MWC 2020 - Here’s what to expect from the show (Updated Feb. 7) - Android

Update, February 7, 2020 (6:00 PM ET): We’ve updated the article with more information regarding Motorola and Realme’s MWC launch events. Scroll down to their respective sections to find out more details.

What is MWC? Mobile World Congress is one of the largest and most exciting yearly events for the mobile industry. It’s a hotbed for new smartphone launches and also a glimpse into mobile technologies of the future. This year, we expect to see new devices from big players like Samsung, LG, Nokia, Huawei, OnePlus, Sony, and others. 5G network technology will also take center stage, with OEMs doubling down on 5G-enabled smartphones. Besides phones, we also expect to see new wearables, tablets, smart home gadgets, and other tech products.

When is MWC? MWC 2020 kicks off on Monday, February 24 and ends on Thursday, February 27. Traditionally, many new smartphones and other tech products are unveiled in the days leading up to the event.

Where is MWC? MWC takes place in Barcelona, Spain, at two venues — Fira Gran Via and Fira Montjuïc.

Most companies are keeping details under wraps for now, but we can make some educated guesses as to what might be announced in Barcelona. Our speculation is based on the latest leaks and rumors, as well as years of experience covering the show. Here’s a roundup of what we expect to see at MWC 2020 from companies like Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei, Sony, LG, and more.

Samsung at MWC 2020

Just like last year, Samsung won’t be launching its new Galaxy S series smartphones at MWC. Instead, it’ll unveil what’s now being called the Galaxy S20 series on February 11 at its Unpacked event in San Francisco.

Samsung is also expected to announce its second foldable phone rumored to be called the Galaxy Z Flip ahead of MWC. This way, Samsung would get a pretty solid head start over other smartphone makers ahead of MWC 2020.

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Apart from the Galaxy S20 trio and its clamshell foldable, Samsung is also expected to unveil the Galaxy Buds Plus true wireless earbuds at Unpacked 2020.

With Samsung making all these major announcements days ahead of the event, we wonder if the company will launch anything new at all at MWC 2020. It seems more likely that it will instead just showcase all the launched devices on the show floor.

Last year, Samsung announced a new Galaxy Watch Active and two fitness trackers just ahead of MWC, so there’s still a chance we see something new from the South Korean giant.

Huawei at MWC 2020

Huawei is still reeling over the US trade ban but that’s not stopping it from launching new smartphones. At MWC 2020, Huawei will be showing off its successor to the foldable Mate X smartphone — the Mate XS.

This particular model differs from the Mate X by offering the Kirin 990 chipset instead of the older Kirin 980. It is also expected to feature 65W fast charging, up from 55W fast charging on the Mate X. It is also said to come with a better display and smaller form factor. Of course, it also won’t have Google apps.

You’re probably wondering about Huawei’s upcoming P40 series. Unfortunately, it won’t make an appearance at MWC. Instead, the flagship series is confirmed to launch in March.

Related: Huawei P40 could have three variants, one with five cameras

Huawei could also announce new laptops at the event. Last year, it unveiled the MateBook 14 and upgraded MateBook X Pro at MWC.

Meanwhile, Huawei’s sub-brand Honor is confirmed to launch six new devices at MWC 2020. Honor is hosting a press event on February 24 where it will unveil the global variant of the Honor V30 Pro, now dubbed the Honor View 30 Pro. The smartphone was first launched in China back in November and comes with the Kirin 990 5G chipset.

Alongside the phone, Honor has also announced plans to reveal the Honor 9X Pro, MagicBook 14 and MagicBook 15 laptops, a pair of true wireless ‘buds, and a special edition Honor Magic Watch 2.

OnePlus at MWC 2020

OnePlus didn’t launch any new smartphones at MWC last year. Instead, it gave us a sneak peek at its first 5G device, now known as the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G. This year though, things could be different.

Traditionally, we would expect OnePlus to launch its new smartphone series in late April-May. However, serial tipster OnLeaks predicts that OnePlus could move up its launch timeline to announce the OnePlus 8 series in February-March.

Related: Here’s why OnePlus hasn’t made a foldable phone yet

The OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro flagships will be powered by the Snapdragon 865 chipset. The company is also expected to announce a mid-range OnePlus 8 Lite smartphone this year, it’s first since the OnePlus X back in 2015.

OnePlus could release at least one of these devices at MWC 2020 just to show its presence at the event. However, there’s no concrete launch date information available out there.

Meanwhile, OnePlus showcased the gorgeous OnePlus Concept One smartphone at CES 2020. We expect it to take the invisible-camera smartphone out for a spin on the MWC 2020 show floor as well.

LG at MWC 2020

LG will not be exhibiting and participating at MWC 2020 due to the recent coronavirus outbreak. The company has said that it does not want to expose its employees to the risk of international travel given the public health emergency.

According to recent leaks, LG was expected to launch a dual-screen smartphone at MWC 2020.

LG is expected to announce the LG V60 ThinQ with a secondary display

Last year, the company showed off the LG G8 ThinQ and V50 ThinQ at the event. This year, LG was said to announce the LG V60 ThinQ with a secondary display. It follows the dual-display LG G8X ThinQ and is likely to offer 5G support. LG is reportedly revising the G8X ThinQ’s hinge mechanism for the new phone.

Apart from another dual-screen phone, LG was also expected to reveal the LG G9 ThinQ at MWC 2020. Renders of the device were leaked recently (check the previous link for details).

Looks like LG will be postponing the launch of its new flagships or planning to unveil them once the coronavirus threat becomes less severe.

Xiaomi at MWC 2020

Xiaomi has already confirmed that its Mi 10 series will launch with the Snapdragon 865 processor. It has also already confirmed the existence of the two models in the lineup — the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro.

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We expect the two quad-camera phones to launch at or a little ahead of MWC 2020. The phone will reportedly deliver on current trends like 90Hz displays, 5G connectivity, high-resolution cameras, and faster charging. You can read all about the two phones and their leaked specs here.

Sony at MWC 2020

Sony has a track record of announcing flagship smartphones at MWC. Last year, it unveiled three smartphones with the tall 21:9 aspect ratio. This year, Sony is once again holding a press event at the tech trade show. Sony has sent out media invites for an event happening on February 24.

Sony's naming scheme for its smartphones has been all over the place

Early rumors suggested that Sony would launch the Xperia 2, the successor to last year’s Xperia 1, though we’re yet to hear anything about it in the run-up to MWC. However, renders recently emerged showing a possible follow-up to the Xperia 5. The Xperia 5 Plus appears to have an elongated 6.6-inch OLED screen, quad rear cameras, a solo front camera, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a side-mounted fingerprint scanner.

Sony’s naming scheme for its smartphones has been all over the place. Last year, we saw the Xperia 1, Xperia 10, and Xperia 5. Who knows what Sony might name its flagships this year.

Vivo at MWC 2020

Vivo sent out media invites confirming that it’ll showcase the Vivo Apex 2020 concept phone at MWC this year. The first Apex concept phone was showcased at MWC in 2018, and was followed by the Apex 2019 last year. The latter made quite the stir owing to the lack of any ports or physical buttons. The phone had a full-screen design, half of which was equipped with in-display fingerprint sensing tech.

Tech Sina

We expect Vivo to build the Apex 2020 along similar lines. However, it could incorporate more modern-day specifications like high-res cameras, faster charging, a second display, or a folding design.

Could Vivo use the same electrochromic glass as the OnePlus Concept One?

Vivo’s MWC invite (see above) does seem to have a focus on cameras. Maybe Vivo has found a new place to hide them on the phone. Perhaps it’s using the same electrochromic glass OnePlus recently showcased on its concept phone? They are both owned by the same parent conglomerate after all.

Oppo at MWC 2020

We got the scoop about the successor to Oppo’s beautiful Find X smartphone — the Find X2 — back in December. Just recently, Oppo confirmed the device will make its debut at MWC 2020 February 22, just a few days before the official event begins.

The Find X2 is confirmed to run on the Snapdragon 865 chipset. It’ll focus on the camera as one of its core highlights thanks to its new Sony-developed camera sensor. This new camera should tout Sony’s latest 2×2 On-Chip Lens solution, enabling high-speed autofocus, high-resolution, high-sensitivity, and high dynamic range. We can’t wait to test out this device for ourselves.

Nokia (HMD Global) at MWC 2020