Nokia

Ah who doesn’t love a wildcard. In years beyond the Nokia press conference become a staple of the pre-MWC hardware press convention circuit, given the corporation turned into the foremost pressure in cell for a couple of years. however seeing that Microsoft obtained Nokia’s cellular making division ordinary provider has been disrupted. however, from this 12 months, Nokia regains the potential to paste its very own emblem call on smartphones again — so it’s viable we may want to get a hardware-related assertion at its MWC presser once more this yr.

Or it may unveil a new 5G basestation (or similar) — given networks is a core department of the last enterprise. Nokia has already announced it’s launching a network safety management center for operators at the display this yr, as an instance.

Albeit final summer Nokia’s CEO Rajeev Suri showed the organization’s goal to design and license handsets in 2016 — assuming it may locate the proper partners to electricity a return to the smartphone marketplace. And it has already worked with Foxconn to put out an Android pill (the N1), which it became showing off at MWC final yr. So we’ll quickly discover whether or not it’s increased that approach to smartphones now too. 

If it has, it’s in reality taking the bull via the horns by immediately clashing with Samsung’s Sunday night press event timing. So it'll either be a very bullish return to smartphones for the former international number one mobile maker. Or a ‘nothing to peer right here’ networks-related presser… both manner, TC could be at the ground in Barcelona to find out.

Huawei

China’s Huawei won't have the brand glamour of Samsung but it’s been making some steady marketshare profits nowadays, consistent with analysts. At MWC the employer has a press occasion scheduled for the Sunday afternoon wherein it says it is going to be unveiling “a contemporary Huawei device as a way to meet the demands of the next technology of cell innovation”. It’s feasible this could be a brand new flagship cellphone — aka the Huawei P9, successor to final year’s P8. The corporation additionally has a line of mid-tier devices, and makes smartwatches too. So lots of hardware options here.

HTC

in contrast to in MWCs past we’re no longer anticipating a lot within the manner of new flagship cellphone hardware from Taiwan’s HTC, which isn't keeping a completely fledged press occasion at this yr’s display. 

Given how lots the enterprise has struggled to turn its smartphone fortunes round in current years this isn't always a large surprise. remaining month CEO Cher Wang even said that VR is now “greater critical” for the organisation than telephones. So HTC’s MWC announcements are going to be targeted on its forthcoming Vive VR headset, which it’s building in partnership with video games developer Valve.

We already recognise the Vive headset is due to deliver from April, with pre-orders beginning later this month, but we’re looking forward to the organisation to take time at MWC flesh out some greater information about what will be within the Vive container — and specially disclose a totally key bit of intel: the fee.