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MWC 2015: what to expect
MWC is quite possibly the biggest yearly event in the mobile world. At MWC 2014 for example we saw the Samsung Galaxy S5, Sony Xperia Z2 and a plethora of other smartphones, tablets and smartwatches.
MWC 2015 is expected to be every bit as big and there are already rumblings of some of what might be on show - how about the Samsung Galaxy S6, HTC One M9, LG G4 and Sony Xperia Z4?
Any one of those could be a show stopper all on its own, but there are lots of other things going on in the mobile world too. Here's what we know so far.
HTC
HTC has sent out invites to a special event it's holding on March 1 in Barcelona, teasing us with the headline "utopia in progress."
We expect the Taiwanese firm to launch its next generation flagship smartphone at this event, currently dubbed the HTC One M9, but rumors suggest it may sport a different name when it comes to market.
Codenamed handset HTC Hima is claimed to be a phablet sized flagship, and there's an outside chance this could make an appearance too.
It's not just the company's flagship phone we'll be keeping an eye out for though, with other reports suggesting we may be treated to an HTC smartwatch as well.
Samsung
Samsung returned to MWC last year with a bang, launching the Galaxy S5 at the show after shunning it in 2013, opting instead for a standalone launch for its Galaxy S4.
Multiple sources all point towards MWC 2015 for the launch of the Korean firm's next blockbuster mobile - the Samsung Galaxy S6.
There's also word that Samsung may be working on a curved screened variant of its next flagship - currently being referred to as the Galaxy S6 Edge, so keep an eye out for that.
Want more? Good, because rumblings about new tablets and a circular smartwatch have also been spotted in the run up to MWC 2015.
And let's not forget about Samsung's own mobile operating system, Tizen, which has finally seen its first handset go on sale in the form of the Z1 and we could see more in Barcelona.
Sony
We're potentially in line for a flurry of flagships at MWC 2015 and Sony's offering could arrive in the form of the Xperia Z4.
The Japanese firm is currently enjoying a six month cycle of flagships and MWC falls at the correct time for its next installment after the launch of the Xperia Z3 in September 2014.
We're also due an update to Sony's 10.1-inch Xperia Z2 Tablet, plus there's a chance we'll see another Android Wear smartwatch to join the SmartWatch 3 in Sony's ranks.
LG
Another possible flagship? Oh, go on then. Yep, the LG G4 is also being linked with a MWC 2015 launch, making for a glut of high-end smartphones.
Last year the LG G3 was launched at its own unique event in London, and with a potentially crowded line up of new devices at MWC it will be interesting to see if LG will jump in at the deep end or play the waiting game and do its own thing afterwards.
The latest rumors suggest LG will sidestep MWC 2015, in favor of another standalone event to launch the G4.
LG has already launched two Android Wear smartwatches, the G Watch and G Watch R, so we'd say it's less likely it'll roll out another at MWC 2015 - but we're not ruling it out completely.
Microsoft
Last year Nokia caused a storm at MWC by launching handsets running a heavily modified version of Google's Android operating system.
The sad news is Nokia is unlikely to be at MWC 2015, and if it is its presence will be much, much smaller. On a positive note Microsoft will be taking over what was the Nokia booth, exuding all things Lumia and Windows Phone.
There's not a huge amount of news regarding exact devices, but it's been a while since the flagship Nokia Lumia 930 was launched, so it's about time for a new hero for the Windows Phone brand.
Talk about a successor to the 41MP Nokia Lumia 1020 refuses to die down, so we'll be on the lookout for another powerful cameraphone too.
We're also hearing mutterings that Microsoft may also be readying a new wearable which could be shown off in Barcelona.
Huawei
You can expect some new devices from Huawei after the firm confirmed its MWC 2015 press conference for March 1.
It's currently not clear what exactly it'll be launching, but we reckon a flagship smartphone and perhaps some middle and lower tier options will be on the cards - oh and possibly a wearable or two as well.
Honor
The breakout brand from Chinese firm Huawei launched its impressive Honor 6 smartphone in the second half of 2014 alongside the entry level Honor 3C - and it's returning with three new devices at MWC 2015.
That's all the details we have for now, with the invite for the Honor press conference in Barcelona giving little else away. Prepare yourself for a trio of low cost, high spec handsets though.
Oppo, ZTE, OnePlus and others
You can be sure that the likes of Huawei and ZTE will be bringing their own arsenal of mobile devices to Barcelona and there will be plenty to see from the slightly more fringe players of the mobile market.
TechRadar will be out in force at MWC 2015 to bring you all the latest as it happens, so make sure you bookmark this page.
MWC 2015: what we want to see
What would make MWC 2015 an amazing show for us? Plenty of new, innovative products that'll take 2015 by storm.
Here's what we'd love to see in Barcelona between March 1 and March 5.
Second generation smartwatches
Technically we're probably already on at least the third generation of smartwatches, but they've only recently started to take off and we're certainly on the first generation of Android Wear devices.
Those that have arrived so far are pretty good, but there's a lot of room for improvement and with the Apple Watch looming other manufacturers would do well to get truly polished products on the market before it launches.
So what specifically do we want? More smartwatches that actually look like a watch would be good, with circular displays like the Moto 360 and LG G Watch R, except less chunky and with smaller bezels than the G Watch R and without the cut-out on the Moto 360.
Longer battery life would be good too, as would higher resolution displays and more power, though it's unlikely we'll see all three in one watch any time soon. Just making them look good and removing the need to charge them every night would be a great start. Hopefully some such devices will turn up at MWC 2015.
HTC One M9
It's unlikely that the HTC One M9 will launch at MWC, but you never know and if nothing else it will probably launch at around that time.
If it did then it would probably be one of the most exciting handsets there. Hopefully whenever it launches it will have an improved camera (but maybe not take the same approach as the HTC Desire Eye).
It would also be good to see some truly cutting edge specs, water and dust resistance and a more attractive design, if that's even possible.
Sony Xperia Z4
The Sony Xperia Z2 launched at MWC 2014 so we're fully expecting the Sony Xperia Z4 to launch at MWC 2015. Beyond that not a whole lot is known about it, but that hasn't stopped us coming up with a wish list.
Among the things we want to see is a QHD display, improved low-light camera performance, 4K video which actually works (big ask we know) and a refreshed design.
We'd be amazed if we got all that, but even some of it would make the Sony Xperia Z4 an exciting prospect.
A new Lumia flagship
Microsoft can call the Nokia Lumia 830 an 'affordable flagship' all it wants, but we're not fooled, it's a mid-ranger in flagship clothing. Even though the Lumia 930 only came out in July we're already feeling in need of a new flagship, perhaps because so few Windows Phone handsets are released in general.
So whether it's the Lumia 1030 with a 6 trillion megapixel camera or the Lumia 940 with high-end performance we'd love to see something new.
While a new flagship is surely in the works we don't particularly expect to see it at MWC, more likely it will arrive later, but it would definitely be a highlight of the show if it did turn up.
Microsoft's wearable
There have been rumblings of a Microsoft wearable for a while now, though it's not clear whether it will be a full blown smartwatch or a wristband.
Either way, we're excited to see it, especially as it's rumored to support Android and iOS as well as Windows Phone. That could be a big deal for anyone with no strong allegiance to a specific OS.
It's not clear when Microsoft's wearable will be arriving, so there's no reason to think it will be announced at MWC 2015, but that's likely to be just about its last opportunity before the Apple Watch launches, so you never know.
Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet
The Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet is one of the best slates outside iPad land, but come MWC it will be a year old and due a refresh, as Sony only released a compact slate with the Z3 moniker.
There's a good chance we will see a Z4 Tablet at MWC 2015 and there's also a good chance it will be more of the same, just more powerful and possibly even thinner than the already impossibly slim Z2 Tablet.
But what we really want to see is a better screen, as the 1200 x 1920 display on the Xperia Z2 Tablet just didn't cut it at a 10.1-inch size point. Get the screen sorted and Sony could have a real iPad Air killer, though by then it will be the iPad Air 2 it's competing with.
A premium Samsung flagship
There's a good chance that Samsung will announce the Galaxy S6 at MWC 2015, but we don't just want to see any old flagship, we want Samsung to really wow us and make up for the slightly muted response to the Galaxy S5.
Following on from the Samsung Galaxy Alpha and Galaxy Note 4 we're fully expecting the Galaxy S6 to at least have a metal frame, but hopefully Samsung will go further than that and make it all metal.
That's the main thing we want to see, but improvements to the screen, power, camera and battery would all be appreciated too.
Snapdragon 810
We're expecting the 64-bit octa-core Snapdragon 810 to start making an appearance in smartphones next year and it would be great if some of them showed up at MWC 2015.
It's designed to improve performance for everything from gaming to streaming 4K videos, all while delivering impressive battery life, so hopefully it will be a noticeable improvement over the Snapdragon 801 and even the Snapdragon 805.
Phones with 5+ gigabytes of RAM
Android L is 64-bit and it would be great to see some phones make the most of that. We might not even have 4GB of RAM in our handsets yet but with 64-bit there's support for a whole lot more than that, so maybe MWC will be where we see manufacturers start to break through the RAM ceiling and run wild with it.
We probably won't, in fact we'd be surprised if we see 5GB of RAM in a phone before the tail end of next year at the earliest, but it's always possible.
Real innovation
With each passing year new devices get more powerful, bigger and occasionally smaller, depending on the trends of the time, but that's not enough, especially now that just about every smartphone seems to deliver solid performance anyway.
For devices to stand out and more importantly for them to excite us they need to be bold and different but hopefully not gimmicky.
Finding that balance isn't always easy, we'd argue that the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge just about managed it while the HTC Desire Eye maybe didn't, but at least we're seeing companies try new things even when they don't always work. So more of that please at MWC.
- We've got a wish list for CES 2015 too.
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