawei has confirmed that it's debuting its upcoming flagship handset at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona through a mysterious video teaser. Unfortunately, it doesn't even show you a glimpse of the phone. What you do get are the words "Change the way the world sees you," along with a photo of a hashtag and two eyes. That could be a hint that the P10 will have dual cameras, just like the iPhone 7 and its own predecessor, the Huawei P9.
LG's G6 invite drops more hints about the 'Big Screen' phone
As usual, LG is continuing to slowly drop hints about its big product unveiling ahead of Mobile World Congress 2017 next month. Our official invite to the launch event for its next flagship mobile phone has arrived and positions the G6 as having a "Big Screen...That Fits." The words and diagram continue to hint at a device with minimal bezel, which backs up images previously leaked. LG itself already revealed the device's unique 18:9 ratio display -- branded "Full Vision" -- and promises it won't explode. Since Samsung's Galaxy S8 debut will be delayed, something has to grab the spotlight in Barcelona and maybe the G6 is that phone. We'll find out on February 26th.
Samsung will unveil something at MWC on February 26th
Samsung just sent out its invites for the Mobile World Congress 2017, however, unlike previous years, the big news is what won't be there. As a knock-on effect of the whole Galaxy Note 7 mess, its introduction of the flagship Galaxy S8 is delayed from its usual February reveal to (likely) March. Still, Samsung has a show to put on and sent out this curious image to pique our interest.
Samsung's Galaxy S8 won't appear at Mobile World Congress
Clearly, Samsung is still reeling from its Note 7 disaster. In an interview with Reuters, Samsung mobile chief Koh Dong-jin has confirmed that the Galaxy S8 won't be unveiled next month at Mobile World Congress. That's a big departure from the company's usual release schedule, which revolves around a big "S" launch in the Spring and a new "Note" in the fall. The delay isn't a shock, however. Back in November, the Wall Street Journal reported that Samsung's leadership team was considering a later reveal date. It could come "as late as April," the newspaper said at the time.
LG teases the G6's launch for February
Mobile World Congress is nearly upon us, allowing portions of the mobile world to show off the new devices that they've been working on. The smartphone world may be ossifying, but LG's undeterred, and is sending out teasers for the G6 that'll debut the day before the event kicks off. There's not much to be gleaned from the invitation, beyond that the unveiling will happen in Barcelona at lunchtime on February 26th.
Samsung might have bendable, foldable smartphones ready for 2017
Bloomberg sources say that Samsung is thinking of introducing phones with bendable screens. In fact, Samsung said that it would have that technology ready by 2017 itself, just a few years ago at its investors conference. However, this goes some way to proving that Samsung has developed the tech enough to bring it to consumer product. A pair of devices will have flexible OLED screens, with one folding like a cosmetic compact and another that transforms from a 5-inch smartphone-sized screen to a display roughly eight inches large; so... a tablet.
MWC Revisited: The most interesting wearables
Wearables failed to make much of a splash at MWC 2016. The category seemed to be an afterthought for many manufacturers -- such as HTC and Samsung -- which instead focused on smartphones and virtual reality products. Unlike in 2015, when we saw new smartwatches from Huawei, LG and others, Android Wear was mostly missing from this year's Barcelona show. Now, that's not to say the cause was completely lost, since there were a few wearables that grabbed our attention. Especially the one designed for cows, not people. Don't you agree?
5G was the real star of Mobile World Congress
Expect 2016 to be the year when all of the talk around 5G starts to feel like more than hype. It seemed as if the big tech companies couldn't shut up about it at Mobile World Congress this week -- and for good reason. It's been over six years since LTE 4G started rolling out, and a finalized 5G standard is expected to arrive around 2018. Now's the time to start exploring the new frontier if you've got a stake in mobile. Naturally, there were plenty of demos and jargon-filled press releases about 5G during the show. But there were also some impressive demos and a palpable excitement in the air for what's to come next.
MWC Revisited: The best of the rest
We've seen smartphones, wearables and tablets galore here at Mobile World Congress, plastered with mucky fingerprints and goodness knows what else over the week on the show floor. But that's not all. During our travels we've also discovered some weird and wonderful products that require a roundup of their own. Without further ado, here's the "best of the rest," a collection of the good, the bad and the downright strange that didn't make our other catch-up pieces.
