As the name suggests, MWC typically leans toward the mobile side of things, but it’s far from a phone or tablet-only show, so expect new laptops, headphones and more to debut as well. With Samsung releasing the Galaxy S22 line already, and the OnePlus 10 Pro just awaiting an international launch, it seems unlikely that we’ll see any flagship mobile announcements. However, the budget and mid-tier markets have been much more intriguing lately. so maybe there will be some surprises there. Here’s a look at everything we know so far about MWC 2022.
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Samsung at MWC 2022
Samsung announced a live streaming Galaxy MWC event at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 27, so technically a day before the conference actually starts. Samsung was kind enough to even tell us in a press release (opens in new tab) what it is that it’s going to be announcing, just minus most of the details. The company will be taking the wraps off the refreshed Galaxy Book lineup, including the Galaxy Book2 Pro 360. Samsung’s coming off a banner year for its PC division, which managed to boost sales by 63% in 2021, so it’s looking to keep that momentum up. We know these will be Intel-powered (presumably Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake) and running Windows. Samsung also played up its seamless integrations between devices with Link to Windows, ensuring continuity between your mobile devices and laptop, so perhaps it will have more to share there. Finally, it highlighted security in cooperation with Intel and Microsoft; it’s an area that Samsung excels at on Mobile with its dedicated Knox platform, so we’ll see if it has something unique to offer in the PC security realm.
OnePlus at MWC 2022
OnePlus doesn’t traditionally have much of a presence at the big trade shows and we have no evidence that is going to change for MWC this year. With that said, we are nearly two months out from the launch of the OnePlus 10 Pro in China, so an international launch can’t be that far away.
Motorola at MWC 2022
Another brand that didn’t want to wait for MWC to get underway: Motorola just announced the Edge Plus, an international variant of the Moto Edge X30 that marks the first high-end flagship from Motorola in the U.S. since 2020, which was also called the Edge Plus and didn’t make much of a splash. Whether the company has anything else up its sleeves for MWC is unclear. We are long overdue for a refresh of the Moto Razr foldable, and Motorola remains a powerhouse in the budget to mid-tier smartphone realm, so perhaps we’ll see some new affordable options emerge.
Lenovo at MWC 2022
Motorola’s owners announced last month that it won’t have a physical presence at MWC 2022, but rest assured some virtual announcements are coming with the company’s page touting that it will “unveil our latest smart technology” with a countdown to MWC. What exactly will we see from Lenovo? The company hasn’t offered any clues and the range of possibilities is a bit too extensive to narrow it down considerably. Lenovo typically has a wealth of new laptops for each major event. We could see some new tablets and possibly something new on the AR front as everyone races for relevance in that burgeoning space.
TCL at MWC 2022
TCL announced its 30 Series phones at CES in January, and the affordable TCL 30 XE and 30 V already arrived on Verizon and T-Mobile, but it kept most of the details on the higher-end 30 Series models under wraps. We know those details are finally coming at MWC, and while TCL still doesn’t compete in the flagship market, it has produced some of the more intriguing mid-range options in recent years thanks to its display prowess. With increasing competition from major players like Google with the Pixel 5a and the presumed iPhone SE 2022 refresh, TCL needs to step up its game if it wants to continue to build a name for itself in the mobile market.
Xiaomi at MWC 2022
Similar to OnePlus, Xiaomi released its flagship Xiaomi 12 in China months ago, but we are still awaiting an international launch of the device. MWC 2022 would certainly be a fitting place for that to happen. Assuming it is mostly unchanged from the Chinese launch, it will tick all the flagship boxes with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, a 6.7-inch 120Hz LTPO AMOLED display, a trio of 50MP cameras on the back and incredible 120W wired and 50W wireless charging.
What else?
There’s sure to be plenty more announced at MWC than just the brands we covered above. While CES is certainly a larger event for laptop manufacturers, it’s safe to assume that we may see either some new laptops here or get a closer look at the laptops announced at CES but didn’t make an appearance. For example, those laptops running Intel’s new P-Series CPUs. We can also expect plenty of time spent on other 5G and Wi-Fi 6E connected devices along with a sea of mobile accessories; particularly with more manufacturers finally adding faster charging to their phones, while adapters in the box are a thing of the past for most, it should be a big year for 45W+ fast-charging solutions. Follow along all week and we’ll keep you up-to-date on the latest from MWC 2022.
