Mobile World Congress is the biggest mobile event of the year, seeing the launch of many of the top smartphones, smartwatches and tablets, as well as seeing the emergence of the hottest new trends in mobile.
Generally speaking, all the big brands attend Mobile World Congress (MWC) in one way or another. The exception is Apple, although the trends outlined at MWC very much include the iPhone while many of the announced accessories are compatible.
At MWC we saw the first Dolby Vision display on a phone, we saw the move to 18:9 and a whole lot more.
What is Mobile World Congress?
Mobile World Congress is an annual trade show run by the GSMA (yes, it's for trade rather than members of the public). The location theoretically moves around Europe, but in recent years it has been held in Barcelona, Spain.
It is the launch platform for many of the year's big smartphones, but it has also given us a range of tablets, smartwatches and other connected devices in recent years - even reaching over to 2-in-1s, tablets and, this year, we may be seeing some more always-connected laptops.
Outside of the consumer sphere, it also draws in many of the industry heavyweights to talk about the future of mobile, like 5G, mobile chips, VR and other associated technologies.
When is Mobile World Congress 2018?
Mobile World Congress 2018 is running from 26 February to 1 March. These are the days that the show itself is open, the press days - where the big announcements are made - fall before this.
Sunday 25 February is likely to be the big launch day, although in recent years we've seen a trickle of mobile news appearing in the weeks before this. But if there's one day to be excited, it's likely to be Sunday 25 Feb.
What devices are launching at MWC? Well that's what we're going to deal with now.
BlackBerry at MWC 2018
BlackBerry stopped making its own phones and handed a license to TCL so BlackBerry phones are now made by then That's lead to some interesting recent devices.
BlackBerry has confirmed that it will be launching "at least" two phones this year, but there's very little indication of what they might be, but we think it might be the KeyTwo or KeyOne 2.
Google at MWC 2018
Google always has a good time at MWC, using it as an opportunity to show off all its Android partners. At MWC 2017, it offered fun Android pin badges for attendees to collect.
Google's real interest, however, seems to be around expanding the reach of Google Assistant.
At CES 2018, we saw Google push a number of initiatives around Assistant, introducing the smart displays empowered by Google Assistant. We've also seen the growth of Google Assistant compatible headphones, as Google leverages its skills.
There's no word on what we might see at MWC just yet, but we're betting it follows the AI theme.
HTC at MWC 2018
HTC has been rather quiet of late - apart from in the Vive department - but we know that HTC will be launching something with two cameras in 2018. We know that because HTC said so and it might be that the HTC U11 Eyes just announced in China makes it worldwide.
However, with HTC generally hosting online launch events rather than hitting shows like MWC, we wouldn't be surprised if it was a quiet start to the year.
Still, rumours persist that the HTC U12 is in the works, but so soon after the unveiling of the HTC U11+? We're not so sure.
Huawei at MWC 2018
Huawei has a mixed history with MWC, often using the conference to launch new devices, but not always the new flagship. However, in 2017 it used the event to unveil the Huawei P10 and P10 Plus smartphones and Huawei Watch 2, a good haul.
Rumours suggest that Huawei is going to change its naming convention and announce the Huawei P20 at MWC.
That hasn't been confirmed, but long-running rumours have suggested a launch date in early 2018. However, we've recently heard that Huawei may be planing its own event for April, over a month after MWC.
LG at MWC 2018
LG likes to launch at MWC and we've seen a number of devices arrive in recent years - the LG G5 and LG G6. So will we see the LG G7?
It's certainly on its way, as we've seen a number of leaks about this device. There was a rumour that LG was going to change its naming followed by a report saying that LG has scrapped the LG G7 design completely.
At the moment we just don't know whether LG is going to join the MWC scrum or not, but recent reports suggest LG is setting its own agenda.
Motorola at MWC 2018
Lenovo, owners of Motorola, announced a lot at CES 2018, including a Snapdragon-powered Windows 10 2-in-1 and the Mirage Solo, the first standalone Daydream VR headset, along with accompanying VR180 camera and a Smart Display.
But there were no phones.
Rumours suggest that Lenovo is planning to launch a new Moto X, E and G in 2018, along with the return of the Play branding, suggesting a couple of different tiers to some of these devices. We've seen an image leak for the Moto E5 and a new G model, as well as the X.
Nokia at MWC 2018
Well, where to start? Nokia is attempting to come back from the dead and in 2017 that saw MWC headlines dominated by the Nokia 3310. It might have been a marketing stunt, it might have been a serious phone, but there's rumours of a 4G version to make it actually useful.
With a huge number of phones launched in 2017 - Nokia 8, 7, 6, 5, 3, 2 - it's really the Nokia 9 that has people excited: a flagship to compete at the highest level.
There's no shortage of rumours on this device and everything is suggesting an imminent launch. It might be before MWC to avoid the furore, but we're sure it's coming soon. We also expect to see the global launch of the new Nokia 6, recently announced in China. Nokia has confirmed it will be having an event, so Nokia is a certainty.
Samsung at MWC 2018
It was long expect for Samsung to confirm a MWC launch after DJ Koh, president of Samsung Mobile, has said the phone will launch at a trade show in February. The company has now gone official, announcing Galaxy Unpacked on the Sunday before MWC. The teaser carried a huge 9 on it.
Samsung's tease is all about redefining the camera, so it's here we expect to see the real innovation. Rumours suggest that the new S9 will carry a similar design to the S8, but with a brand new camera offering a dual aperture feature. That still remains a mystery, but we've been keeping track of all the rumours.
Samsung is likely to dominate MWC.
Sony Mobile at MWC 2017
Sony announced four new handsets at MWC 2017, but in 2018 it has already revealed two of those expected updates in the Xperia XA2 and XA2 Ultra.
That leaves the 4K Sony Xperia XZ Premium as an older phone, although there's also the Xperia XZ1, although that's only a few months old. We suspect that Sony wants to replace the XZ Premium with something that's truly flagship-quality.
We're expecting that phone to be called the Sony Xperia XZ Pro and Sony has booked in a press conference, so it seems pretty certain.
Asus at MWC 2018
Asus has confirmed that it will launch a new version of its ZenFone smartphone during Mobile World Congress - the ZenFone 5.
It tweeted a save-the-date announcement earlier today, with an image of a giant, swirling "5". The event, to be held on 27 February, is also called "#BackTo5" and a supporting website further suggests the next ZenFone will be part of a new 5 Series.
Save the date this 02.27 for #MWC18 and let's #Backto5. Check here: https://t.co/dXV4vXxsoq to find out more. pic.twitter.com/kGaDwL28f7
— ASUS (@ASUS) January 31, 2018
There are few other details on the specifications or features as yet, but Pocket-lint will be in attendance at its Barcelona press conference to bring you more. We will also be at Mobile World Congress all week, looking at all the announced phones and accessories at the show.