The 7 hottest phones and gadgets announced at MWC 2018 so far

Mobile World Congress is where the year’s first huge smartphones are revealed, and we’ve got some stunners in the mix. We’ve seen devices from Samsung, LG, Sony, Nokia, and more. Curious what’s debuting and why it should be on your radar? Here’s our pick of the hottest tech announced so far.

SAMSUNG: HELLO, GALAXY S9

We knew it was coming, and we had also heard nearly all of the details ahead of time via loads and loads of leaks. Even so, it was nice to finally see and touch the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+. Truth be told, there aren’t a lot of massive upgrades in play. The familiar design and sizes from last year’s phone are mostly unaltered. Most interestingly, the main camera sensor on both S9 models now features a wider f/1.5 aperture to let more light in.

NOKIA: THE BANANAPHONE IS BACK

Granted, there might be more powerful and sophisticated phones in the lineup… but did you see the Bananaphone? Of course, we’re referring to the new rebuilt Nokia 8810 slider phone, which has a 4G boost but otherwise largely sticks to the old design. And it’s just €79/$97! The 8810 will be a battery life champion, and a phone to consider for festival weekends, smartphone-free getaways, or stashing in your car for emergencies.

SONY: THE XZ2 DEBUTS

The Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact are both compelling new smartphones that don’t look like the usual Sony phones we’ve seen for ages. The XZ2 is a mostly full-bodied flagship that seems like a good contemporary for something like the OnePlus 5T, packing in a new top-end Snapdragon 845 chip and 4GB RAM along with a 5.7in extra-tall (18:9) 1080p screen that can upconvert standard video into HDR.

LG: THE V30 STRIKES BACK

Remember the LG V30? It came out a few months ago – but it suffered from some wonky screens. Now it’s back as the LG V30S ThinQ. It has the same thin design as before, the same year-old Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chip inside and the same 18:9 Quad HD display. What’s new is the bump to 6GB RAM from 4GB in the V30, an increase to 128GB and 256GB storage options, and some A.I. assists with the camera.

HUAWEI: NOT THE P20…

Huawei opted not to show the new P20 flagship at MWC. Instead, among other things, we saw the company’s MateBook X Pro – Huawei’s latest attempt to dethrone Apple’s 12in MacBook. It’s thinner and lighter than Apple’s option, but doesn’t skimp on power thanks to its 8th-gen Intel i7 8550U chip, along with 16GB RAM and a 57Wh battery.

LENOVO: YOGA WITH ALEXA

The Yoga 730 is the latest version of Lenovo’s convertible 2-in-1 laptop series, and it’s a super-slim number in 13in and 15in varieties. You can spec it out as you please, with options of 1080p or 4K touch displays, as well as Nvidia GeForce 1050 graphics in the larger version. And both have a handy built-in ability: Amazon Alexa support, with far-field microphones tossed in to hear you from a distance.

LAND ROVER: EXPLORE… WITH A PHONE

Land Rover might be best known for rugged, all-terrain rides, but now they’re making a play for rugged, all-terrain smartphones as well with the Land Rover Explore. It’s a chunky, durable little number, with expected IP68 water and dust resistance, as well as being drop-proof up to 1.8 metres thanks to its pre-fitted screen protector. It seems like a fairly powerful phone, as well, with a deca-core MediaTek chip and 4GB RAM, and a 5in 1080p display.