We present the trends and technologies that have marked the Mobile World Congress 2016. Many manufacturers presented their new products at last week’s event, but there are some brands that stood out above the rest:

  • Samsung: It brought together 5,000 professionals and journalists to show off its Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge (the version with a curved screen). The main changes compared to the previous model are located inside the device, where we find a better equipped and much faster camera, more processor, more durable battery and a case that makes it submersible. The downside comes when we talk about its price… Starting at 719 euros.
  • Huawei: This year the Chinese manufacturer has surprised with a two-in-one laptop: the MateBook, a professional device along the lines of Microsoft’s Surface. The MateBook is equipped with a 12.5-inch screen, Windows 10 and Intel CoreM, and also has a fingerprint reader. Its price is also premium and ranges from 799 to 1,799 euros.
  • HP: Its main novelty is called Elite x3. It is a 5.5-inch device designed for professionals, very versatile thanks to the Continuum functionality of Windows 10. The Elite x3 can be converted into a laptop and desktop if necessary. To do so, it incorporates its own dock and the Mobile Extender, a 12.5-inch screen that connects to the phone. At the moment, its price is unknown.
  • BQ: The Spanish brand has unveiled its Android-powered Aquaris X5 Plus. The new phone comes with a more powerful processor (Qualcom Snapdragon 652 Octa Core), a 5-inch Full HD screen, 4K video resolution on its 16mp rear camera, and a fingerprint reader. Although the price has not yet been made official, it is expected to be under 300 euros. Honestly, we can’t forget that we are happy to see a Spanish brand fighting in a market full of giants with such interesting and adjusted proposals as those that have marked BQ’s trajectory.

Interventions

On the other hand, at the Mobile World Congress 2016, speeches such as that of Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, made headlines. In it, he pointed out very interesting reflections such as: “Everyone deserves access to the Internet”, “More people on the Internet is a business model that works” or “The important thing for me is that everyone is there, not just those who have money to pay for expensive connections”. He also noted that his solar-powered drone programme will be ready for testing by the end of the year with an improved version of laser signalling that is firmer and more reliable. Finally, Zuckerberg acknowledged that Facebook’s biggest trend is video.

Also discussed at last week’s Mobile World Congress 2016 was the arrival of virtual SIM cards, which we have talked about in the past, and which will work in much the same way as current SIMs. They could be a breakthrough for the Internet of Things (IoT) as they will provide connectivity to objects. The main stumbling block to eliminating the SIM is security. The SIM is not just a plastic card, but needs very robust hardware to prevent hacking. In fact, in the face of the multiple attacks that are reported daily through the web, social networks, mail, etc., the SIM remains a very secure system and this has been one of the concerns in the development of the remote SIM.

5G networks

Finally, we must also highlight the imminent arrival of 5G networks: the network that in the future will move an infinite amount of mobile data and thousands of objects by modulating the connection instantaneously. We do not yet know how it will work and when it will become a reality in people’s daily lives.

We hope that this summary of Mobile World Congress 2016 has been useful and that you have an overview of the immediate future of a sector that is constantly evolving and to which we love to be permanently connected.