Day one of the MWC 2014 has officially started and there have already been numerous surprises. We’ve gathered some information and presented them to you here!
MWC is looking to be an exciting event.
Nokia
Nokia finally confirmed that it is indeed launching Android-based smartphones called the Nokia X and the Nokia X Plus. The first will have a 4in IPS display, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage (expandable via a microSD card) and a 3-megapixel camera, while the latter will have mostly the same specs, except that it will have 728MB of RAM and an included 4GB microSD card. The X will be available at the price of around £70 (available immediately at emerging markets, but not the US – for now) and the X+ at the price of around £80 (available in the second quarter of 2014).
Nokia claims that the X and the X+ are just the first of the many Nokia Android smartphones.
The Finnish company also revealed the Nokia XL, a 5in Android device with a 5-megapixel camera, 768MB of RAM and 4GB of built-in storage (plus a microSD slot). It will probably cost around £90 and will be available, like the X+, sometime in the second quarter of 2014. You’ll be able to purchase it in green, orange, yellow, blue, black and white.
Nokia surprised us with one more Android phone – the Nokia XL.
All three smartphones will be powered by a 1GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor.
Finally, Nokia launched two budget handsets: the Nokia Asha 230 with Nokia’s Xpress browser, 2.8in screen and a microSD card, which will cost around £30, and the Nokia 220 with a 2.4in display, priced at around around £20.
The Asha 230 and the Nokia 220 will come at really low prices.
Sony
Sony has arrived to the MWC with three devices – the Z2 smartphone, the Z2 tablet and the budget-friendly Sony Xperia M2.
The Z2 handset comes with a 5.2in full HD display, 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor, 3GB of RAM, 16GB of storage (+ a microSD slot) and a 20.7-megapixel camera (the same one found in the Sony Xperia Z1).
The price of the Z2 is expected to be somewhere around £500.
The Z2 tablet features a 10.1in screen, Android 4.4 KitKat, 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801, backed by 3GB of RAM and a 8.1-megapixel camera. The company claims that at 6.9mm this is the world’s thinnest tablet. And it’s waterproof, too!
The Z2 tablet won’t cost under £300.
The Xperia M2 has a 4.8in display, a quad-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage (expandable via a microSD slot) and an 8-megapixel camera. The price has not been confirmed yet, but this handset should cost around £180.
Will the M2 become popular among the more affordable phones?
Samsung
Samsung should be launching its newest flagship, the Galaxy S5, later today at its Unpacked event. Along with it, however, the company might reveal a Galaxy Gear smartwatch and a new Windows Phone handset. The S5 is rumoured to have a 2560 x 1440 resolution and a fingerprint scanner.
The S5 is one of the most expected smartphones of the year.