MWC 2015: What to expect from Samsung, Sony , HTC, Huawei and the rest of the smartphone-making bunch
The 2015 Mobile World Congress kicks off in Barcelona on March 2, and runs right through to March 5.
It's the biggest annual mobile phone exhibition on the calendar, so it should come as no surprise that some of the biggest manufacturers in the game regularly choose to announce their new flagship phones around the event.
So what does MWC 2015 have in store for us? Here are some of the rumours currently doing the rounds concerning the bigger manufacturers.
Samsung
Last year, Samsung announced the Samsung Galaxy S5 on the first day of MWC 2014. We're expecting to hear about the follow-up at MWC 2015 that's likely to be called the Samsung Galaxy S6.
Samsung has sent out invites to its customary Unpacked event, which is set for March 1. The invite also hints at an interesting 'kinky' design for the Galaxy S6 - presuming that's "what's next." And it almost certainly is.
A new Samsung flagship is invariably a big deal, but the Samsung Galaxy S6 should be even more of one than usual. The Samsung Galaxy S5 was a perfectly accomplished Android phone, but it was lacking in any meaningful fresh ideas - something that would go on to set the tone in a flat year for the South Korean company.
Now there's talk of the Samsung Galaxy S6 sporting a bold new metallic design and a pin-sharp QHD display. There's also talk of a second variant with a bold curved display, rather like the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge. It's all very exciting.
More recently, Samsung has released an enigmatic teaser video set in a poorly lit tunnel and accompanied by the phrases "great vision" and "a unique view." At the end of this teaser, there's an image of what appears to be a square camera housing, accompanied by the hashtag #TheNextGalaxy. This could suggest that the Galaxy S6 is going to have a seriously improved camera - particularly in terms of low-light performance.
There's also a rumour doing the rounds that Samsung will launch yet another smartwatch. The so-called Samsung Orbis could come with a round display and wireless charging.
SEE ALSO: Samsung Galaxy S6 vd iPhone 6: How will Samsung take on Apple?
Watch our video on what to expect from the Galaxy S6
HTC
It's been a painful road back to something resembling sales success for HTC, and while it's certainly not out of the woods yet, it has never failed to churn out a top notch flagship phone in a given year.
That's why we're excited to see the successor to the marvellous HTC One M8 on the eve of MWC 2015.
HTC has already sent out invites to its March 1 event, where the One M9 will certainly feature. We know that because HTC recently tweeted that "The new HTC One" will be revealed at the March 1 event.
Early reports suggested that it could look and feel much like the HTC One M8, but we've since heard suggestions that HTC might have a classy redesign in store. Watch this space.
Otherwise, we're expecting a raft of high-end 2015 components, including a Snapdragon 810 CPU. Interestingly, the weight of rumour now suggests that the One M9 will stick with a Full HD 1080p display rather than upgrading to a QHD screen. The trade-off between picture sharpness and battery life is something that manufacturers are still battling with, it seems.
Perhaps most importantly of all, given the company's former hardware weakness, it's been suggested that HTC will scrap its underwhelming UltraPixel technology (on the main snapper anyway) and fit the M9 with a proper, decent, 20.7-megapixel camera with OIS.
Could we finally have the perfect Android phone on our hands? Arguably not, given the likely lack of stock Android, but the M9 could get damned close nonetheless.
Another point of interest is the rumoured launch of an HTC smartwatch. Yes, this is reading much like the Samsung launch plan so far, but this is different. HTC hasn't released a smartwatch yet, so its wearable copybook is blissfully untarnished.
Given its design smarts and patience in coming to market, we're really interested to see what HTC can do for Android Wear. It seems likely that the HTC smartwatch will tie in with the company's new partner, sports clothing brand Under Armour, and its new fitness app, but we're more interested in how it will look.
Huawei
We're expecting a splurge of announcements from Huawei for MWC 2015, but surprisingly no smartphones.
Rather, the company has revealed that it will be showing off a new range of premium tablets at a March 1 event. The Chinese manufacturer will also have three new wearables, with the onus being on differentiating factors that set them apart from the pack.
At least one of those will be an Android Wear smartwatch, while another will be a follow-up to last year's TalkBand B1. The final slot will be occupied by a mystery device. What could it be?
A recent teaser image released by Huawei appears to hint at the release of a smartwatch with 4G connectivity, and the company has spoken of launching a stand-alone model to take on the Samsung Gear S in the past.
LG
How do you follow up on the best smartphone of 2014? That's what LG's MWC 2015 showing will answer for us, hopefully. But possibly not.
One recent rumour suggests that LG will not be bringing its new flagship to MWC 2015 at all. Rather, it wants to wait until the hoo-hah surrounding the Samsung Galaxy S6 has passed, leading to a slightly later April launch. Of course, with the LG G3 only launching in May 2014, it would be a little harsh to class an April 2015 LG G4 launch as late.
Still, let's look at the rumours surrounding the new flagship phone in case those rumours prove to be mere fluff (perish the thought).
We know it'll be called the LG G4, at any rate, because LG kind of told TrustedReviews as much. Oops.
It has a lot to live up to. The LG G3 was (and is) a truly brilliant phone, offering a just-so mixture of usability and cutting edge features - including the first major example of the kind of QHD display that every phone will be sporting in 2015.
So what do we know about the LG G4? It's widely held that it's going to have the same basic QHD display and Snapdragon 810 CPU combo as the rest of the Android big hitters.
But there are also rumours that LG will keep up the good work on the look and feel of its flagships, with thinner-than-ever bezels compensating for its larger-than-average screen.
One particularly interesting rumour is that the LG G4 will come with a Samsung Galaxy Note-like stylus. Given the G3's sizeable 5.5-inch display, we can see how it would fit, but does LG really want to nail its colours to the phablet mast with its popular flagship phone? And does it want the extra bulk?
Another possible enhancement for the LG G4 could be its design. LG's design team has previously demonstrated regret that the G3 didn't have a metallic finish - the company could correct that with a more premium-feeling LG G4.
Even if so, don't expect LG to go the whole hog and make an entirely metal chassis. It seems the expense would be prohibitive - particularly with the company's fondness for pushing spec boundaries elsewhere.
Like Samsung and HTC above, MWC 2015 could also see LG announcing a new smartwatch.
The key point of interest here is the suggestion that LG's new watch (dubbed by some as the LG G Watch R2) could come with 4G connectivity. Whether that's particularly desirable or even necessary on a smartwatch is open to discussion.
Google typically reserves its major Nexus smartphone launches until the end of the year, but don't forget that it has another smartphone project bubbling away in the background.
We're referring to Project Ara, the intriguing modular smartphone concept that will see you building your own Android phone out of Lego brick-like components - here's the camera, here's the CPU, here's the NFC module, and so on.
The company has previously stated that it will be trialling the first finished devices in Puerto Rico later in the year, but before that it's believed that Google will have a working Project Ara device on display at MWC 2015, along with as many as 50 modules. We're excited about this one.
Motorola
Rumour has it that Motorola will unveil a follow-up to last year's super-budget Moto E at MWC 2015.
This rumour has been prompted by a leaked press shot apparently showing the Moto E 2, complete with a small(ish) display and - luxury of luxuries - a front-facing camera. The rear camera still doesn't have a flash, though.
We rather liked the original Moto E and its solid sub-£100 ways, so we're as eager to see this take an MWC 2015 bow as we are the usual flagship phone suspects. Well, almost.
Microsoft
Many have bemoaned Microsoft's focus on the mid and low-end of the Lumia smartphone range since its full takeover of Nokia. Where's the flagship follow-up to the slightly crusty Lumia 930?
Not at MWC 2015, if reports are to be believed. We may well see two new Microsoft smartphones of some description, though. What's more, some have suggested that these entry-level handsets may run Windows 10.
That sounds a little odd, given that Microsoft hasn't released the Windows 10 OS yet, and won't do until later in the year. Perhaps what we'll see is an early preview of Windows 10 running on smartphone, with a lack of cutting edge hardware meaning the emphasis will be on the software.
Sony
2014 was a topsy-turvy year for Sony. It turned around new flagship phones at a scarcely believable rate, which resulted in two of its finest ever phones: the Sony Xperia Z3 and the Xperia Z3 Compact.
And yet the year ended with the company's mobile department in the red again, prompting rumours that Sony was willing to send the Xperia brand the way of Vaio.
Before any such decision (or announcement, at least) will come MWC 2015 and - possibly - the Sony Xperia Z4.
We say 'possibly' because there have been suggestions that Sony is aiming for a Summer release for its new flagship phone. Indeed, we haven't seen any leaks concerning the new handset, which could suggest that a release isn't imminent.
The phone has made it through certification in its home country, however.
The rumoured QHD display and Snapdragon 810 specs will surprise no-one, nor will the suggestion that it will come with a familiar 20.7-megapixel camera. What's more, with the Sony Xperia Z3 only a few months old, you can expect that the Xperia Z4 will look and feel very similar.
In fact, we're far more excited to see the rumoured Sony Xperia Z4 Compact, and we're hopeful that this also makes an MWC 2015 showing.
We're suckers for high-end Android phones with sub–5-inch displays, and the Xperia Z4 Compact could be a doozy. Rumour suggests that it'll feature a 4.7-inch 1080p display paired with the same high-end internals as the Z4.
What are you hoping to see from MWC 2015? Let us know in the comments section below