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Today was the day. Today was Day 1 of MWC 2018... And boy, was it as jam-packed as the last two years! Let me to take you on a virtual journey of the event and hopefully try and make it feel like you're there in person.
Quick Introduction to MWC & Day 1
MWC is held each year in Fira Gran Via, a huge exhibition complex in the heart of Barcelona. There are 8 main halls and one long strip called Congress Square splitting some of them up. At MWC there are literally thousands of exhibitors showcasing their products, technologies, ideas and concepts - in many cases with them looking for buyers and distributors.
Being somewhat of a veteran of MWC (third year in a row), I know Hall 3 is the 'grand daddy' of them all - that's were some of the biggest names in the mobile industry tend to get a prime position in the spotlight, including Samsung & Sony, so that's exactly where I headed to first.
Let's start with those two S's
Yesterday Samsung held its own separate press conference to announce their brand new Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus, and this morning it was Sony's turn and they announced the Sony Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact at MWC itself. Let's take a look at them in more detail - and yes, they're both coming to O2.
Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus
Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus
There's been a lot of eyes on Samsung in the days and weeks leading up to MWC. There's one thing to see some leaks and rumours, and there's quite another to actually feel and experience it for yourself. Having owned a Galaxy S7 previously, and a Note 8 currently, I can confirm the S9 has the same fantastic feel and build quality. The new colour finishes are really striking to look at in the flesh and the purple one really catches your eye.
The S9 retains the Infinity Display you're used to, giving you more screen and less bezel to enjoy more content. And on the camera front... There's some exciting stuff there! The S9 has a dual aperture camera designed to work like the human eye. If it's bright, it'll use a smaller aperture; if it's dark, it'll use a wider one - in fact, the widest ever aperture in a smartphone. And new to Samsung is the ability to record in 960fps super slow motion - which you can even set as your lock screen. If you're eye-balling the S9 Plus, it comes with two rear cameras - a wide angle, and a telephoto, both with OIS for super stable shots every time. The S9 also comes with stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos, providing the S9 with the loudest ever audio in a Galaxy device.
The S9 retains the Infinity Display you're used to, giving you more screen and less bezel to enjoy more content. And on the camera front... There's some exciting stuff there! The S9 has a dual aperture camera designed to work like the human eye. If it's bright, it'll use a smaller aperture; if it's dark, it'll use a wider one - in fact, the widest ever aperture in a smartphone. And new to Samsung is the ability to record in 960fps super slow motion - which you can even set as your lock screen. If you're eye-balling the S9 Plus, it comes with two rear cameras - a wide angle, and a telephoto, both with OIS for super stable shots every time. The S9 also comes with stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos, providing the S9 with the loudest ever audio in a Galaxy device.
Right. AR Emoji. That's what you want to know, right? On the S9, you can map your face to create your very own you, as an emoji. Once it's mapped your face, you can pull all sorts of funny faces and your Emoji will react right in front of you.
Sony Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact
Sony have mastered the art of creating a flagship device, and then cramming most of the same tech and features into a much smaller body - ideal for those with smaller hands that don't want to sacrafice features or performance, or even just if you prefer a smaller handset.
With the XZ2 you're getting a 5.7" display with HDR, and with the XZ2 Compact, you're getting the world's most compact smartphone with HDR. Sony's 'X-Reality for Mobile' technology lets you upscale your SDR content to near-HDR quality. Another really cool feature the XZ2 (not the compact) is the new Dynamic Vibration System. It takes the audio of whatever you're watching and turns it into vibration - think of it a little like the Cineworld 4DX experience, but for your hands. Taking things even further, Sony have crammed 4K HDR video recording capability into both of these devices letting you record video in more detail than ever before - and if 4K isn't your thing, Sony have retained their 960FPS super slow motion functionality, but made it even better... You can now do it in 1080P full HD.
Sony have mastered the art of creating a flagship device, and then cramming most of the same tech and features into a much smaller body - ideal for those with smaller hands that don't want to sacrafice features or performance, or even just if you prefer a smaller handset.
With the XZ2 you're getting a 5.7" display with HDR, and with the XZ2 Compact, you're getting the world's most compact smartphone with HDR. Sony's 'X-Reality for Mobile' technology lets you upscale your SDR content to near-HDR quality. Another really cool feature the XZ2 (not the compact) is the new Dynamic Vibration System. It takes the audio of whatever you're watching and turns it into vibration - think of it a little like the Cineworld 4DX experience, but for your hands. Taking things even further, Sony have crammed 4K HDR video recording capability into both of these devices letting you record video in more detail than ever before - and if 4K isn't your thing, Sony have retained their 960FPS super slow motion functionality, but made it even better... You can now do it in 1080P full HD.
Future Tech from Sony
At the Sony stand, they were showing off a brand new camera technology and sensor, capable of seeing beyond what the human eye is capable of. This new camera tech isn't available in a smartphone yet, but who knows what the future will bring. Picture a box with some model buildings inside, in a virtually pitch black environment. Strap these new cameras on the side, and what happens? You can make out even very fine details that are invisible to the naked eye, all thanks to it's super high ISO capability. See below an example - with current/existing tech on the bottom, and their new tech on top.
At the Sony stand, they were showing off a brand new camera technology and sensor, capable of seeing beyond what the human eye is capable of. This new camera tech isn't available in a smartphone yet, but who knows what the future will bring. Picture a box with some model buildings inside, in a virtually pitch black environment. Strap these new cameras on the side, and what happens? You can make out even very fine details that are invisible to the naked eye, all thanks to it's super high ISO capability. See below an example - with current/existing tech on the bottom, and their new tech on top.
Smartphone Innovation
New from ZTE is the Axon M, a dual screen, flippable smartphone. I had a couple of demonstrations with it, one of which was true multitasking in it's purest sense. Picture the scene - you're watching a video on YouTube in fullscreen landscape mode, but you want to check something on Google too. Easy! YouTube on one screen, Chrome browser on the other. Another demonstration I had was with Google Maps. Instead of essentially having two separate displays, you can set it up so that both displays act as one - in Maps, you'd normally need to zoom endlessly to get to street level and get your bearings, but it felt so much more natural and fluid on such a bigger display.
So here's the big question... Dual screen phones. Thumbs up or thumbs down?
Bonus - Panzerglass
These crazy guys are at it again - taking a hammer to a smartphone with a Panzerglass screen protector. You guessed it, the hammer lost, time after time after time. The good news is you can buy Panzerglass directly from O2 right here.
Bonus - Charge while you cycle
This year the MWC organisers have provided attendees with a way to charge their phone by cycling, using your own energy output to charge your phone. Thankfully my phone was already at 95%, so I wasn't on it for long!
Would you cycle for your phone charge? Even if your phone was at 1%?
So there you have it guys, Day 1 of MWC. Seen anything here you want to know more about? Or seen anything at MWC not covered in this Day 1 round-up that you want to hear more of? Tag me and let me know! 
