The Mobile World Congress begins this Monday in Barcelona. The world meeting on mobility and smartphones hopes to experience a return to normality after a lackluster 2022 vintage. The market is going through one of the worst moments in its history, with smartphone sales at half mast, but it is counting on the Spanish event to demonstrate that the sector remains dynamic and innovative. And his 2023 track, “Velocity, Unleashing Tomorrow’s Technology Today,” speaks volumes about his ambitions.
On Catalan soil, in addition to Apple, the usual great absentee, and Sony, which declined the invitation, will be the main tenors. Samsung already presented its Galaxy S23 at the beginning of February, but it will undoubtedly make a good presence with its A range, just like Oppo, which has just presented its Oppo Find N2 Flip, its first folding smartphone launched internationally. The latter must above all emphasize in the sections of the show his promises of “revolutionary technological innovations”.
Chinese manufacturers in force
It will be necessary to count on the impressive delegation of Chinese manufacturers willing to make people talk about them and compete in ingenuity to stand out. Huawei’s place as a giant in the sector remains vacant and no representative from the Middle Kingdom has done really well. Xiaomi opened the hostilities on Sunday by presenting in particular its new premium series Xiaomi 13 designed with Leica, whose Pro model that clearly wants box of the same category as the iPhone 14 Pro Max and the Galaxy S23 Ultra, at least in the dizzying price level (1300 euros). The brand also announced the presence of its star robots, the humanoid CyberOne with its 1.77 m and 52 kg, and the CyberDog, already seen in 2021.
Honor is also preparing to present its spearhead, the Magic 5 Pro, but also its very first model with a folding screen, the Honor Magic Vs. We are also waiting for news from TCL or Lenovo, which has shown its concept of a drop-down smartphone. the screen.
Challengers also push each other at the gate. Starting with OnePlus, which has promised a new model, the OnePlus 11 Concept, whose back will remind the LEDs of the Nothing Phone (1), designed by… the former co-founder of OnePlus. Without a doubt, the MWC will be an opportunity for Chinese manufacturers to show their power and compete with announcements related to fast charging.
In particular, we look forward to Realme, which should show its recently presented Realme GT Neo 5 in China with its 240W charging. Other manufacturers hope to surprise if it is with a foldable smartphone, a market in which Tecno, another Chinese brand, promises that will present its foldable Phantom V on Tuesday, or Nokia that will show its G22 on Saturday, a smartphone that is committed to its ultra-repairability within everyone’s reach thanks to kits and tools provided at low cost.
5G, AI and more
But MWC 2023 should go beyond the framework of the simple smartphone. Now undermined in the western market, Huawei will be present, but to talk about 5G infrastructure, intelligent world and AI. 5G should be one of the strong trends at the fair. Qualcomm will be there to present not only its Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip and its prowess, but also its 5G promises and also to push the pinpoint 5G that is struggling to go mainstream but will slowly start to take root in Europe this year. . .
It’s hard to imagine the show missing out on AI in every way, whether it’s promoting the smart, connected city of tomorrow or new advances in the home. Matter, the future common protocol for all connected objects, will no doubt also show that its ecosystem is growing, as is interest from brands and voice assistants in particular. There is no doubt that augmented, virtual or mixed reality will find a place in Catalonia. The multiplicity of headphones, from HTC to Meta through Sony and pending Apple, can only boost the segment.
Source: BFM TV
