X

Top smartphones, mobile gadgets from Mobile World Congress 2015

CES is over, Mobile World Congress begins. What devices have tech giants produced for us this year in Barcelona, Spain?
By Charlie Osborne, Contributing Writer
screen-shot-2015-03-02-at-21-37-04.png
1 of 11 Microsoft

Microsoft's Lumia 640, 640 XL

At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, this week the Redmond giant introduced two new smartphones -- the Lumia 640 and 640 XL, which both operate on Windows 8.1. The Lumia 640 is a 5-inch model with an 8MP rear camera and 2500mah battery. The Lumia 640 XL is a 5.7-inch phablet with a 13MP camera, Zeiss optics, LED flash, and an 3000mAh battery.

Both smartphones also come with a one-year subscription for Office 365 and 1TB free storage.

Microsoft has also promised a Windows 10 flagship device for release later this year.

Read onZDNet

screen-shot-2015-03-02-at-21-39-54.png
2 of 11 CNET

The Blackphone 2, Blackphone+ tablet

Secure communications firm Silent Circle also revealed a new set of devices at MWC this year, introducing the Blackphone 2, a smartphone for the security-conscious but with emphasis on enterprise users. The Blackphone 2 will be quicker than its predecessor, with better RAM, a longer-lasting battery, larger display and integration with mobile device management systems including Citrix. In addition, the Blackphone 2's custom Android operating system, PrivOS, will be tweaked to cater for business users.

See alsoHow to send encrypted messages to iOS, Android devices for free

The company also confirmed the existence of the Blackphone+ tablet, which is slated for release later this year.

Read onZDNet

screen-shot-2015-03-02-at-21-40-49.png
3 of 11 AVG

AVG's invisibility glasses

While many companies focused on smartphones and tablets at MWC 2015, AVG took a different route -- and showed attendees a set of prototype 'invisibility glasses' designed to combat facial recognition technology. The glasses use LED lighting and retro-reflective materials to disrupt this type of technology, which is found not only on mobile devices, but also surveillance cameras which are commonplace in Western cities.

Read onZDNet

screen-shot-2015-03-02-at-21-41-47.png
4 of 11 Huawei

Huawei's smartwatch, Talkband range

At MWC 2015, Chinese electronics manufacturer Huawei unveiled a number of new wearables, including the Huawei Watch -- a pretty, stainless steel smartwatch with a Qualcomm 1.2 GHz processor, 400x400 pixel resolution 1.4-inch display and 4GB internal storage -- as well as new TalkBand products. The TalkBand B2 is a Bluetooth headset with an activity tracker, and the TalkBand N1 is another Bluetooth headset with MP3 storage capacity -- useful for your morning run.

Read onZDNet

screen-shot-2015-03-02-at-21-45-32.png
5 of 11 CNET

The Samsung Galaxy S6

Samsung chose the week and media hype surrounding it to introduce a new flagship smartphone to the market. The long-rumored Samsung Galaxy S6 smartphone has a 5.1-inch 2,560×1,440 Super AMOLED display, Exynos Octacore processor, 3GB RAM, and a 16MP rear camera, as well as a 5MP front camera with HDR capacity. The smartphone also comes with either 32GB, 64GB or 128GB internal storage and a fingerprint reader, also found on the S5 and Alpha models. The S6, however, also comes in the form of the Galaxy S6 Edge, which give users extra display space through curved edges.

Read onZDNet

screen-shot-2015-03-02-at-21-46-54.png
6 of 11 Screenshot via CNET

The SanDisk 200GB microSD card

It isn't just smartphone manufacturers who took the spotlight at this year's MWC -- you also have to consider companies who improve the components and capacities of our gadgets. As an example, SanDisk introduced a microSD card with 200GB storage capacity -- expensive at $399, but very impressive.

Read onCNET

screen-shot-2015-03-02-at-21-47-31.png
7 of 11 Ford

Ford's e-bike experiment

Mobile can mean many things -- such as taking a mode of transport and making it lighter, more portable and in Ford's case, foldable.

The automaker used MWC 2015 as a springboard to discuss its Ford Smart Mobility plan -- a project to promote safer and more efficient urban journeys -- as well as reveal two prototype electric bicycles. The MoDe:Me and MoDe:Pro are both equipped with a 200-watt motor and an 9-amp-hour battery to help you ride with pedal speeds of up to 25km an hour.

Read onZDNet

screen-shot-2015-03-02-at-21-48-12.png
8 of 11 Sarah Tew/CNET

HP's Spectre x360

Revealed at MWC 2015, Hewlett-Packard's Spectre x360 is a 13.3-inch notebook with an aluminium chassis which can swap between classic, traditional PC modes, tents and tablets. HP describes the hybrid as its "most premium" convertible device which can deliver approximately 12.5 hours of battery life. You can purchase the PC in various configurations -- with up to 8GB RAM and a 512GB SSD, with the most expensive model reaching $1399.99.

Read onZDNet

screen-shot-2015-03-02-at-21-49-05.png
9 of 11 Andrew Hoyle/CNET

The Lenovo Vibe Shot

Lenovo may still be smarting after being forced to apologize for shipping out dodgy adware on its products, but this hasn't stopped the Chinese tech giant from releasing a new range of devices at MWC. One of these products is the Lenovo Vibe Shot, described by the company as "its first camera smartphone crossover device." A hybrid smartphone/camera of sorts, it may not be to everyone's taste but does come with an 8MP front-facing camera, a 16MP rear-camera and 5-inch HD screen, as well as a slew of advancements for those who enjoy photography.

Read onZDNet

screen-shot-2015-03-02-at-21-51-44.png
10 of 11 CNET

Huawei's Mediapad x2 giant phablet

Another gadget which is likely to be an acquired taste is Huawei's MediaPad x2. The giant phablet sports a 7-inch 1,920 x 1,200 pixel display, up to 3GB RAM and a maximum of 32GB internal storage, an octa-core 1.5GHz processor and both a 13MP rear camera and 5MP front-facing camera.

Read onCNET

screen-shot-2015-03-03-at-12-36-33.png
11 of 11 BlackBerry

The BlackBerry Leap

BlackBerry might not be a dominant player in the smartphone industry anymore, but this hasn't stopped the company from introducing a new flagship device. The BlackBerry Leap is an all-touch device -- lacking the iconic QWERTY keyboard -- and sports a 5-inch HD display at a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, an 8MP rear-facing camera and 2MP front-facing camera, 2GM RAM, 16GB internal storage and support for a microSD card.

The company claims the handset's 2800mAh battery will work for up to 25 hours of heavy use.

Read onBlackBerry

Related Galleries

Holiday wallpaper for your phone: Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's, and winter scenes
Holiday lights in Central Park background

Related Galleries

Holiday wallpaper for your phone: Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's, and winter scenes

21 Photos
Winter backgrounds for your next virtual meeting
Wooden lodge in pine forest with heavy snow reflection on Lake O'hara at Yoho national park

Related Galleries

Winter backgrounds for your next virtual meeting

21 Photos
Holiday backgrounds for Zoom: Christmas cheer, New Year's Eve, Hanukkah and winter scenes
3D Rendering Christmas interior

Related Galleries

Holiday backgrounds for Zoom: Christmas cheer, New Year's Eve, Hanukkah and winter scenes

21 Photos
Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6: Electric vehicle extravaganza
img-8825

Related Galleries

Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6: Electric vehicle extravaganza

26 Photos
A weekend with Google's Chrome OS Flex
img-9792-2

Related Galleries

A weekend with Google's Chrome OS Flex

22 Photos
Cybersecurity flaws, customer experiences, smartphone losses, and more: ZDNet's research roundup
shutterstock-1024665187.jpg

Related Galleries

Cybersecurity flaws, customer experiences, smartphone losses, and more: ZDNet's research roundup

8 Photos
Inside a fake $20 '16TB external M.2 SSD'
Full of promises!

Related Galleries

Inside a fake $20 '16TB external M.2 SSD'

8 Photos