Mobile World Congress 2018 has come and gone, and it offered a great idea of some of the best phones from some of the world’s most innovative cell phone manufacturers. This year’s conference featured a slew of phones all offering unique features and designs. And since MWC has come and gone, I figured I would highlights my favorite offerings from the event.
Samsung Galaxy S9/S9+
For anyone who follows the mobile industry, it’s no surprise that one of the world’s most prolific smartphone makers unveiled their latest flagship at this year’s MWC. While the new handheld does not offer anything too exciting in terms of design (aside from the relocated fingerprint scanner), it does offer some great tweaks under the hood. With its beefed up, Samsung-built Octa-core processor and 4GB of RAM (6GB for the S9+), the S9 and S9+ certainly offer quite a bit of performance that should certainly handle any and all tasks. Another highlight for the phone is its brand new, rear camera. Fitted with a 12-megapixel camera that can switch between F1.5 and F2.4 apertures in an instant, and record slow-mo video at 240FPS at 1080p, the Galaxy S9/S9+ are sure to be the daily driver for millions of people.
Sony Xperia XZ2
While Sony has been producing high quality electronics for 71 years and cemented itself as a leader in the industry, it has never truly managed to breach the smartphone market. The company is looking to change that with their newest flagship: the XZ2. In the past, Sony’s Xperia phones have featured outdated designs, but with the XZ2, Sony is looking to step into the 21st Century with an all-glass design, rounded edges and slightly smaller bezels (unfortunately, these bezels are still much larger than today’s leading smartphones). The phone also features a top-of-the-line Snapdragon 845 processor and an impressive rear-facing camera that is capable of shooting 4K HDR video (a first for any smartphone). I’m very eager to get my hands on this phone and see if Sony can play catch up with the other smartphone makers.
Vivo Apex Concept Phone
The Vivo Apex smartphone is an incredibly exciting device that has the potential of changing the smartphone industry with its unique concepts; unfortunately, that’s all they are at the moment: concepts. The Vivo sports an almost completely bezel-less display, with the thinnest bezels on any current smartphone. And while that is enough to intrigue even the most casual smartphone user, it’s greatest feat is underneath the screen. The Vivo Apex houses a fingerprint scanner underneath the glass screen, which allows for added security without having to sacrifice screen space for a fingerprint reader. It also negates the need to place the fingerprint reader on the back of the device. This is truly awe-inspiring technology, and we hope that other companies can reach Vivo’s level and implement these features in their own phones.
