The Global Mobile Conference will be held in Barcelona this week, providing manufacturers with an opportunity to show off new gear without having to hold their own splash events. So far, we've learned about some new laptops and phones, as well as an AI update that's coming to Android.
This is a sight that attracts our attention. We will update this story throughout the week.
Lenovo
Among the large manufacturers, Lenovo is arguably the busiest MWC to date. The company revealed a bunch of laptops, including several interesting concept models.
The ThinkPad T14S 2-in-1 is designed more consistent with the convertible format of the yoga lineup, rather than the typical ThinkPad. The 14-inch machine can be equipped with a 400nit Wuxga touch display. Other ThinkPads are undergoing specification upgrades, while Lenovo claims the new ThinkPad X13 Gen 6 has “one of the lightest ThinkPad designs ever”. The company also has new slate.
Some concepts of association undoubtedly attracted our attention. It is frustrating that the company is not currently planning to convert the company into commercial equipment. Thanks to the solar cells on the casing, the laptop can absorb enough sunlight energy in 20 minutes to play an hour of video. Light as low as 0.3 watts is enough to juice the battery. While solar-powered laptops are nothing new, yoga solar finds great. I hope Lenovo will do more about this concept in the future.
Additionally, Lenovo shows some thought book laptops. There is an eight-inch screen that can be magnetically attached to the sides to help you keep up with notifications and widgets. The Magic Bay Dual Display concept adds a 13.3-inch panel to either side of the main display. There is also a slim second display designed to sit above the laptop screen and provides quick access to time, weather, notifications, focus mode timers, AI assistants and notifications.
Most importantly, Lenovo offers a new prototype laptop with flexible displays. The technology built (a full name available) of the company in the Thinkbook Plus 6 Gen 6 scroll has a folding screen. This allows Lenovo to increase the panel size from 13 inches to 18.1 inches. On the other hand, the Thinkbook Rollable's display can extend to 16.7 inches. Again, Lenovo is not currently planning to release a commercial version of this folding laptop, but it's an interesting idea.
Samsung
Samsung's main MWC news this year is. The Galaxy A56 has a larger screen at 6.7 inches than its predecessor, but is also thinner at 7.44mm vs. 8.2mm. There's a tiny bump right now, the volume and power buttons are all here – we think the A56 is easier to handle for the tweaks.
Samsung switched the camera array in the A56. On the front, there is a low resolution 12MP lens. On the other side, you'll find an upgraded 12MP Ultrawide, a 50MP main sensor and a 5MP macro lens. The A56 has a bunch of AI-powered camera and image editing features, such as enhanced subject detection and object erasers in portrait mode.
The Galaxy A56 is open for reservations in the UK and costs $499/£499. It will strike the UK on March 19, but people in the US have to wait "Later this year" to this end.
Samsung also revealed the Galaxy A36 5G and Galaxy A26 5G. Both devices have a 120Hz, 6.7-inch display with brightness up to 1,200 columns. They also share an IP67 rating and a 5,000mAh battery with the A56.
However, each model has only 6GB of RAM (compared to the 12GB of the A56). Additionally, the A36 has a Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 processor, rather than the Exynos 1580 that the A56 has, while the A26 has an Exynos 1380 chipset.
Millet
Unfortunately, Xiaomi has no plans to bring its phones that it shows off at MWC to the United States. What a shame, because no other company has sold phones like the country these days.
Xiaomi has collaborated with Leica to create a smartphone that incorporates a lot of photography. The camera array includes a 1-inch 50-megapixel Sony main sensor, an f/2.2 50MP Ultrawide Cam, a 50MP mid-range lens, a 70mm focal length and a 200MP periscope array with a 100mm focal length – equal to 4.7x optical zoom. Some preset Leica filters help blend the knowledge of the two brands.
This is not everything for mobile snappers. Xiaomi’s separate photography kit includes an additional camera grip with physical shutter buttons, adjustable dials and dedicated video buttons. You can also choose to connect a standard 67mm filter adapter to the housing – in other words, some devices you might use on a dedicated camera are compatible with the Ultra 15 as part of this setup.
Additionally, the Ultra 15 has a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and up to 3200 columns of brightness to help you take a closer look at the capture. Also, unlike some other Chinese phones (such as Huawei), Xiaomi supports Google Services in Hyperos 2, which is an Android skin. The Ultra 15 starts at around €1,499 (approximately $1,572).
Android
Speaking of Android, Google announced. The live video feature that Google previewed on I/O 2024 for the first time allows you to share what your phone’s camera sees with Gemini, so you can ask questions about the video-recorded chatbot.
The new screenshot feature works in a similar way. You can ask Gemini questions to learn anything on your phone or tablet display.
If they work and are advertised, these features may be a boon for accessibility. Google will first make it available to Gemini premium subscribers from later this month. People with $20 per month membership (accompany) can access Gemini Advanced.
This article originally appeared on Engadget
