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Mobile World Congress 2017: The biggest new phones launching at MWC 2017

Mobile World Congress 2017 kicks off on February 26 in Barcelona, meaning a bunch of shiny new mobile phones are about to be launched after months of speculation. Here’s our pick of the best new smartphones launching at MWC 2017, including new handsets from Huawei, LG, Samsung, Sony, Nokia and more.

MWC, or Mobile World Congress to give it the full title, is a massive mobile tech expo that hits Barcelona every year in February. MWC 2017 is on the horizon at the time of writing, with most of the big mobile launches happening on Sunday February 26 and Monday February 27. And like every year, we’ll be out at Mobile World Congress to go hands-on with 2017’s biggest new devices.

Here’s our round-up of the best new mobile phones, tablets and other bits launching at MWC 2017.

Best phones launching at Mobile World Congress: Huawei P10

Brand: Huawei
Price: Expected from around £549
Expected Release Date: March 2017
Our Review: Huawei P10 preview

Huawei’s latest phones have really impressed, from the premium handsets like the P9 flagship and the mighty Mate 9, to the wallet-friendly P8 Lite 2017. Huawei phones offer a solid marriage of gorgeous design with slick, feature-packed software, which is why we can’t wait for the Huawei P10 to officially launch at Mobile World Congress 2017.

Huawei’s big 2017 flagship phone should boast top-end specs, not to mention boundary-pushing camera tech thanks to its partnership with Leica. Expect the same dual-lens setup as the P9, taken up a notch of course, as well as some trouser-stirring design. The P10 has already ‘leaked’ in a variety of funky colours, including a rather funky green effort. Nice.

Best phones launching at Mobile World Congress: LG G6

Brand: LG
Price: Expected from around £549
Expected Release Date: March 2017
Our Review: LG G6 preview

The LG G5 was LG’s big phone launch in 2016 but the handset sank without much of a trace, despite some fun and distinctly surreal marketing starring the rather brilliant Jason Statham. That’s despite the premium specs, funky dual-lens camera and innovative ‘modular’ design.

With any luck LG will make more of a positive splash at MWC 2017 with the LG G6. You can expect top-end specs of course, as well as plenty of innovation from the Korean company, including some serious tweaking of Android Nougat. You can forget about more modular functionality, but here’s hoping the new more slender design and updated camera tech will make for a more mass-pleasing mobile.

Best phones launching at Mobile World Congress: Sony Xperia X2 or Xperia XA 2

Brand: Sony
Price: Expected from around £399
Expected Release Date: March 2017
Our Review: Sony Xperia X2 preview

Sony’s Xperia X was a solid handset but sadly overpriced, with the OnePlus 3T offering far greater value for money, as well as better performance for less cash. However, the Xperia X2 could be revealed at MWC 2017, packing a 5-inch Full HD screen once again. There’s a Helio P20 chipset packed inside according to leaked benchmarking tests, supported by 4GB of RAM.

You can also expect Sony to plug in the same excellent tri-sensor camera found in the Xperia XZ and Xperia X Compact, or something even better, fresh for 2017.

Alternatively we might see the Xperia XA 2 launch at MWC, a more wallet-friendly phone packing some solid features all the same. The original Xperia XA was one of the best-looking phones you could find forunder £300, but limited performance made it a tricky recommendation. Fingers crossed the XA 2 sorts this problem out.

Best phones launching at Mobile World Congress: Nokia 8 or Nokia P1

Brand: Nokia
Price: Expected from around £499
Expected Release Date: March 2017
Our Review: Nokia 8 or P1 review coming soon

Nokia is going to be a major presence at MWC 2017, launching several new phones over in Barcelona. One of the most anticipated new Nokia handsets is its 2017 flagship mobile, nicknamed the Nokia 8 or Nokia P1.

This 5.3-inch Android phone will be fully water resistant and pack Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 835 chipset backed by 6GB of RAM, if rumours are to be believed. Mobile photographers will probably be damp in the crotchal region at the thought of a 23-megapixel Carl Zeiss camera.

Best phones launching at Mobile World Congress: Blackberry ‘Mercury’ DTEK70

Brand: Blackberry
Price: Expected from around £399
Expected Release Date: April 2017
Our Review: Blackberry DTEK70 preview

If rumours are on the money, the Blackberry DTEK70 could be the Canadian company’s final stab at producing its own mobile hardware. Still, at least Blackberry’s going out with a bang, as the DTEK70 (codenamed ‘Mercury’) sounds fantastic so far – and it’s set to be launched at MWC 2017.

BB is said to be producing a mobile that sits comfortably between the DTEK50 and DTEK60, its two big phones of 2016. You can expect some solid specs, but scaled back from the premium DTEK60 in order to achieve a more wallet-friendly asking price. And the QWERTY keyboard is set to return too, just like on the Blackberry Priv.

With Android OS on board, we reckon this could be a truly great handset. We should find out early in 2017, when the Blackberry DTEK70 is launched.

Best phones launching at Mobile World Congress: Samsung Galaxy S8 (?)

Brand: Samsung
Price: Expected from around £549
Expected Release Date: April 2017
Our Review: Galaxy S8 preview

Rumours suggest we won’t see the Galaxy S8, Samsung’s first big phone after the disastrous Note 7, launched at MWC 2017 after all. However, you never know your luck and we really hope to catch a glance of the next Samsung flagship out in Barcelona.

Expect the fresh new Snapdragon 835 processor and an industry-leading camera to compete with the new iPhone 7 Plus’ snapper. We’ve also seen some substantial leaks revealing a gorgeous edge-to-edge screen, while there’s talk of a 4K resolution finish to make the S8 ideal for VR gaming.

Check out our S8 preview and our other S8 features – the best S8 features leaked so far, plus the most disturbing S8 features revealed to date. And take a look at our Galaxy S8 vs S7 comparison feature, to see how the new 2017 flagship might stack up against last year’s handset.

Can’t wait until after MWC for the latest phones? You can grab the best handsets available right now from O2, such as the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

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