Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona 2023 featured not only mobile technologies but adjacent ones like connectivity, robotics, the metaverse, IoT and the cloud. On the mobile front, Google made surprise announcements for Android, and vendors like Oppo, Xiaomi, Samsung, Honor, Huawei, Nokia, and Tecno showed off devices but most of the foldables from the floor are not slated for the SA market.
In no order, here are our highlights from MWC Barcelona:
Before we get into smartphone news, here are some new features for Android.
- Productivity: Google Keep widgets on the home screen, have updates on shortcuts for WearOS and a function allowing users to write notes on PDFs from Google Drive using their fingers.
- Audio: Google Meet offers noise cancellation, which is great for virtual meetings, as well as Bluetooth Fast Pair for Chromebooks with a tap.
- Emojis: new combinations on Emoji Kitchen to share as stickers and mix and match your emojis (laughing emoji wearing a cowboy hat, anyone?)
- Customisation: Chrome allows pinch zoom up to 300% and adjusts the page layout to fit the screen instead of enlarging the entire window, meaning no need to scroll side-to-side when reading.
Oppo
Unveiled a few days prior to MWC, Oppo showed off its new foldable Find N2 Flip clamshell that will come to South Africa in April. It features a unique 3.26-inch vertical cover screen to do more; a 50MP Hasselblad camera; 44W SuperVooc fast charging; and the largest battery on a flip phone: 4300mAh. Durability testing was against 400 000 folds, on its new Flexion Hinge, which supports sitting in multiple angles to use hands-free. It will be available in black and purple.
Nokia
Apart from unveiling a new logo, which does not affect the use of its original one, Nokia revealed three handsets with virtual RAM: the C32 with glass back; a more durable C22 to survive drops; and a self-repairing G22. The G22 was made in collaboration with iFixit, and includes a step-by-step guide to swap the battery, screen or charging port within minutes by the user. Nokia had not yet confirmed which of these models will be coming to SA at the time of writing.
Xiaomi
Xiaomi announced its new flagships, the Xiaomi 13 Pro, 13 and Lite, once again, co-engineered with Leica, like the 12S Ultra. The company said its partnership with Leica is not a marketing one and developing the 13 Pro’s camera with the German company took over a year. The 13 and 13 Pro feature a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip and Leica-branded 50MP lenses. The Lite runs on the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 chip and has a regular 50MP lens. There is no word yet if these devices will come to South Africa.
Motorola
Still very much a proof of concept, Lenovo showcased its rollable screen technology at MWC, though we couldn’t quite get our hands on it. Its Motorola-branded Rizr is a 5-inch device that can roll open into a 6.5-inch device. While there were no other hardware specs shared, the device is smart enough to automatically roll open when YouTube is used in landscape mode. The screens are in a conceptual stage, and we’re keeping a close eye on this technology.
These devices are not expected in SA for a while, but you can still find top-of-the-range smartphones at the Vodacom online shop. Some of these options include the Samsung Galaxy S23 series, available on prepaid or contract.
