The Most Exciting Smartphones Delayed by the Coronavirus Outbreak
The novel coronavirus that started its “career” early this year has just become an official pandemic according to the World Health Organization. Its effects were felt by the tech industry long before, though – the first months of the year, usually crammed with major international tech events, have seen most of them canceled due to the spread of the pathogen. An especially painful cancellation was that of the Mobile World Congress, the event traditionally held in February or early March, that gives the tone to the latest technology trends of the year. As a result, most of the major smartphone makers missed out on the chance to officially present some of their greatest handsets that are set to hit the shelves later in the year.
It’s a pity, considering how many exciting models would’ve been presented there.
Sony Xperia
Sony may not be the biggest name in the smartphone market but it always has some exciting smartphones to show at the MWC. For this year, it allegedly prepared two or three new phones, with its second-generation Xperia 1 being among the most exciting.
The Sony Xperia 1 Mark II will reportedly have a 6.5” 4K OLED screen that, although not being a 90Hz panel, will produce a 90Hz effect. Unlike its competitors, the upcoming Xperia flagship will come with a 3.5mm audio jack. It will also have front-facing stereo speakers, side-mounted fingerprint reader, and a high-quality camera with Zeiss optics.
Release date: sometime this spring.
Xiaomi Mi
Xiaomi presented its new Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro earlier in February in China and prepared for a global launch event at the MWC – that never took place. This doesn’t make the phones any less exciting.
The Mi 10 Pro stands out with its 90Hz 6.67” screen, its 108-megapixel main camera (combined with three more), its under-display fingerprint reader, and its large, 4500mAh battery. All this with a price that is considerably lower than the price tag of a similar handset from its competitors.
Release date: available
Nokia
Nokia’s most exciting phone that was not presented at the MWC this year is not a flagship packed with processing power and megapixels… but an affordable 5G-capable handset. Reportedly called Nokia 8.2 or 8.3, the Android One phone will likely have a decent configuration with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 875 SoC, up to 8GB of RAM, a quad-camera configuration on its back (with Zeiss optics), and a 32-megapixel pop-up selfie camera. These numbers are based on leaked details and rumors, so you might want to take them with a grain of salt.
What’s official, in turn, that the phone will be featured in the upcoming 25th James Bond movie – and it found its way in the trailer, too.
LG V60
Dual-screen, foldable phones are all the rage today – and LG wanted to present its own take on the matter at this year’s MWC. Unfortunately, the company had to delay its presentation to another time.
This means that we didn’t get the chance to take a look at the V60 ThinQ 5G, LG’s upcoming sensation. The company promises it will have “next-level audio and video capabilities” and “blazing-fast speeds”. And the phone will definitely be beautiful.
