On the eve of the annual Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, industry heavy hitters have unveiled a range of new designs, while Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg made a surprise appearance to promote virtual reality (VR).
Judging by the performance of manufacturers on Sunday, this year’s MRW, the world’s largest trade fair for the mobile industry, won’t just be about mobile phones.
While Samsung and LG are using the event to present flagship products Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, and the modular G5, respectively, VR and hybrid devices that also function as computers stole the show on Sunday.
Zuckerberg appeared in the Samsung event to introduce VR, which he said will “soon be everywhere.”
Zuckerberg, also responsible for the Oculus project, said that although VR is currently limited to games and entertainment, the technology has “the potential to be changing our lives” and claimed it will become “the most social platform.”
VR will be a clear trend at the MWC, which begins today, with LG offering goggles and both LG and Samsung unveiling 360-degree cameras.
However, the biggest announcement in VR was made by HTC.
The company’s Vive helmet, developed by Valve, will cost $799 and can be reserved from Feb. 29 onwards.
As well as VR, Samsung unveiled the first look at its Galaxy S7 and S7 edge to more than 4,000 journalists. The new phones come with water resistance, higher performance and a faster camera.
LG, meanwhile, wanted to surprise attendees by becoming the first major manufacturer to create a modular flagship smartphone: the LG G5.
Chinese company Huawei, the world’s third largest smartphone manufacturer, entered the PC industry with a two-in-one device called Matebook, while U.S. company HP unveiled its “phablet” HP Elite x3.
The HP device can function as a phone, laptop and desktop computer through the convergence of operating system Microsoft and a number of accessories, which the manufacturer is launching simultaneously.
