Top 5 Eye Catching Phones at MWC19 The Biggest Crazes in Mobile
Barcelona, Spain February 25–28 certainly became the World Capital of Technology. During my jam-packed tour of this 4 day spectacle. According to the organizers more than 118,000 visitors attending with over 2,300 different companies and brands showing off their latest and greatest in the smartphone and mobile device market.
Having attended this year’s Mobile World Congress (MWC), and being a long time attendee of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), I am delighted to share my experience. I can tell you those exhibitors receiving the most attention this year at MWC19 were truly remarkable, and I’d like to share what I found to clearly be the top 5 eye-catching products at this year’s show.
Walking through the doors here at the world’s largest mobile show of its kind, my immediate observation was the theme of 5G-related technologies among many of the exhibitors. Highlighting the show were not just new phones featuring 5G, but also foldable designs and those with multiple cameras. A larger presence was felt by brands as important as SONY, Dell, Samsung, IBM, HTC, ZTE, LG, Huawei, Vodafone or Telefonica, and there were even a few comebacks such as Nokia and Blackberry. Several hidden treasures were also uncovered among these giants; in fact, there was one very interesting newcomer that turned many heads at MWC19 — Electroneum, releasing an economically priced blockchain “Phone that pays you back…” The Electroneum M1. And with the global buzz surrounding blockchain and cryptocurrencies I will focus a little extra on this as I did a deep dive during the show to unearth some gems. So let’s take a look at this awesome exhibition and the newest items which truly impressed and outshined the others this year at MWC19.
MWC19 took place at the beautiful and famous Fira Gran Via, located on Joan Carles I Avenue in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat in the heart of Barcelona, Spain.
The organizer of this massive event is the GSM Association (GSMA). Created 37 years ago, the GSMA is formed today by 750 operators from around the world and over 350 sector-related companies (e.g. telecom, manufacturers, internet and software companies, etc). The first MWC took place in Rome in 1990 and at that time went by a different name, originally being called “World Congress GSM”. The theme of Mobile World Congress 2019 is Intelligent Connectivity.
The first edition of the Mobile World Congress had approximately 50,000 participants, whereas last year 107,000 people attended MWC 2018. Interesting fact: in this predominantly male-dominated sector the number of female attendees has grown year over year. Last year 24% of the attendees were women, whereas back in 2015 they only represented 15%; this trend is seen as continuing to rise. The telecom sector has been the largest beneficiary of the surge in demand for smartphones across the globe. If you take a look around, they truly are the biggest craze today as smartphones have penetrated every strata of society — from the developed world to the developing world — becoming quite literally a necessity to many in their day-to-day life.
The Foldable Front Runners — Huawei Mate X and Samsung Galaxy Fold
This year MWC19 kicked things off with a BANG — from foldable and 5G smartphones to inexpensive blockchain models — many companies made a big splash with their new models and remarkable features. It was no easy task, but I narrowed down the list to 5 phones/products I found receiving a lot of attention at MWC19. These items reach far beyond just the trends, representing the absolute best of the best for what this massive industry has to offer for the year ahead and beyond.
Smartphones with foldable screens have arrived, and while they are still in their infancy they will be hitting the stores in 2019. The Samsung Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X will be rather expensive at first, as is often the case with new tech (Do you remember the first Blu-ray Disc player?). However, it is quite convincing there will be no shortage of interested parties in the new foldable designs. Truly the best-looking foldable smartphone ever made was unveiled in Barcelona during the MWC19, well before Huawei’s press conference. Images of the Mate X were accidentally leaked (or where they?) teasing a fantastic design that already looked better than what Samsung did with the Galaxy Fold.
What is remarkable and yet never clear from any photo — what you cannot see — is the Mate X handset actually stays precisely in the position you set it in. Yes, if you want it in tablet mode it remains flat and crisp like a tablet, and at no point while holding it did I feel like the hinge would move on its own. When you are able to get your hands on one of these you, too, will be in awe just as I was.
The content looks excellent even if the aspect ratio of the 8-inch OLED screen (8:7.1) is a bit unusual at first. Games look great too, and of course video looks exactly like what you have come to expect from video on an Android tablet. The same goes for browsing the web; after all, it’s basically an Android tablet.
Huawei said its Mate X will cost a jaw-dropping $2,600 when it goes on sale in the middle of this year. That’s pricier than feared, even though it’s one of the world’s first foldable phones. Some will happily cough this up, others not so much. One thing is for sure: it will be interesting to see what price point the supply and demand of market forces dictates these stunning technologies eventually land at when competitively priced.
Best Low Cost Phones — The Electroneum M1 and Nokia 4.2
One of the biggest surprises among the crowds of MWC19 was a newcomer out of the United Kigdom from the fintech company Electroneum LTD with the blockchain “Phone that pays you back…” in cryptocurrency. I will spend a little extra time focusing on this because it is highly likely to have a positive global impact imminently. Electroneum was actually the one thing I found at MWC19 that truly stood out with something quite unique among the others. Consequently, I saw the Electroneum M1 received a high degree of attention from some very big names. I’ll give it similar attention here because I assume if they are interested then intelligent readers will be too.
The ElectroneumM1 utilizes the first KYC/AML regulatory compliant blockchain digital asset, ETN, with such ease and simplicity that it may very well break the barriers of international boundaries between the developed world and the developing world. In fact, this is rumored to be the front runner — the linchpin — that brings together the banked and unbanked.
Electroneum has grown to almost 3 million registered users of its coin, ETN, in its first year; remarkably, this bests the rates of adoption of even Facebook and Twitter. It is likely this user growth which served as the impetus behind what I saw at MWC19: Electroneum rubbing elbows with the likes of IBM, Samsung, Sony, Oppo, Huawei and many more. From my boots on the grounds point of view, I did not see any other cryptocurrency projects at MWC19 making such an impact. What appears to be an economical blockchain phone on the surface in fact has a much deeper and more significant impact that reaches far and wide, filling an ever-growing global need.
How it Works:
Out of the box the M1 comes fully loaded with all the main ingredients including the proprietary Electroneum suite, providing unlimited free access to their Digital Wallet and Cloud Miner which rewards users for their engagement with the app by accumulating small amounts of ETN; once the balance reaches 100, a transfer is made to one’s secure wallet also on the phone. From there the options are quite limitless whether one wants to accumulate, spend, or receive ETN: all transactions take place instantly, and safely — on the blockchain — with Electroneum’s Patent Pending Instant Payment System. The M1 is fully certified by Google, and runs on Andriod Oreo Go Edition. With the up-gradation of latest features and technology it certainly has what it needs to cover all the bases.
Electroneum’s Founder and CEO, Richard Ells, and his dedicated team spent an enormous amount of time researching, putting in their due diligence, and analyzing the trends before the trigger was pulled on the creation of M1. Given enough time there is no doubt you will see other crypto projects following the footsteps of Electroneum, starting with KYC/AML compliance, which already having this puts ETN light years ahead of the curve for digital assets.
Embracing the mantra “why fit in when you can stand out” Electroneum had a truly unique and funky stand at MWC19, representing the real world use and application of ETN. During the show Electroneum officially announced a recent deal with South African Mobile Network Operator (MNO) The Unlimited, and demonstrated how simply one can Top Up their data and minutes using cryptocurrency directly from within the Electroneum app — quite literally paying one’s phone bill with ETN.
As I took time to engage Electroneum further it became clear to see here’s a rapidly growing project that is executing on their vision and doing so with an extremely intuitive, engaging product. There are 1.8 billion adults in the world without a bank account: What do they have in common? They all have a smart phone. Every Electroneum M1 that goes out the door and every Electroneum app that is downloaded from either Google Play or Apple’s App store — each becomes a force multiplier giving opportunity and dignity to this $3 trillion unbanked demographic to transact globally. The network effect will be unstoppable.
Electroneum’s smartphone will cost around $80, and in many locations even less. This is significantly lower than the higher-end reconditioned smartphones with the same features, and is on par with the similar price points of many “feature phones;” Electroneum M1, however, is fully loaded when compared with those models. (More on Electroneum’s M1 in the news story found here).
The Nokia 4.2
Nokia has really come back and started to make a name for itself in the international budget phone market; in fact, 2019 might be the year it claims the crown in the US. After announcing two carrier partnerships in January, the Finnish company debuted its sleek and beautiful Nokia 4.2 at MWC19.
Starting at $169, the phone can easily be mistaken for a high-end flagship. It has an all-glass body and a 5.71-inch display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. There’s a dual camera module and a fingerprint sensor on the back, although you may not need the latter since the phone also has facial authentication. Like nearly all of Nokia’s smartphones, the 4.2 is part of the Android One program and will ship with Android Pio 9.0 when it comes out this spring. If you are in the international scene definitely keep your eyes out for this one.
Best 5G Phones: Samsung Galaxy S10 and LG V50
At Samsung’s flashy MWC booth visitors have been able to get a real up close experience on the full range of Samsung’s latest mobile innovations. At the center of Samsung’s MWC stand is the Galaxy S10 5G — the company’s first 5G smartphone.
As expected, Samsung absolutely knocks it out of the park when it comes to hardware. The glass and aluminum builds are top-of-the-line, the AMOLED displays are the best they’ve ever been, and Samsung has gone all out with its camera game by including a total of three rear cameras on the more expensive S10 and S10+.
Speaking of the display, the S10 and S10+ have their fingerprint sensors hidden underneath it. That’s right! Similar to what we’ve seen on devices like the OnePlus 6T, there’s a designated area in the bottom middle of the screen where you can place your finger to unlock the phone. The S10 and S10+ are the first devices to use Qualcomm’s ultrasonic sensing technology which essentially creates a 3D model of your fingerprint. Compared to other in-screen sensors that just capture a 2D image of it, this should allow the S10 and S10+ to be faster and far more secure in these regards. The technology in this is just fascinating. The processor is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855, and it has the best software experience I’ve ever seen from Samsung. Indeed, with this phone you end up with something that’s pretty special, and this beauty will set you back a cool $1,650.
LG V50
LG has officially unveiled its first 5G smartphone as well. Sunday night, immediately preceding the official opening of the show, MWC hosted a launch event in Barcelona for the V50 ThinQ that’s set to go on sale in spring.
This 5G smartphone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor with fourth-generation artificial intelligence (AI) acceleration and the Snapdragon X50 5G Modem. It has a vapour chamber for better cooling, and comes with a 4,000mAh battery and a 6.4-inch OLED display.
The V50 ThinQ comes with 6GB of memory and 128GB of storage, with a microSD slot for up to 2TB of additional memory; a 16MP and two 12MP rear-facing cameras; 8MP and 5MP front-facing cameras; runs Android 9.0 Pie; and works on 3G, 4G LTE, and 5G networks.
The V50 is available in black, and will be launching this year with 10 major carrier partners across the US, South Korea, Australia, and Europe. While not officially announced, the retail price is rumored to hover around $1,100 — $1,650.
In a wild twist, LG is also offering a new Dual Screen accessory for the V50 — a second 6.2-inch OLED display that attaches to the phone like a case, and offers twice the screen real estate. The Dual Screen is powered off the V50’s internal battery, so users can simply attach it to their phone and be good to go. With the second screen, users will be able to multitask with an application on each display, or even use it as a game controller with some games.
And there you have it! The Top 5 major attractions at MWC19. If you were not able to attend this year I cannot encourage you strongly enough to splurge for the pass to next year’s show. And while I simply can’t conceive of besting these uniquely remarkable products, I am certain — true to form — MWC 2020 will continue to deliver and then some!
Neither the author nor the publication assumes any responsibility or liability for any investments, profits, losses made as a result of this information. Trading and investing are risky propositions, and market participants are advised to always conduct thorough research. FULL DISCLOSURE: At the time of writing the author owns, Samsung, Bitcoin, Litecoin, Electroneum and other cryptocurrencies.
