We were lucky enough to spend a few days in Barcelona last week at the Mobile World Congress. There were may new phone launches and the show was dominated by emerging technology like Virtual Reality and Wearables and talk of next generation 5G connectivity.
Here are some of the hi-lights.
LG G5
The LG G5 was one of the talking points of the show, because of its cutting edge modular design. Instead of another big screen Android phone packed full of powerful specs, LG have made a new type of smartphone, which can be used with a number of modular accessories. This allows the user to swap in various modules giving the phone extra features and more powerful capabilities.
Cam plus is one of these extra modules. It adds an extra grip and a dedicated shutter button for photo enthusiasts plus a switch to launch the camera app and a wheel for zooming in and out on. There is also another battery, so you can keep shooting photos for longer.
There is also an audio module from Bang and Olufsen, which should improve the audio experience on the phone. The phone also pairs up with a lightweight VR headset via a USB C cable, meaning the phone itself doesn’t have to slot into the goggles. The phone can be used as a controller, so there is no awkward reaching to the goggles to find a button.
Samsung Galaxy S7
Samsung had hinted that Mobile World Congress would see the launch of its next generation Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge models and on the day they wowed the crowd with VR headsets for everyone and Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg speaking about the potential of virtual reality.
On to the new phones, The S7 edge has a 5.5 inch display with the standard S7 coming in with a 5.1 inch screen. Both phones have HD screens with a 2,560 by 1,440 pixels resolution.
The phones are water and dust resistant to 1.5 metres and for 30 minutes. There is also now a Micro SD slot for extra storage.
Samsung made a feature of the camera capabilities of the new S7s with the rear-facing 12 megapixel camera said to let in 56 per cent more light than the previous S6 model. This is aimed at improving photos taken in low light and Samsung believe the phones are more capable than the iPhone in this area.
A final fun accessory is the rolling bot from LG, which is a camera in a ball that can patrol your house and be controlled remotely from your phone.
It also has a mic and speaker, so you can remotely nag your partner or terrify your pets.
Both the LG G5 and Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge are available on release from Direct Mobiles.
Check out the Website for pre-orders and further details of the great contract deals available.
