That the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona is not what it was was already clear in other editions. And it is because the industry smartphones It’s not what it was either. After a rebound in 2021, due to the accumulated demand during the hardest time of the pandemic, in 2022 the market fell 12%, according to data from Canalys. Last year, 1,140 million units were sold, a drop of 4%. The decline eases, but does not stop, and manufacturers are racking their brains thinking of formulas to renew sales.
Integrating artificial intelligence into devices or launching folding formats are some of the trends printed in the smartphones of this MWC. A decaffeinated fair in terms of novelties, since many of the terminals on display have already been presented previously. The pushes that manufacturers previously gave each other to launch the most spectacular mobile phone at the event have been transformed into a general yielding. The promise of global spotlights—a large part of the world’s technology press turns to Mobile—does not even serve as an incentive for brands.
Xiaomi has been the only major manufacturer that has launched its high-end, although it was preceded by a presentation in China. In their devices, it is the camera that acts as a pole of attraction. Thanks to an alliance with Leica, the Xiaomi 14 features quadruple and triple lenses, designed to offer versatility when photographing different scenarios, in poor lighting conditions, at distant, very close or moving targets. There is no shortage of doses of artificial intelligence (AI) when taking photos or retouching them.
The introduction of AI in improving the camera function, however, has been on the market for some time. Specifically since 2017, when Google presented it in its Pixel 2 as an ideal complement to the lens hardware. These had begun to grow in number a year before, with the Huawei P9, which had a dual sensor. Everything was there for a long time. The novelty has consisted of supplementing what existed year after year.
The new wave of AI
Beyond photography, the new wave of AI, which we call generative and is based on models such as GPT or Gemini, is presented as a catalyst for the industry. The analyst firm Counterpoint predicts that 100 million will be sold in 2024. smartphones with this type of technology. By 2027 there would be 522 million units, 40% of the total.
The Galaxy AI technology, which will arrive in March on the Galaxy S23 and is being considered for introduction in previous generations later, differs from the artificial intelligence of other terminals in certain functionalities. It allows you to simultaneously translate a conversation from a phone call or facilitates the search for contextual information of any object that appears on the screen by circling it.
Honor has shown its Magic6 Pro at MWC, previously presented in China, and has announced its international launch. It is now on sale and incorporates the LlaMa 2 AI model (developed by Meta), which returns responses, ChatGPT style, and allows the creation of texts. Its camera feature also boasts artificial intelligence. It has an algorithm that predicts movement and makes it easier to capture ultra-high definition images. Among its three cameras, the telephoto lens stands out, with 180 megapixels, optimal zoom of 2.5x and digital, 100x.
The folding ones settle
Sales are scarce, but they are increasing little by little and companies are going after that niche, lean in units, but lucrative, if we look at the profit margin. At MWC 2024, the Honor Magic V2 RSR has landed, in its Porsche Design version, which has a 6.43-inch exterior screen, 2376×1060 pixels and a refresh rate of 120 Hz. When you open it, the interior panel appears, 7.9 inches, with a resolution of 2344×2156 pixels and also at 120 Hz. A two in one, smartphone and tablet at the same time, with a design inspired by the Porsche 911 and a hefty price even for a foldable: 2,699 euros.
At the fair you can also see ZTE’s first foldable, the Nubia Flip 5G. In its case, it has a 6.9-inch internal screen, somewhat larger than that of a smartphone big. Folded it looks like one of those phones from the early 2000s, which revealed its keyboard when opened. The refresh rate of its panel is 120 Hz and it has a double camera with 50 megapixels each lens. From the ZTE exhibitor they confirm that it will go on sale in Europe between March and April and that it will have a price starting at 599 euros. This will make it one of the cheapest foldables on the market.
In search of an incentive
Curling the loop, some brands are betting on alliances in the design of their terminals to boost sales. If Honor has an alliance with Porsche Design, the HMD company, owner of the Nokia brand, has announced a collaboration with the toy company Mattel. From there will come, boosted by the success of the 2023 film, a Barbie-themed mobile. There isn’t much more information, but the manufacturer has plans to partner with other consumer brands to develop more designs in this line.
TCL, for its part, is committed to attracting consumers thanks to price. It has presented three terminals below 250 euros. The cheapest of all of them, the TCL 505, with a 6.75-inch screen, 128 GB of storage and a 50-megapixel dual camera, costs 109 euros.
The Mobile does not give more of itself in devices. This year there are mobile brands that have substantially reduced their presence – such as Oppo -, while others – such as Huawei – remain oriented to the Chinese market. The smartphones They give symptoms of exhaustion. Brands have surfed a wave that was thought infinite, but that has diminished like all waves. For now, it will remain stranded on the shore, waiting for news. That this year they have not dazzled.