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TECH TITANS

When is MWC 2018 and will the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Sony Xperia XZ Premium 2 be revealed in Barcelona?

Samsung Galaxy S9

The Mobile World Congress is the biggest mobile show of the year and will bring together the global powerhouses of the industry.

This year, Barcelona is hosting MWC and there are plenty of major announcements and phones due to be unveiled - here's what to expect and what we know so far.

 MWC 2018 is expected to be huge.
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MWC 2018 is expected to be huge.

When is MWC 2018 and where is it being held?

Mobile World Congress 2018 will be held in Barcelona at Fira Gran Via between February 26 and March 1, 2018.

The Fira Gran Via is one of Europe's biggest and most modern exhibition centres rivalling London's ExCeL exhibition centre.

If you are unable to attend MWC in Barcelona, you will be able to watch the big reveals via live stream.

Although the live stream data is not available yet, this page will be updated as soon as it is available.

 The Samsung Galaxy S9 will be the iPhone X's biggest rival
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The Samsung Galaxy S9 will be the iPhone X's biggest rivalCredit: Getty Images - Getty

Will Samsung's Galaxy S9 be revealed at MWC 2018?

Samsung has already been teasing what's to come from its MWC 2018 press event.

Earlier this year, Samsung's mobile boss admitted that the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus would both debut at the show.

The handsets will be amongst the most popular to launch this year, and will probably carry Qualcomm's speedy new Snapdragon 845 chip.

It's expected to arrive in early 2018; the S8 went on sale three weeks after being unveiled at MWC 2017.

According to trusted tipster and tech journalist Evan Blass, Samsung is sending pre-orders for the phone live on March 1, with a proper release date set for March 16.

The phone is expected to retail at £829, less than the £999 iPhone X but significantly more than the £689 S8.

 Sony has already confirmed plans to attend this year's Mobile World Congress tech convention in February
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Sony has already confirmed plans to attend this year's Mobile World Congress tech convention in February

Will Sony reveal the Xperia XZ Premium 2?

Sony typically uses Barcelona's annual Mobile World Congress tech show to show off its new top-end smartphone for the year.

Excitingly, Sony has already sent out invites to its MWC 2018 press conference – it kicks off at 7:30am UK time on Monday, February 26.

The Japanese tech giant hasn't confirmed what will be on show, but we'd be very surprised if it wasn't the Sony Xperia XZ Pro.

The new handset is mooted as a sequel to last year's flagship Sony Xperia XZ Premium.

A recent leak from MyDrivers – which we've been unable to verify – suggests that the phone will launch Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 845 processor.

The new chip, which Sony will be one of the first phone makers to use, is said to be 25% than its predecessor. So Sony's new phone could be one of the fastest handsets in the world.

The leak also suggests that the phone will feature a large 5.7-inch OLED screen with a 4K resolution.

Sony has already shipped 4K smartphones before, so this wouldn't be a huge surprise. But it could give Sony the edge over rivals like Samsung and LG, who typically avoid 4K panels on their own smartphones.

Sony is also tipped to ship the Xperia XZ Pro with a generous 128GB of storage, which is double what you'd get from a Samsung Galaxy S8 as standard.

Will Huawei unveil the P11 at MWC 2018?

Huawei has been widely tipped to unveil its next flagship phone at MWC 2018 - the P11.

The Chinese firm co-operates with Leica to produce their camera lenses and it's rumoured that the latest handset will feature a 40-megapixel camera.

However, recent developments have indicated that the phone's official reveal has been delayed to April. As of yet, this is unconfirmed.

It appears to be linked to setbacks in the US market as is largely tactical.

It's also been rumoured that they didn't want to compete against the Samsung S9 - hold this space though as they have scheduled their event for one of the centre's premier spaces.

 The new Nokia 6 is only semi-official right now, but fans are already peeved
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The new Nokia 6 is only semi-official right now, but fans are already peevedCredit: Lehtikuva

Are Nokia unveiling anything at MWC 2018?

HMD Global, the company that builds smartphones under the Nokia brand, is definitely going to be at MWC.

Last year, Nokia blasted their way back onto the scene with the re-release of their iconic Nokia 3310 phone.

It would seem that Nokia's efforts are largely going to be focused on their range of Android handsets including the Nokia 9, expected to be a premium device as opposed to the low and midrange Nokia 3 and 6.

It's not yet clear what they will be revealing though.

Chief Product Officer Juho Sarvikas recently tweeted: "Sorry for radio silence. Been super busy planning MWC 2018. Please expect it to be awesome."

What are Motorola going to unveil at MWC 2018?

Motorola, owned by Lenovo, are expected to have one of the biggest line-ups at this year's Mobile World Congress.

Experts are expecting to see upgrades to it's Z, G and X series of phones which ought to include the following: Moto Z3, Z3 Play, Moto G6, G6 Plus, G6 Play, and Moto X5.

The X5 will be their premium device and will have a borderless display with an aspect ratio of 18:9.

Is Samsung set to release a folding flip phone called the Galaxy X?

 

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