Samsung Electronics Co.’s invitation card for the “Unpacked” event on Feb. 21 at 7:00 p.m. (Spain time) in Barcelona. (Image : Yonhap)
SEOUL, Feb. 16 (Korea Bizwire) – Desperate to expand their global presence, South Korean and Chinese smartphone makers are likely to fight a pitched battle to steal the show at the world’s largest tech exhibition in Spain next week, industry watchers said Tuesday.
The four-day Mobile World Congress (MWC) is slated to kick off in Barcelona next Monday, showcasing the latest mobile gadgets and next-generation technologies, and bringing together some 100,000 CEOs and officials from nearly 2,000 tech companies across the globe.
LG Electronics Inc. will be the first to introduce a new flagship smartphone, the G5, which is expected to come with an improved design and a second-display feature as introduced in the V10 model last year.
The device is also anticipated to be slightly smaller by having a 5.3-inch display, compared with its 5.5-inch predecessor, although others say that the second display will make it comparatively bigger.
Samsung Electronics Co. also plans to showcase the presumed Galaxy S7 hours later, which is widely expected to come with improved features, including a pressure-sensitive display, similar to “3D Touch” promoted by Apple Inc.’
Others also expect the presumed Galaxy S7 will allow users to insert micro secure digital memory cards to increase data capacity.
The upcoming tech exhibition, however, will be more than just a showcase event for Samsung and LG, as Chinese rivals are also expected to beef up their presence in the global industry.
Xiaomi Inc., which leads the Chinese market, is anticipated to introduce its flagship smartphone, the Mi5. Xiaomi, despite its strong presence in its domestic market, was previously sluggish in tapping the overseas market due to copyrights issues.
The company, however, recently made significant moves in tapping into overseas markets, including the home of Samsung and LG. For one, a dollar-store chain started sales of Xiaomi models in January in South Korea, while more users also made direct purchases online.
LG Electronics said earlier it will introduce new budget smartphones as well at the MWC, apparently to take on Chinese rivals.
Other Chinese brands, including Huawei, Lennovo and ZTE, will also display their latest products near South Korean firms at the venue. Apple Inc., Samsung’s archrival, does not attend international exhibitions like the MWC but instead holds its own showcase events.
South Korean mobile carriers will also visit Spain to promote their achievements in the fifth-generation network sector, which is said to be 270 times faster than the long-term evolution technology.
With the MWC’s slogan for this year being “Mobile is everything,” the mobile carriers will also boast their Internet of Things technologies, a concept in which all tangible objects are connected to the Internet and can identify themselves to exchange necessary data.
(Yonhap)
