Mobile World Congress (MWC) has always been the biggest playground for smartphone makers and associated technology like mobile hardware, satellite communications, VR, 5G, and many more. Though it took a hit like CES for the past few years due to the pandemic, but this year it is back with a bang in its usual end-of-February time slot. Big names like Xiaomi, OnePlus, Samsung, and many more brought innovative hardware and software to the table, which amazed all the attendees who were visiting from more than 200 countries. Read the article to enrich yourself, so you can get a taste of the innovations from the comfort of your home.
Samsung
The presentations by Samsung at MWC 2023 were a bit mixed. Let’s first see what new items they brought to the table. Oppo with its Find N2 Flip is becoming a real contender in the foldable market, but we know Samsung is still the king of the technology jungle, and it proved this with the introduction of the Flex S, Flex G, and Flex Note. The screen for the Flex S can fold twice, both inwards and outwards, in the form of an S. When folded, it could become as small as the Galaxy Z Flip 4, and on unfolding, it could deliver a screen-like tablet. The Flex G would be incorporated for compact tablets, which can be folded only inwards, and that is its major point of difference from the Flex S. Also, for Flex S, one side of the display will be unprotected, which is not the case for Flex G. Similar to the Asus ZenBook 17 Fold OLED, the Flex Note will be used for foldable laptops. The company also carried many of its products and technologies that it showcased in Galaxy Unpacked 2023. The Galaxy S23 series, which consisted of the S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra, were on display for visitors to check their capabilities. The Galaxy Book 3 series was also there, along with a technology demonstration of SmartThings for smart home controls and features from One UI 5.1, among many others.
Qualcomm
Qualcomm brought to the table a host of topics, but two of them will have a major impact in the coming years. Firstly, Qualcomm is stepping into the world of extended reality (XR) and has included operators like T-Mobile, KDDI Corporation, Telefonica, and Vodafone, among many others. These companies plan to use Qualcomm’s open mixed-reality platform, Snapdragon Spaces, for creating XR devices and strategies. Satellite communication is the next big thing, and many companies have already implemented it into their smartphones. Qualcomm introduced the Snapdragon Satellite, which will use the Iridium network of low-Earth orbiting satellites for providing SMS services, emergency two-way messaging, and many more features in remote locations.
Google brought a slew of updates for Android and Wear OS at MWC 2023. With these updates, they want users to enjoy seamless connectivity and productivity across all platforms. While using Google Meet for meetings and classes if you are irritated by background noise, then with the noise cancellation feature of Google Meet, you can complete your job in peace. Now, you can also annotate comments or make notes on PDFs that are saved in Google Drive. The note-keeping app Google Keep will be available as a widget that you can keep on your smartphone’s home screen or in your wearables display for easy access to lists. Without changing the layout of the browser, Google will now allow you to increase by up to 300% the size of almost everything, including images, text, and videos. You can run your imaginations wild with the Emoji Kitchen, where you can cook up any emoji by combining various ones, and new animations will pop up after successful payment in the Google Wallet. Mono audio, color correction, and grayscale display modes are particularly featured for wearables.
Nokia
Almost after 60 years, Nokia has gone for a rebranding and unveiled its new logo at the MWC 2023. The owners of the company said that they do not want the public to perceive them as a mobile-making brand. The new logo symbolizes that Nokia has waded into digitization and the network business. It launched the anyRAN software and Habrok (MIMO AirScale Radio), which is powered by the ReekSharp Chip from Nokia. Though the company has rebranded its logo, smartphones are being sold under the Nokia brand, but they are manufactured by HMD Global OY. Three new smartphones were showcased, namely the Nokia C32, Nokia C22, and Nokia G22. The Nokia C32 comes with a 6.5 in IPS LCD display and a 50 MP primary camera. It is a budget segment phone weighing around 200 g and comes with a 5000 mAh battery. The Nokia C22 shares some common features with the Nokia C32 in the departments of battery, display, and chipset, which is the Unisoc SC 9863A. The main camera is only 13 MP, and it is available with 64 GB of internal storage and 2GB/3GB of RAM. The Nokia G22 is quite a special model, and surely this is a slice of the future in the smartphone world. The G22 is a repairable phone where it takes 5 minutes to change the battery and 20 minutes to change the display with a minimum amount of tools. For providing the necessary tools and parts, HMD collaborated with iFixit for this and also has kept the option where you can take the phone to the nearest service center. Specifications are better than the other models, with the Unisoc T606, 50 MP primary camera, and 5050 mAh battery, among many others.
Nothing
Nothing Phone (1) with its transparent rear and Glyph Interface, was the talk of the technology world before and after its launch. Many technology enthusiasts were eagerly waiting for a successor to the Nothing Phone (1) and after many rumors, Carl Pei has confirmed that they are working on the Nothing Phone (2). The company has not confirmed any details as such, but several leaks have suggested that the Nothing Phone (2) is going to get a flagship-level processor from the Snapdragon 8 series. It will have the codename A065 and is expected to have an AMOLED display. The Nothing Phone (2 ) is also rumored to have a 120 Hz adaptive refresh rate with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal storage. The device may see its launch in this year’s third quarter and will also have a focus on the US market. Interestingly, the company has also promised to launch a new product in March 2023, but the type of the product has been kept under wraps. Carl Pei was also seen holding the Nothing Phone (1) with its clone, the Unihertz Luna, at this year’s MWC.
Nubia
ZTE’s subsidiary brand Nubia launched two products at MWC 2023, Nubia Pad 3D and the Nubia Neovision. Developed as the world’s first naked-eye tablet, the Nubia Pad 3D uses AI technology for success. The Nubia Pad 3D came to the forefront with the joint effort of ZTE and Leia Inc., where Leia provided the 3D light field display technology. The Nubia Pad 3D has the ability to track faces with its AI content processing capability in real-time in 2D and 3D. The tablet has a 12.4 in display, Dolby Atmos speakers in a symmetrical module, a 9070 mAh battery, and a Snapdragon 888 processor. The AR glasses, by the name of Nubia Neovision, also became the world’s first smart glasses with Hi-Res sound quality certification and TUV Rheinland certification. The smart glasses support a Micro OLED display, 0-500 degree myopia adjustment, and have a 120 in virtual portable giant screen. With the introduction of the smart glasses, Nubia further helped ZTE in their 1+2+N module with their Full Scenario Intelligent Ecosystem 2.0 upgrade.
Motorola
Motorola turned many heads with its rollable concept smartphone “Moto Rizr ” at MWC 2023. The compact device looks stunning with a 5 in POLED display and has the ability to roll into a 6.7 in display for better viewing of content. The company executives also highlighted a few extraordinary features where the screen size will automatically expand while watching a video. You can control the frame for taking better-quality shots, and the keyboard of the smartphone can automatically adjust with the screen size while expanding or contracting. The Moto Rizr is still in the concept phase and far from mass production, but the concept is no doubt intriguing. The company also launched a dongle-like handy device by the name of Motorola Defy Satellite Link, which would allow users to send messages even without a network using satellite connectivity.
Lenovo
At MWC 2023, Lenovo just launched a great number of laptops in its various series. In the Z series, it came with Z13 and Z16, where flaxseed was used to make the cover of Z13. Both of them are second-generation business laptops based on a clamshell design with unique features like a quick-launching control center for easy access to cameras and microphones. The company also launched the fourth generation 2 in 1 design Thinkpad X13 and Thinkpad X13 Yoga and versatile, dependable workhorse laptops of the T series with either AMD 7000 or Intel 13th generation processors. A highly portable model with a detachable keyboard was also there by the name of IdeaPad Duet 3i (Gen-8); the company also showed the 8th Generation IdeaPad Chromebook too. Along with these several laptops, Lenovo launched a new TIO desktop and Premier Support Plus.
Conclusion
Exploring the virtual world through AR, satellite connectivity, and foldable concepts is going to be the next big thing in the technology world, and this can be confirmed from what we have seen at the MWC, which just ended on March 2, 2023. After being totally called off in 2020 due to the pandemic, this year’s MWC blossomed beautifully with some mesmerizing innovations and was an overall success.
See more: Four Of The Biggest Smartphone Updates To Expect From The Mobile World Congress 2023
