Samsung, LG, Xiaomi, and Huawei will unveil their flagships

Feb 8, 2016 12:17 GMT  ·  By

This year's Mobile World Congress is just around the corner, and for those of you who did not follow our reports about what's coming to the trade fair in 2016, we've decided to do a quick recap of what you should expect regarding smartphones.

First of all, MWC 2016 is special since some mobile phone vendors have decided not to unveil their flagships at the trade fair while new ones that never released any new smartphones here will hold launch events.

Microsoft and HTC are two of the companies that are less likely to launch their flagships at MWC 2016, but they will be present and will probably showcase some new mid-range smartphones.

Unlike previous years, LG will announce the G5 later this month, and for the first time since the company exists, Xiaomi will launch its flagship smartphone, the Mi5, in Europe.

There may be other companies that will launch new smartphones at MWC 2016 like Alcatel, Gionee and Sony Mobile, and we will be talking about their products as well.

Samsung

But let's start with one of the most anticipated flagships to be debuted this year, Samsung Galaxy S7. Rumors about the high-end device date from few months ago, but lately they have started to emerge more often since we're getting close to release.

We even had the chance to see what the phone will look like thanks to a few official press renders that have been leaked online.

Samsung announced that its Unpacked Galaxy 2016 launch event would take place in Barcelona, Spain, on February 21. The Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge will be revealed at the press conference, but the South Korean company might have a few nice surprises under its sleeve, like the Galaxy A9 Pro.

The Galaxy S7 is expected to pack a 5.1-inch Super AMOLED display that supports Quad HD (2560 x 1440 pixels) resolution. It will feature the same unibody, glass-coated design as the Galaxy S6.

However, Samsung has decided to bring back the microSD card slot and added a USB Type-C port instead of microUSB 2.0. The 12-megapixel camera on the back is said to offer advanced imaging technology thanks to the BRITECELL module inside.

Unsurprisingly, the smartphone will come equipped with either Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 or Samsung Exynos 8890 CPU, paired with 4GB of RAM.

Another improvement over the previous flagship, the Galaxy S6, would be the larger battery. The Galaxy S7 will pack a larger battery, possibly 3,000 mAh, but still non-removable. It will also offer water resistance and Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow right out of the box.

Along with the Galaxy S7, Samsung is expected to unveil a larger version of its flagship called Galaxy S7 edge. This one will feature a curved 5.5-inch Super AMOLED display with Quad HD resolution and the same unibody design.

It is said to be powered by a larger, non-removable 3,600 mAh battery. The rest of the phone's specs are likely to be similar to those of the flat Galaxy S7, including the fingerprint scanner placed under the physical Home button.

Based on the latest teaser for Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2016 press event, the South Korean company is expected to announce a 360-degree VR camera along with its flagship smartphones.

Few details are known about this product aside from the fact that it will be a “compact spherical camera” that will probably take advantage of two 180-degree lenses.

LG

Next in line, LG G5 is another promising flagship smartphone that will make its debut at MWC 2016 on the same day as Samsung's Galaxy S7.

Now, this is a bold move coming from LG, as the company hasn't yet reached the level of popularity (smartphone-wise) of its South Korean rival, Samsung.

Still, LG has many fans or, let's say, there are many consumers who despise Samsung and are willing to jump in LG's boat if the company comes out with something worthy of attention.

LG G5 will be officially unveiled on February 21, in Barcelona, Spain. The handset maker gave us some hints a few weeks ago when an LG official claimed his company was ready to take on Samsung, but at that time, we didn't know what that could mean.

Well, it looks like the first step will be the introduction of LG G5 on the same day as the Samsung Galaxy S7. It remains to be seen whether or not LG will be able to make it available for purchase as quickly as Samsung will bring its Galaxy S7 to market (early March).

LG G5 is supposed to be a unique device from a design point of view. Since most flagships to be unveiled in the first half of 2016 will probably come with similar hardware specs (Snapdragon 820 CPU, 4GB RAM, Quad HD display), it's the little things and design that will convince consumers to buy them, and the price.

The G5 is said to feature a semi-modular design, which would allow users to replace some of the parts, such as the battery. Aside from that, we know few things about LG G5, among which the fact that it will pack a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor and 4GB of RAM.

LG G5 render based on prototype
LG G5 render based on prototype
The size of the Quad HD display is unknown, but rumors put it at 5.3 or 5.6 inches. One other feature that will set the LG G5 apart from other flagships is the dual-camera setup on the back.

The smartphone will come with 16-megapixel and 8-megapixel cameras on the rear while in the front there will be a third camera for selfies and video calls.

As expected, the LG G5's fingerprint scanner will be placed on the back side, right below the camera, just like in G4's case.

We hope to be able to get you more details on what makes the LG G5 special before the official unveiling, but if no other leaks emerge online, we will have to wait for February 21.

Huawei

Huawei is the third important mobile phone vendor that will announce its “newest smartphone” on February 21. Unfortunately, it's unclear whether the Chinese company will showcase the Huawei Mate 8 in Europe for the first time, or it will debut its new flagship smartphone, the P9.

Information about Huawei P9 is scarce, which is why we doubt one of the largest Chinese handset makers will make it official at MWC 2016.

But perhaps Huawei is very good at guarding secrets, so let's say the P9 will make its debut on February 21, just like LG G5 and Samsung Galaxy S7.

Once rumored to be the world's first smartphone to pack 6GB of RAM, Huawei P9 is now said to come with more “mundane” specs inside. The smartphone will sport a 5.2-inch Quad HD display, and it should be powered by a 3,000 mAh battery.

Hauwei P9 schematic
Hauwei P9 schematic
The main selling point seems to be Huawei's Kirin 950 processor which will power the P9. It's one of the most powerful mobile chipsets on the market, and the Chinese company will probably want to capitalize on that.

Moreover, just like the LG G5, Huawei P9 is rumored to include a dual-camera setup on the back, but we only know that one of the shutters will have 12 megapixels.

The fingerprint sensor will be placed on the front side of the smartphone under the Home button, not on the back like in the case of Huawei Nexus 6P.

Naturally, Huawei P9 will pack 4GB of RAM and will ship with Android 6.0 Marshmallow onboard, but other than that we don't know anything else about its specs.

Still, that's a pretty impressive specs sheet, enough to make us excited about Huawei's press event scheduled for February 21.

Gionee

The next day, February 21, Chinese OEM Gionee will announce its new flagship smartphone, the Elife S8. This is the second time Gionee introduces a high-end handset at MWC, which means the company was pretty content with the previous experience.

Gionee Elife S8 is a bit of a mystery since not many details about the smartphone have leaked until now. However, we do know that the flagship is likely to feature an all-metal chassis, as well as a Quad HD (2560 x 1440 pixels) display.

Unfortunately, the Elife S8 won't be too competitive hardware-wise since it will be powered by a 64-bit MediaTek MT6795, coupled with only 3GB of RAM.

If these rumors are true, Gionee will probably bet on the phone's low price rather than specs, since all other flagships come with Snapdragon 820 CPU and 4GB of RAM, so let's hope they're not.

On the bright side, rumor has it Gionee wants to include a 24-megapixel camera on the back, as well as a secondary 8-megapixel selfie camera in the front. That's a pretty good combo for Chinese flagship smartphone, but we don't vouch for the quality of the pictures.

If no other leaks shed light on the Elife S8's main specs, we will have to wait for Gionee's February 22 launch even if that has been recently confirmed.

Gionee Elife S8 press invitation
Gionee Elife S8 press invitation

Xiaomi

The next big thing coming from China is called Xiaomi M5. The smartphone has been postponed several times because the Chinese company was worried about Qualcomm's Snapdragon 810 overheating issues.

The Mi5 will be officially unveiled at MWC 2016 on February 24. A similar launch event will be held on the same day, and probably the same hour, in China, for Xiaomi's fans in the Mainland.

Xiaomi Mi5 is a more “traditional” flagship smartphone that is meant to be competitive through price. It will not come with a Quad HD display, as Xiaomi recently confirmed the Mi5 would sport a full HD (1080p) screen.

The Chinese company doesn't think the smartphone industry is ready for Quad HD display since they require too much power and the human eye's perception is not that high.

That being said, Xiaomi Mi5 has been confirmed to pack Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 processor inside, coupled with either 3GB or 4GB of RAM.

Xiaomi Mi5
Xiaomi Mi5
The camera on the back side with dual-tone LED flash has been relocated from the upper middle to the top left corner. A fingerprint sensor will be included under the Home button, and we've also confirmed the smartphone will offer NFC (Near Field Communication) and dual-SIM support.

Xiaomi Mi5 will be powered by a 3,600 mAh battery and will come preloaded with Android 6.0 Marshmallow and MIUI 7 on top.

Microsoft

The Redmond-based company is expected to showcase some of its newest Windows 10 Mobile handsets at MWC 2016, but it will not announce any flagships at the event.

Microsoft is rumored to launch at least two mid-range Windows 10 Mobile smartphones in the next couple of weeks: Lumia 650 and Lumia 650 XL.

However, these smartphones might be introduced earlier, possibly on February 15, so they will only be showcased at MWC 2016. Aside from that, there's nothing else to talk about Microsoft's presence at the trade fair.

Even though Windows Phone has some of the most passionate fans, Microsoft has to step up its game if it wants to keep them.

The smartphone market needs competition and every time a mobile platform disappears, it's a blow for consumers as much as for the companies supporting it. Hopefully, that won't happen with Windows Phone.

Sony

Sony Mobile has already confirmed a press event for February 22, but there are no hints as to what the Japanese company might introduce at MWC 2016.

We definitely don't expect the Sony Xperia Z6 to show up at the trade fair, but it's quite possible that a few mid-range Android smartphones will be unveiled later this month.

Rumor has it that Sony doesn't plan to launch any new Xperia tablets this year since the previous models didn't sell that well (possibly due to high price). If these rumors are accurate, then we should rule out the possibility of Xperia Z5 Tablet being unveiled this month.

However, with Sony, you never know what will happen, and the Japanese company might have a few aces up its sleeve.

Sadly, Xperia Z6 won't be one of those aces, as the flagship is expected to make its debut much later this year, possibly at IFA 2016 in fall.

Sony MWC 2016 press invite
Sony MWC 2016 press invite

Alcatel

We reported recently on Alcatel OneTouch's upcoming line of smartphones. Alcatel OneTouch Idol 4 and OneTouch Idol 4S are two high-end smartphones that haven't been officially unveiled yet.

A few other low- to mid-end handsets have leaked as well, so we expect the Chinese company to have a very busy trade fair this year.

But this doesn't come as a surprise since Alcatel OneTouch always has consistent presences at Mobile World Congress, which is why we expect at least a few several Android smartphones to be showcased there later this month.

HTC

The Taiwanese handset maker is undoubtedly not going to unveil the One M10 at MWC 2016. HTC is not ready or doesn't think it will be beneficial to announce its flagship later this month.

According to the latest rumors, HTC One M10 will have its own dedicated event this spring, but an exact release date hasn't been confirmed yet.

The newest information about the One M10 gives us a glimpse at what the smartphone will look like. The unannounced flagship has been recently caught on camera, so we can see its front side that includes a Home button and a camera above the display.

Sources familiar with HTC's plans claim the smartphone will be equipped with a 5.1-inch AMOLED display that supports Quad HD resolution.

Also, the flagship will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 CPU, an Adreno 530 GPU, and 4GB of RAM.

It will come with a 12-UltraPixel camera on the back with OIS (optical image stabilization) and a fingerprint sensor under the Home button.

HTC hasn't yet confirmed any press events for MWC 2016, so it will either showcase some of its older Android smartphones or will skip the trade fair altogether.

Conclusion

So, these are the significant devices you should expect to see at MWC 2016 if you're going, but we don't rule out the possibility that other companies will launch surprise products.

But the most important events have been highlighted so if you want to follow them as they will unfold later this month, stay with us as we'll be live blogging most of them.

Which of these upcoming flagships smartphones do you find most exciting? Or perhaps you're waiting for another device that we haven't covered here? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section.

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