The world’s largest telephone present is ready for Barcelona later this month, and it’s shaping as much as be an attention-grabbing one — notably within the wake of what amounted to an extremely lackluster CES final month. We’re nonetheless a few weeks out from the precise occasion, however the rumors have already began flying.

Few issues are sure but. It appears fairly clear that 5G will as soon as once more be taking middle stage, and, in contrast to final yr, corporations may very well have extra to supply on that entrance than mere discuss.

Samsung introduced its plans to launch its flagship on the occasion — bucking its latest pattern of saving its huge information for its personal occasion. That’s a fairly robust act to compete with — as such, different producers could be retaining comparatively quiet in Barcelona, in order to not get steamrolled by the S9.

Nokia and BlackBerry were surprise hits finally yr’s present, courtesy of high-profile licensing offers, so anticipate extra to come back from that. Additionally, Qualcomm’s newest high-end chip, the Snapdragon 845, seems completely timed to look on A LOT of flagships for the present. And Google, which made a big splash at CES and final yr’s MWC, seemingly can be again to speak in regards to the energy of Assistant on cell.

What follows is a set of among the most distinguished rumors main as much as the yr’s greatest smartphone present.

BlackBerry

The KeyOne was a shock hit finally yr’s MWC. It was a pleasant piece of that managed to seize the BlackBerry magic, whereas updating it for the trendy smartphone set. TCL (the corporate that licenses the BlackBerry title in a lot of the world today) has a pair of new handsets on deck for 2018, so anticipate at the least one to be proven off in Barcelona.

HTC

Not a lot to report right here. HTC’s anticipated to remain fairly quiet this month. The telephone maker is said to be retaining its powder dry for Cellular World Congress this yr, as corporations like Samsung dominate the present. The U12 remains to be on the horizon, however the flagship is now anticipated to launch nearer to spring. No shock, actually — the corporate’s been intent on internet hosting its personal launch events of late.

LG

The corporate’s stated to be bucking the pattern of launching a brand new G sequence machine on the present. As a substitute, the most recent batch of rumors spearheaded by a report from The Korea Herald have the corporate launching an up to date model of the V30, sporting enhanced AI options and the decidedly uncatchy title, “V30+’α’,” which actually seems to have been dreamt up by some method of robotic intelligence.

Nokia

Sure, Nokia. Effectively, HMD, truly. Final yr’s present was an enormous one for the return of the as soon as mighty model beneath its newly licensed residence. Final yr, the corporate made an enormous splash with the launch — or, relaunch — of the 3310. The throwback handset captured the creativeness of a public affected by smartphone burnout. Additionally, it runs Snake. Provided that this represented a type of vindication for the licensing deal, I wouldn’t be too stunned if we see HMD making an attempt to seize lightning in a bottle but once more with one other full-throttle embrace of retro .

Past that, the corporate’s anticipated to put up a complete load of recent telephones throughout an enormous press convention. Refreshes to the 6, 7 and eight have all been floated, together with the arrival of the Nokia 9, a brand new flagship from the corporate, which, if nothing else, follows the corporate’s strict adherence to sequential numbers. Rumors give the brand new premium handset a 5.5-inch show, however past that, issues have been pretty scattershot.

Samsung

Two weeks out, Samsung seems to have already received the present. The corporate truly managed to take among the wind out of its personal sails at CES by asserting that very same week that it could be asserting its subsequent flagship at Cellular World Congress.

Simply in case there was any lingering doubt, the corporate has since despatched out invitations emblazoned with a large quantity “9,” implying both the arrival the Galaxy S9/S9+ or the launch of DJ Koh’s new White Album-era Beatles cowl band. Natasha wrote up what to expect, particularly targeted on the handset, so listed here are a number of key bullet factors for many who hate paragraph formatting:

• New digital camera tech. That is at all times a spotlight for the corporate, and this day out, added depth-sensing seems to be an enormous a part of the equation. Additionally, improved low-light image capturing.
• All of that can be powered by the Snapdragon 845, the most recent from Qualcomm (with an Exynos chip transport in sure areas).
• Fingerprint reader now situated beneath the rear digital camera.
• A battery enhance is predicted — child steps on that entrance, nevertheless, for apparent areas.
• Headphone jack, as a result of Samsung’s simply not prepared to surrender the ghost.

Given how a lot Samsung is investing in MWC this yr, I’d anticipate extra . A brand new model of the DeX docking station is predicted, and given what an enormous present it will little question be for 5G, Samsung will in all probability be speaking up networking till it’s blue within the face.

Sony

Sony likes to pile on the Xperia information at MWC. Final yr, the corporate unloaded a bunch of handsets, and there’s no motive to anticipate that this one can be any totally different. Xperia XZ Pro is the title that’s been floating round because the center of final month. The rumors give the flagship a 5.7-inch 4K show and the Snapdragon 845 that’s set to be all the trend at MWC. Naturally, nevertheless, the digital camera’s the factor right here. In any case, Sony’s handsets have at all times been as a lot about showcasing its digital camera know-how as they’re truly, you already know, promoting telephones. The handset will supposedly sport a pair of rear-facing cameras.