Mobile World Congress 2015 – What We’re Expecting

Mobile World Congress 2015 kicks off this Sunday, meaning the eyes of the world’s technology press will be firmly focused on Barcelona.

Bringing together around 1,900 exhibitors, the world’s largest mobile technology show draws in 85,000 visitors last year, making it a crucial part of the year for many.

But what can we expect from this year’s show? TechWeekEurope gazes into our crystal ball to bring you our predictions for MWC 2015.

Super mobiles

Despite the CES in January trying to take its shine over the past few years, Mobile World Congress is set to be one of the most important events for new mobile devices in recent times. Nearly all of the world’s biggest device manufacturers will be exhibiting at the show, with many of them set to reveal their latest units.

Sunday March 1 kicks off the show with a bang, with Samsung, HTC and Huawei (among others) all set to unveil their latest flagship devices as they battle for supremacy in the Android market, with Microsoft, Sony and Alcatel also planning launches later on.

Samsung’s Galaxy S6 will doubtlessly take much of the attention thanks to its curved design and super-powered hardware, but we’re intrigued to see HTC’s One M9 smartphone (pictured above) too, which is rumoured to feature one of the most powerful cameras ever seen in a mobile device. Chinese titan Huawei has also been growing steadily, and should release its most powerful handset ever as part of its ongoing quest for market share, and Sony is also preparing to unveil its latest Xperia devices, which may include a new smartphone, but more likely will be its biggest tablet launch yet.

Elsewhere, MWC is also a chance for the smaller device manufacturers to be seen and heard, with many other launches set to occur at the show, and is a good opportunity to find out more surrounding the parts that make up our smartphones and tablets. The likes of Qualcomm, Nvidia and MediaTek will all be keen to show off their latest hardware, which are powering not just the latest smartphones and tablets, but also increasingly the growing Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem. And speaking of that…

Everything of the Internet of Things

The Internet of Things (IoT) is officially here to stay, and mobile is a huge part of that. The technology supporting the IoT is getting smaller and more powerful as time passes, as sensors and infrastructure develop and evolve to power a growing ecosystem in the world around us.

MWC 2015 is a fantastic opportunity for vendors and developers to show off the ways in which they are making the world a more connected and intelligent place. From connected cars to smart fridges, we’re expecting lots of news around the IoT this year.

Of particular note will be the event’s ‘Innovation City’, hosted by the GSMA industry body, which looks to showcase how mobile-connected products can enrich our personal and work lives in cities across the world, making them a smarter, greener and healthier place to live.

Connected Cars

As mentioned above, connected cars is an area that has grown steadily over the past few years, as auto manufacturers look to improve the driving experience but integrating it with consumer’s growing love for technology.

CES 2015 saw many of the big brands, including BMW, Mercedes (pictured left) and Audi, all showing off major new advances, included so-called ‘pilot-driving’ concepts of vehicles driven without human interaction. MWC should take up this baton nicely, as car makers look to show off their latest innovations. We’re expecting improved in-car entertainment, GPS mapping, cloud connectivity and improves safety features, all enabled by improved technology.

And wearables, wearables everywhere…

Wearables are everywhere, as companies try and jump onto the latest fad by churning out smartwatches, fitness trackers, smart glasses and everything in between.

Annoyingly for many exhibitors, Apple has managed to gazump the whole of MWC by announcing yesterday it will be holding an event on March 9 which is nearly certain to be the full-scale reveal of its Apple Watch device, but that doesn’t mean MWC 2015 should be ignored for fans of wearable technology.

Many of the leading device manufacturers will be either announcing or showing off their latest offerings , and as the device world becomes more interlinked, as smartphones, tablets and wearables all talk to each other, it will be fascinating to see how it all plays together.

So that’s what we’re expecting to see from MWC 2015 – now stay tuned to TechWeekEurope from Sunday for all the latest news, interviews and videos from Barcelona!

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