MWC 2017: THE BEST BITS OF KIT

THE BEST BITS OF KIT BARCELONA’S ANNUAL MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS HAS BECOME THE PREMIERE EVENT FOR ALL THINGS SMARTPHONE, BUT THE SPREAD OF MOBILE TEACH HAS ALSO MEANT THAT, IN RECENT YEARS, MWC HAS BECOME A SHOW ABOUT MUCH MORE THAN PHONES. SHARMISHTA SARKA

We highlight the most interesting products from this year’s Mobile World Congress show in Barcelona

Samsung Galaxy Book

More from a Galaxy near you. PRICE & AVAILABILITY TBA Another highlight at MWC 2017 was Samsung’s latest Windows 10 ‘Surface-killer’ tablet, which is set to come in both 10- and 12-inch models. The Galaxy Book 10 features integrated 4G LTE connectivity, 4GB memory, either 64GB or 128GB storage and a seventh-gen Intel Core m3 processor. There’s also a 5MP front camera on the 1,920 x 1,280-pixel LCD display. On the other hand, the Galaxy Book 12, which has the same storage and memory specs as the 10-inch model, is powered by an Intel Core i5 processor and boasts a 2,160 x 1440-pixel AMOLED screen with 216ppi pixel density.

Samsung also announced its new Android-toting flagship tablet, the Galaxy Tab S3. Similar to its iPad-like predecessor in design and specs, it sports four speakers — made by Harman-owned AKG — located at each corner of the device and comes with a next-gen S Pen.

Nokia 3310

What do you mean it’s back? $TBA | AVAILABILITY TBC (UNLIKELY FOR AU) The only thing more curious than the revival of this 17-year-old Nokia phone at this year’s MWC is perhaps the massive attention it’s garnered. Some critics are speculating that the interest in this ‘dumbphone’ (or ‘feature phone’) is more than just successful nostalgia-driven marketing, but is actually the death rattle of a smartphone market that can (apparently) offer nothing truly different from last year’s models... Either way, the new 3310 has a 2MP camera, 2.4-inch colour screen and comes with a revamped version of Snake. The big caveat is that it also only has 2G connectivity and no Wi-Fi, meaning it will likely not be available in Australia, or at the very least, won’t work here — and in many other countries too.

Samsung Gear VR with controller

Same-ish gear, new controller. $TBA | AVAILABILITY TBA It makes sense that Samsung has brought a new iteration of its Gear VR headset to the table. Perhaps the most anticipated news is that the new Gear VR will ship with its own controller, finally giving you something to do with your hands and bringing it up to par with Google’s recently-released Daydream View headset. The Samsung controller features a flat touchpad, some buttons and a trigger, as well as a plethora of sensors for motion input and spatial awareness. Other headset upgrades include an improved field of vision and distortion correction, hopefully minimising motion sickness, and Samsung’s announced there are 70 supported titles currently in development to boot.

BlackBerry KeyOne

A blast from the past. US$549 (AROUND $810) | AVAILABLE GLOBALLY FROM APRIL Originally announced at CES in January, TCL unveiled the latest BlackBerry flagship at MWC, marking the return of the physical keyboard. Officially christened the KeyOne (not ‘Mercury’ as it was unofficially codenamed), the handset combines the BlackBerry Classic design with the BlackBerry DTEK50 software. There’s even a fingerprint sensor neatly tucked into the space bar of that good ol’ QWERTY keyboard. The phone will run Android 7.1 (Nougat) and come with highly secure encryption that should meet governmental needs. There’s a mid-range Snapdragon 625 chip and 3GB RAM to drive the show, with 32GB of storage available, which can be expanded further by up to 256GB via a microSD slot.

Porsche Design Book One

Fast cars to fast computers. US$2,495 (AROUND AU$3,250) | AVAILABLE FROM APRIL IN THE US From concept cars to handheld devices, Porsche wants to rule them all. Having previously teamed up with Huawei for a ‘Porsche Design’ edition of the Mate 9 smartphone, the German manufacturer has now unveiled its first laptop. Porsche Design’s 13-inch Book One looks very similar to Microsoft’s Surface Book, but noteworthy is the Book One’s hinge. It not only allows the display to rotate a full 360 degrees but, with the push of a button, can also detach from the keyboard, transforming it into a true tablet. It also allows the display to close over the keyboard without a gap, unlike many other 360° 2-in-1 designs. Inside, it comes packing one of Intel’s latest Core i7 CPUs, plus 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage.

Lenovo Yoga 720

Bending over backwards. $TBA | APRIL 2017 Available in 13- and 15-inch models, the Lenovo Yoga 720 looks like it could be the first viable 2-in-1 gaming laptop. There’ll be several configurations available, including choices between Full or Ultra HD touchscreen displays, up to 16GB memory, and the option of the latest seventh-gen Intel Core i7 processors. The 15-inch model will get some premium perks such as a bigger battery and the option of the new GeForce GTX 1050 GPU and SSD storage up to 1TB. Interestingly, the 15inch model will only offer up to 8GB of RAM, although apparently it’s manually upgradeable to a max of 16GB, hinting at some user-friendly tweakability.

Sony Xperia Touch projector

Almost like Minority Report... $TBA | AUTUMN 2017 Interactive projectors have so far been mostly limited to underwhelming and unresponsive Bluetooth laser keyboards for mobile — Sony’s Xperia Touch Projector promises to be more. The large box-like object, looking somewhat like the lovechild of a Bluetooth speaker and an external hard drive, runs Android and is capable of projecting a 720p display (ranging from 23 to 80 inches in size) onto any surface. It uses infrared sensors to detect your gestures and movements, allowing you to interact as you would with a tablet, and intends to include smart-home functionality with a wealth of included sensors, such as temperature, GPS, ambient light, barometer and more.

LG G6

Best in show, said everyone. $TBA | AVAILABLE FROM LATE MARCH LG’s latest flagship handset has been labelled game-changing, with its nearly bezel-less 5.7-inch, 18:9 aspect-ratio display. It’s also the first third-party phone to officially feature Google Assistant out of the box (which launched last year on the Pixel and Pixel XL). The conservative design drops the removable battery but adds a larger-capacity power pack inside a newly waterproof body. That said, the phone isn’t powered by Qualcomm’s very-latest Snapdragon 835 chipset as some were hoping, instead sticking with the triedand-tested 821 from last year. LG could definitely do with a win in the smartphone market to get ahead of Apple and Samsung — and from the positive reaction on the show floor, the G6 could just be the answer.