MWC Predictions: Samsung and HTC

By Alex Angove

Last updated 03 February 2012

A few of our readers have asked us what they can expect to be unveiled at the upcoming Mobile World Conference (MWC) in Barcelona. The unfortunate truth about big expos like the MWC is that it’s almost impossible to separate rumor from truth in the lead up. As such we can’t give any definite predictions, but here are some of the more viable rumors we’ve heard floating around the web in recent months.

HTC

From HTC we expect to see at least two very specific things: the HTC EDGE quad-core superphone and the HTC Quattro quad-core tablet. As per usual

The HTC EDGE

The HTC EDGE is expected to be the world’s first quad-core smartphone, although we’ve heard tell of Samsung, Motorola and LG all working on their own quad-core beasties, which we mentioned in a post a while back. However, for now the HTC EDGE is still a strong contender for being the first quad-core phone to be officially announced by its manufacturer.

Specs-wise the EDGE is said to be rather impressive. On top of its quad-core 1.5GHz processor, rumor has it that the EDGE will also ship with a huge 4.7 inch screen with 720p HD display. 1GB of RAM should get the job done, though it might seem a bit small compared to the raw power of the processor.

The 8MP camera isn’t surprising, considering the device’s other monstrous hardware. 8MP is roughly in line with the current generation of smartphones already available, but not exactly what one would call a step forwards. There’s also a good chance we’ll see Beats Audio integration, as HTC has been a big fan of including that in its top-end phones of late. We’d also obviously like to see Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, but it’s a distinct possibility we’ll be served Gingerbread with a promise of ICS compatibility in the future.

The HTC Quattro

The HTC Quattro is HTC’s first quad-core tablet. Running on the same CPU chip as the HTC EDGE, the NVIDIA Tegra 3 chip, the powerful Quattro is sure to grab its fair share of attention should it be unveiled at MWC. Other specs are said to include 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, WiFi, 3G and Bluetooth. As far as the operating system (OS) goes it’s a safe bet that we’ll see Ice Cream Sandwich support, but it’s still possible we’ll get Honeycomb 3.2 with ICS updates in the future.

The rear camera is supposedly a disappointing 2MP with a 1.3MP front-facing camera. Confusingly enough we’ve heard that both cameras are capable of 720p video recording, which just goes to show how little the phrase “720p recording’ really means at the end of the day.

We’re also expecting some Beats Audio integration and, from what we’ve heard, it’s even more likely on the Quattro than it is on the EDGE. Which means we could also see some fancy headphones bundled in to sweeten the deal.

There’s also talk of a stylus, much like the HTC Flyer’s capacitive pen. This would be a handy inclusion for some, but we’re glad that the tablet’s entire marketing appeal isn’t based around this functionality, as it was with the Flyer.

Other HTC Goodies

Other devices on the HTC list include the HTC Ville and the HTC Primo. Neither device should cause too much of a stir. The Ville is said to be a dual-core successor to the HTC Sensation, but will ship running Ice Cream Sandwich.

The Primo is more of a lower to mid-range device. As such we don’t expect it to wow anyone. The best we can hope for is a solid device for a respectable price.

Samsung

The Samsung Galaxy S III

The biggest rumor we’ve been hearing about Samsung for the MWC even is that the Galaxy S III will be making a show. We do not expect this to happen. With the Galaxy Nexus only just being released itself it would be odd for Samsung to follow so quickly with its next flagship device. There’s also talk of Samsung trying to shorten the gap between the global and US launches of the next Galaxy S phone. This would, unfortunately, mean a delay on the global release, rather than any speeding up of the American side of things.

A 2GHz Samsung Tablet

Once Samsung rumor that has got us excited concerns a new tablet that is apparently in the works. According to Android and Me, Samsung is set to announce a 2GHz tablet at MWC. Not only that, but a 10 inch display with 2560x1600 resolution, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, 5x the graphics processing power and all-day battery usage.

The increase to graphics processing is what has us most excited. We’ve stated a few times that, while quad-core devices are certainly cool, we don’t really see the point until we get more of a focus on RAM, battery power and graphics processing. This mysterious Samsung tablet sounds like it’ll hit at least 2 of our 3 desires and we figure that’s definitely something worth keeping an eye out for.

The Samsung Galaxy S II Plus

We have heard about a certain Samsung Galaxy S II Plus handset. Rumors have been circling about this little handset for a spell now, although we can’t say we’re too much of a fan of the moniker. Samsung Galaxy S II Plus just seems to have too many prefixes slapped on to the end, it’s almost like an Android phone name parody, rather than the real thing.

Moving along to specs, however, the Galaxy S II Plus should hopefully be able to contend with the HTC Ville. It’s expected to sport a dual-core 1.5GHz Exynos processor and… that’s about it. As far as the OS story is told we’ve heard that it will either ship with Android 2.3.7 or Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

Should the latter be true then we can definitely see the appeal of the Galaxy S II Plus if the original Galaxy S II isn’t upgraded to ICS by the time of its release.

Nothing else is really known about the Galaxy S II Plus right now. Even its existence is more than questionable, but our suspicions will be finally proven true or laid to rest come MWC, which is really only a stone’s throw away at this point.

Summary

Well that’s it for our big Samsung and HTC expectations for MWC right now. We hope that each company brings out some surprises for us, not to mention the other manufacturers that will be present as well.

With the CES excitement already starting to fade it’s nice to have another big show just around the corner and we’ll do our best to keep you up to date with the major announcements as they roll out.

Image Credit: PocketNow and Engadget