By Akriti Rana and Nimish Dubey
The Mobile World Congress (MWC), perhaps the biggest event in mobile technology, returns to Barcelona after a two-year Covid sabbatical. From February 28 to March 3, some of the biggest brands in the mobile technology world not only showcased their latest and greatest products and innovations to thousands of visitors, but also gave us a glimpse into the future. From notebooks to phones to tablets to accessories, Barcelona was the center of cutting-edge mobile technology for four days.
While hundreds of products, technologies and concepts were showcased at the event, some standing out from the crowd were most likely to make an impact on the market and perhaps even our lives in the days to come.
Here, then, is our list of seven products that were showcased at MWC 2022:
What the Flash: Oppo’s SuperWook Flash Charge
If you thought a phone with 4500mAh battery charges in less than 20 minutes, Oppo redefined super fast charging at MWC 2022. The company introduced its SuperWook 240W flash charging solution, which can charge phones with 4500mAh battery. In just nine minutes. The solution comes with a number of security measures. A specially optimized intelligent control chip controls voltage, current and temperature to keep charging safe. Another customized battery safety monitoring chip monitors the phone’s battery to check if it is damaged, and the 13 temperature sensors in the phone ensure that there is no chance the temperature will rise beyond a safe level. Oppo also showcased 150W SuperWook Flash Charge with Battery Health Engine (BHE), which can not only charge a phone with 4500mAh battery in about 15 minutes, but also extend the life of the battery. But for us the 240W SuperVOOC Flash Charge was the biggest star of the show. Now let’s see which Oppo phone is available first.
Realme GT 2 Pro: Really Premium, Reality Premium
Much of Realme’s success comes from its excellent value for money mid segment and affordable phone offering. The brand is now looking to carve a niche in the premium segment, and MWC 2022 saw it release one of its most premium offerings, the Realme GT 2 Pro. The phone comes with all the trimmings that you would expect from a high-end device. Reality claims that this is the world’s first 2K Amoled Alpha display with LTPO 2.0 technology. That 6.7-inch AMOLED display has an amazing pixel density of 525 ppi, and is powered by the most powerful chip around, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Generation 1. The camera arrangement is innovative too, and features not only a powerful 50-megapixel Sony IMX 766 main sensor with OIS, but an ultrawide camera with a staggering 150-degree field of view, as well as a 40X micro lens camera. A massive 5000mAh battery with support for 65W fast charging rounds out the spec package.
The phone’s design is also unique, with Realme once again in collaboration with design wizard Naoto Fukusawa to come up with the first bio-based polymer design, which is far more sustainable and eco-friendly. It is a good looking phone and a powerful one too, and is priced at around US$615, which could see Realme joining the likes of Samsung and OnePlus in the premium segment in 2022.
Poco X4 Pro: Remarkable value for money
It was raining flags in Barcelona, but mid-segment phones were also in the limelight. And the most influential of these comes from Xiaomi’s former sub-brand, Poco, which is making a name for itself in the mid-segment with its loud and proud designs and remarkably competitive prices. The Poco X4 Pro will invite comparison with Xiaomi’s own Note series, but for us, it was probably the best value phone we saw at the event. For EUR 299 (roughly Rs. 25,000), the X4 Pro packs a 6.67-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate, a powerful Snapdragon 695 chip, the first 108-megapixel sensor seen on a Poco device, and a massive 5000mAh battery. Is. A 67W charger. It’s all packaged inside a design that’s typically funky Poco – yes, there’s a bright yellow version. Yes, the similarities with the Note series are notable but we don’t think any of us will mind considering the features and the price tag that it brings.
Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3: A new ChromeOS duet
Lenovo launched several devices at MWC 2022 with different functions and features, but we think an absolute rockstar in this lot was the IdeaPad Duet 3 Chromebook. The latest addition to the IdeaPad Duet series has the same classic form factor. It’s a touchscreen tablet that comes with a kickstand, and can also be attached magnetically to the keyboard. That familiar form factor comes with significant updates. The IdeaPad Duet 3 is powered by ARM based Snapdragon 7C Gen 2 processor and comes with an 11-inch 2K LCD display with stylus support. The device is equipped with dual speakers, USB Type C 3.0 port, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.1 and comes with up to 256 GB of eMMC storage.
It runs on Chrome OS, can handle Android apps, and offers up to 12 hours of battery life with 45W quick charge support. What makes the Duet 3 special is that it’s still very affordable for a 2-in-1. Lenovo has launched the device at USD 399.99, maintaining the affordability factor of its predecessor, which is a major plus in our books. It’s closest to a Chromebook like the Surface. And you get a keyboard in the box!
Huawei Matepad Paper: Scribbling with some e-inkers
Huawei may not be as big a name in the smartphone world as it once used to be, but the brand is constantly coming out with new devices. At MWC 2022, Huawei showcased the MatePad Paper, an ebook reader/tablet with a 10.3-inch display. It comes with 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage and is powered by ARM based Huawei Kirin 820e chipset. But while these specifications and numbers can match, what makes the MatePad Paper special is that it has an e-ink display (similar to what you see on Amazon’s Kindle e-book readers), Which is unusual in the tablet world. What’s more, it comes with support for Huawei’s M Pencil stylus.
This means you’ll actually be able to scribble, edit, annotate, paint, and do everything else you normally do with a pen on this tablet. Of course, the writing and writing experience won’t be as fast or smooth as the S Pen or Apple Pencil, but for the world of e-ink, it’s great. We can see book readers who like to underline text, and scribbling on margins adore this sleek, compact device.
Honor Magic 4 Pro: magically powerful
Brands try to put their best foot forward at MWC and putting the best foot forward in the smartphone world often means specs, specs and some more. That’s what the Honor Magic 4 Pro is all about – it’s a distinctive powerhouse. The phone comes with a 6.81-inch quad curved LTPO OLED Full HD+ display, and an adaptive refresh rate that can go from 1 to 120Hz depending on the content being viewed on it. It runs on Qualcomm’s most powerful chipset – Snapdragon 8th Generation 1, paired with up to 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and up to 512GB of UFS 3.1 flash storage. Powerful spec numbers flow in the camera department as well. The phone comes with 50-megapixel main and 50-megapixel ultrawide sensors, and a 64-megapixel periscope telephoto unit with 3.5x optical zoom and a staggering 100x digital zoom
As if that weren’t enough hardware “magic”, the phone comes with a massive 4600mAh battery and supports 100W fast charging using Honor’s SuperCharge technology. We’ve seen faster wired charging but what makes it special is that it’s 100W charging speed is also available for wireless charging, making the Magic 4 Pro one of the fastest charging phones, wired or otherwise. Round it out with a sleek design (with a circular camera unit at the back), and it was one of the most powerful devices on show in Barcelona.
TCL Next Paper Max 10: The Tablet That Really Looks Different
At first glance, the TCL NxtPaper Max 10 feels pretty good next to your tablet. It comes with a 10.36-inch Full HD+ display, runs Android 11, and packs a massive 8,000mAh battery. But the TCL NxtPaper Max 10 isn’t all about specs. What makes it the highlight of MWC 2022 for us is its most important component – the display. It may look like a regular display but is actually made up of multiple layers and topped with an anti-glare material. It appears almost like paper, hence its name.
No, it’s unlikely to set performance records, but we love the fact that it brings some serious display innovation to the table in terms of texture, eye protection, and appearance, while other brands like pixels, nits, and refresh rates. But play the veena.