Mobile World Congress 2013: What To Expect This Year

By Alexandra Burlacu | Feb 22, 2013 09:57 AM EST

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The annual Mobile World Congress is about to kick off soon in Barcelona, Spain, and it's the most important wireless trade show of the year.

This year's MWC will be spiked will all sorts of goodies, and looks to be quite exciting. Some smartphone makers already made their big announcements at earlier events, such as the International CES, but MWC will most likely have plenty of interesting things to offer. Companies such as Huawei promised to debut two new devices at the MWC, but what news to expect from Nokia, Samsung, LG, HTC, ASUS, ZTE, Sony, BlackBerry or Motorola? Here's what we gathered so far:

Nokia

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop will be giving a keynote, which likely means the Finnish company has something up its sleeve. Possibilities include the rumored Nokia Lumia 920 with the PureView 808's whopping 41-megapixel camera, or a brand-new smartphone altogether. Anything's possible. A new PureView device is not out of the question either, as Nokia may announce a new addition that focuses on a different aspect of imaging technology. The company will also likely introduce entry-level Windows Phone devices, which would be the successors to the Lumia 710 and 610 handsets.

Samsung

Recent rumors indicate a flagship announcement is bound to occur after the MWC, so the company will likely not unveil any groundbreaking smartphones at the trade show. Samsung will, however, unveil an 8-inch Galaxy Note tablet. The company may also show off the Galaxy Young and Fame smartphones, but less excitement revolves around these devices.

Huawei

Huawei should have an exciting MWC press conference, as it promised to show off two new devices. On the other hand, the company should make sure to launch its new handsets in due time, especially to markets outside its home country of China. Huawei will likely introduce a higher-end Windows Phone 8 handset, along with the leaked Ascend P2 smartphone with a 13-megapixel camera.

LG already unveiled its Optimus G Pro, F- and L-series, so it's not certain at this point whether the company still has something new to show at its MWC press conference. Unless a new Optimus Vu is in the cards, the company has shown off all it had.

HTC

HTC will not be holding a press conference at MWC this year. The Taiwanese giant chose to announce the HTC One at its own event earlier this week in both New York and London, instead of competing for the spotlight at the MWC. But could it have something left in store?

ASUS

Recent rumors indicate that ASUS will unleash an Intel-powered tablet dubbed the Fonepad. The tablet will reportedly resemble the Google Nexus 7, but it will pack an Intel Atom under the hood. According to rumors, the slate will be aluminum-clad and run Android 4.1. ASUS announced its PadFone at last year's MWC, which might be reason enough for some to expect a similar announcement at MWC 2013. On the other hand, the PadFone only launched late last year, which would make it a bit odd for the company to announce a new model already. Then again, ASUS did release an official MWC teaser video touting a "metallic miracle." This means a new device is on the way, but doesn't mean it's a PadFone 2.

ZTE

The Chinese company stayed mum on its plans regarding the MWC, but it's likely to bring some of its previous devices announced at CES, or some new budget and mid-range handsets. Rumors are also hinting toward a Firefox OS device, but nothing is certain at this point.

BlackBerry

The company formerly known as Research in Motion (RIM) already had a big launch event for its shiny new BlackBerry Z10 smartphone, and the company doesn't seem to be on MWC's exhibitors list.

Sony

Sony decided to skip MWC and make its big announcement at the International CES, where it unveiled its flagship Xperia Z handset. This likely leaves low-cost or mid-range devices for its MWC press conference.

Motorola

The Google-owned smartphone maker generally has a quiet presence at the MWC trade show, and this year may be no different. Rumors hinted toward an X phone, but the fact that Google doesn't have a booth at this year's MWC likely means the rumored handset will not be making an appearance now.

All in all, MWC 2013 is a chance for operators and manufacturers to show what they are working on to stay competitive. With the slew of recent announcements, it may seem not much is left for the MWC trade show — but remember that the tech world is never sleeping. Companies are always working on new devices, and the MWC is bound to have at least a few goodies in store.