Mobile World Congress 2012 Smartphones at MWC 2012
LG at MWC 2012
LG has become one of the leading mobile phone brands in recent years, even if it trails the likes of Samsung and HTC for popularity. Here's what it has announced at MWC 2012 so far.
LG Optimus Vu
The huge LG Optimus Vu has a 5-inch screen, pushing it into almost tablet territory. This rival to the Samsung Galaxy Note has an unusual 4:3 aspect ratio rather than the standard 16:9 widescreen format. LG says this makes the Vu a great choice for reading ebooks or browsing the web, but film buffs may be disappointed by the thick black lines bordering videos. And the screen shape could adversely affect the performance of some apps.
Read our LG Optimus Vu first look for more details
LG Optimus 3D Max
LG continues to push its 3D phone technology with the latest version of its Optimus 3D. The Optimus 3D Max offers the same glasses-free 3D experience as its predecessor while adding the ability to convert any 2D game into a 3D one. 3D clips filmed and played back on the screen still look woefully poor compared to decent 3D content seen at cinemas or on TVs, but it can be fun, and there’s always the 2D options to fall back on.
Watch our LG Optimus 3D Max first look video for more info
LG Optimus 4X HD
The Optimus 4X HD is LG's first smartphone to feature a quad-core processor. This keeps everything running incredibly quickly and even enables you to zoom into video while its playing (if you really want to). The Optimus 4X HD has a huge 4.7-inch display, with a screen resolution of 1280x720 pixels, and comes with 16GB of internal storage and an 8MP camera. It runs on the latest version of the Android OS (Ice Cream Sandwich).
Watch our LG Optimus 4X HD first look video for more info
LG Optimus L7, L5 and L3
LG unveiled three mid-range Android smartphones to complement the more advanced Optimus Vu, Optimus 3D Max and Optimus 4X HD. The LG Optimus L7 is the largest of the three and sports a 4.3-inch screen with a 1GHZ processor. The Optimus L5 has a slightly smaller 4-inch screen and is powered by an 800MHz processor, while the Optimus L3 is the baby of the range and has a 3.2-inch display. The L7 and L5 run on Android Ice Cream Sandwich though the cheaper L3 is stuck with the previous version of the OS (Gingerbread).
Watch our LG Optimus L7, L5 and L3 first look video for more info
Nokia at MWC 2012
Nokia needs no introduction - its been a leading manufacturer since the very beginnings of the mobile phone revolution. It's hit upon hard times recently, but it's making its way back into the spotlight.
Nokia 808 Pureview
Forget 5, 8 and even 12Mp cameraphones - the Nokia 808 Pureview boasts a 41Mp camera! This means that you can zoom up to 3x into your photos without losing any detail while Nokia claim its oversampling technology allows for significantly improved low light performance. And the 808 Pureview isn't just about still photography - it can also record 1080p video at 30 frames per second.
Read our Nokia 808 Pureview First Look
Samsung at MWC 2012
Samsung has become the most high-profile and vocal opponent for Apple in the last year or so, revelling in the success of the Samsung Galaxy SII and Samsung Galaxy Note. Here's what its been touting at this year's MWC 2012.
Samsung Galaxy Beam
The Samsung Galaxy Beam may look like your usual smartphone but this one is rather different as it comes with a built-in projector. The 15 lumens projector can display media up to 50-inches wide, although Samsung’s claim that it can turn any room into a home cinema sounds quite optimistic. Projector apart, the Beam is an Android smartphone that's equipped with a huge 2,000mAh battery, a dual-core 1GHz processor and 8GB of storage. It's controlled by a 4-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 480x800 pixels.
Read our Samsung Galaxy Beam First Look
Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 and Galaxy Mini 2
As the names suggest, these two handsets are updated versions of previous Android smartphones. The Galaxy Ace 2 includes a 3.8-inch touchscreen and a dual-core processor, though the clock speed of 800MHz means it isn't as powerful as most other dual-core processors we've seen. The Galaxy Mini 2 is a more modest offering and comes with a single core 800MHz processor, a 3.3-inch touchscreen and a 3Mp camera.
Watch our Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 and Galaxy Mini 2 first look video for more info
HTC at MWC 2012
HTC has had its thunder stolen by Samsung recently, so MWC 2012 is an opportunity for it to remind everyone that it's still a serious player in the smartphone business.
HTC One X, S and V
The HTC One X is to be HTC's new top-of-the-range Android smartphone - one of three new handsets in a new range that includes the S and V as well. The HTC One X has a quad-core processor and will run the latest version of Android, version 4.0, and the latest edition of HTC's own interface, Sense 4. It has a 4.7-inch display and new camera that HTC says will take high quality shots, even in low-light.
Watch our HTC One X first look video for more info
Huawei at MWC 2012
The Chinese phone manufacturer may not be very well known but that's about to change after it announced the Huawei Ascend D Quad - supposedly the world's fastest phone.
Huawei Ascend D Quad, D Quad XL and D1
The Ascend D Quad has a processor (made by Huawei itself) which is claimed to be 20-50% faster than the Nvida Tegra 3 chip found in other quad-core smartphones. Not only that, but it apparently provides a 30% power saving for the device. The Ascend D Quad runs on the Ice Cream Sandwich version of the Android OS and includes a 1,800mAh battery. There are two further versions of the phone - the Ascend D Quad XL, with an even larger 2,500mAh battery, and the Ascend D1, with a 1.2GHz dual-core processor.
Watch our Huawei Ascend D Quad first look video for more info
Panasonic at MWC 2012
After years away from the mobile phone scene Panasonic was hoping to return with a bang at MWC 2012. Here's what it's announced so far.
Panasonic Eluga Power
We only saw the Panasonic Eluga last week in Hamburg but Panasonic has already announced a more powerful version - the Eluga Power. This runs on the latest version of the Android operating system (Ice Cream Sandwich) and has a 1.5GHz dual-core processor and a larger 5-inch touchscreen. There's also an 8Mp camera, capable of recording video in full HD 1080p, and a generous 1,800mAh battery. And, like the basic Eluga, the new phone is waterproof and dustproof.
Watch our Panasonic Eluga Power first look video for more info
