MWC 2014: The best smartphones and tablets you've missed so far

So far we’ve been focusing on the newest wearable devices and smartwatches from the big names at Mobile World Congress, but let’s not forget about the stars of the show: the mobile phones.

Here’s our rundown of the best smartphones and tablets that have been unveiled this week:

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Huawei wants you to be better at taking selfies
The Ascend G6 is a 4.5″ phone with a 960X540 pixel resolution, a 1.2GHZ processor and, oh yeah, a front-facing 5 MP camera built to totally make your selfies look better.

The handset is due to launch here in the UK at some point during April and although there’s no word on exact pricing details just yet, we expect it’d have to be a lower-end smartphone given it’s geared up to a young, selfie-loving audience.

Sony launches the camera king of all Xperias
The Xperia Z2 is Sony’s latest version of its flagship phone and packs a 20.7 MP camera complete with new image sensing technology and 4K video capturing capabilities, which basically means all of your photos and videos will look awesome.

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Samsung launches its latest flagship Galaxy handset
The Galaxy S5 has landed and although there’s no big headline feature to shout about, it’s packing all kinds of interesting bits and pieces, like a finger print scanner, heart rate monitor, advanced camera tools, a water and dust resistant exterior and the clever ability to make downloads faster by combining regular signal coverage with Wi-Fi power. Its release date is set for the 11th of April.

Nokia announces a wave of Android smartphones just called X
Shortly after being sold to Microsoft, Nokia has announced the launch of a range of Android smartphones, being referred to collectively as Nokia X. The devices may be running on Android but have some Microsoft services, like Skype and OneDrive.

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Sony unveils a flashy, show-off tablet
Sony has a lot to shout about when it comes to its latest tablet, the Z2. Not only is it the slimmest device on the market at 6.4mm, but it’s also the only waterproof one. Not content with these impressive feats, Sony also claims its tablet is the world’s most powerful as well, as its packing a Snapdragon 801 processor with 2.3GHZ quad-core Krait CPU and an Adreno 330GPU.

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Huawei shows off its tablet phone hybrid
Although the term ‘phablet’ is becoming overused and a little annoying, the Huawei MediaPad X1 is, undoubtedly, a phablet.

The Android device is being officially labelled a smartphone, but with a huge 7″ screen and a SIM card slot we can’t be so sure it knows what it wants to be. The X1 also boasts a full HD display, a beautiful edge-to-edge screen, a 1.6GHZ quadcore processor, a 13 MP camera and an interesting metal body. No details on cost or availability from Huawei just yet.

LG unveils the G Pro 2
MWC has been packed full of smartphone giants (or is that tablet dwarves?), but the LG G Pro 2 is a great-looking device that at 5.9″ could just be on the right side of stupidly big. Many have already commented that the plastic exterior makes the device feel a little bit too, well, plastic, despite the fact the price is likely to be high when further details are revealed later in the year.

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Lenovo reveals another super bendy Yoga tablet
Lenovo unveiled the Yoga Tablet 10 HD+ at MWC this year, the latest version of its flexible tablet laptop hybrid but this time with a full HD screen.

HTC launches a mid-range flagship device
The HTC Desire 816 comes equipped with some impressive specs for what has been officially called the company’s mid-range flagship device, such as a 5.5″ screen, a 1.6GHZ quad-core Snapdragon processor and 1.5GB of RAM.

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Mozilla will make smartphones cheaper than ever for the developing world
Mozilla’s Firefox OS is planning on leaving the developed markets to Android and iOS after announcing a partnership with Chinese chip company Speadtrum Communications, which means smartphones as cheap as £15 could be available to those in the developing world. A number of phone manufacturers, like Indonesia-based Polytron, ZTE and Huawei, have already started developing products.

Becca Caddy

One thought on “MWC 2014: The best smartphones and tablets you've missed so far”

  • A good source for Android tablets is Tab l e t M a x x — which introduces four new tablet models this month that stand out for premium features and are well-priced.

    — Ramos i12 ($329) – compares to the new Samsung Pro 12″ — the Ramos i12 offers a 12 inch tablet and is available March 5th and features one of Intel's newest performance processors, an HD 1920×1200 IPS screen, a 10.000 mAh battery, Bluetooth 4.0, MicroSD and GPS.

    — Pipo M7 Pro – 32GB ($229) compares to the LG-G Pad and Kindle Fire HDX 8.9″ but priced over $100 less – features a Quad Core processor – 2GB/1.6Ghz, a Samsung brand 8.9″ 1920×1200 HD screen, Bluetooth and GPS.

    — Ramos K2 – 8-inch 3G HSPA+ “Phone Call Tablet” ($229) – works like a Smartphone for calls through speakerphone or Bluetooth headsets — easily added to any wireless plan through ATT, T-Mobile and Straight Talk & GSM Network Carriers worldwide — the Ramos K2 is also the first 8″ Android tablet with front stereo speakers.

    — Ramos i10 Pro – 10-inch Android-Windows Hybrid Dual Boot Tablet ($399) – Showcased at CES 2014, with an Intel Baytrail CPU – 64GB/2GB and HD 1920×1200 screen. Available in late March.

    Tab l e t M a x x — also offers the new flagship Alcatel Smartphone that also premiered at CES 2014 — the new Idol X+ ($350) with features that compare to the high-end Galaxy S4 and iPad 5s at nearly half the price. The Idol X+ is one of the first phones with an OctaCore processor.

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