Mobile World Congress (MWC) has risen to prominence over the past few years when it comes to being a platform where companies can showcase their latest devices although some prefer to take the more traditional route of making a product announcement at CES which is held a month earlier thereabouts. With MWC 2016 just around the corner, what can we expect as consumers among the big boys?

LG

The South Korean consumer electronics giant, LG, continues to march forward with its flagship device, which would be the LG G Series. It seems that invitations for its press conference have already been sent out, so when February 21st arrives, we should be treated to their next generation flagship smartphone. No prizes for guessing what this particular model will be called, and if you had given any other answer other than the LG G5, perhaps the news portals that you have been reading so far have not been doing a decent job and delivering what is important. Will LG change the naming convention? That remains to be seen, but it is highly unlikely, at least for now. After all, Apple should be moving on to the digit 7 soon, as with LG's bitter domestic rival, Samsung.

Date: February 21, 2016
Time: 14:00 CET

Samsung

Samsung has more or less made MWC their own show in recent memory, what with the introduction of the Samsung Galaxy S5 a couple of years ago, followed by the Samsung Galaxy S6 last year. This time around, there is plenty of buzz surrounding what Samsung has at the 2014 and 2015 events respectively. Having said that, what is there from stopping Samsung from rolling out yet another flagship device - or two, at this year's Unpacked event? Certainly the Samsung Galaxy S7 would be on showcase here, and it might be accompanied by some other variant of the device (the Galaxy S7 edge, perhaps, or even a plus sized version?), although that remains up in the air as at press time.

Date: February 21, 2016
Time: N/A

Sony

Sony continues to remain on the periphery of things where their smartphones are concerned, and while I was initially impressed for some time with their waterproof handsets, it proved to be a big blow to me personally when Sony retracted that particular claim last year. Well, at least Sony will have a presence at MWC this year, although it remains to be seen as to what they have up their sleeves. Logically speaking, we might be looking at a next generation of the Xperia Z series, although since the Xperia Z5 was revealed at IFA in 2015, then the Japanese firm might follow suit this year, which means the Xperia Z6 would not debut on such a platform. Other possible devices that Sony could lift the curtains on would be a new tablet and smartwatch, so stay tuned!

Date: February 22, 2016
Time: 08:30 CET

Motorola (Lenovo)

Just in case you did not know, the handset division of Motorola is no longer owned by Google, but rather, it has been gobbled up by the company which made IBM their own - Lenovo. China-based Lenovo looks set to drop the Motorola branding entirely as part of their efforts to narrow down their focus on the Moto moniker. As Lenovo already has its fair share of smartphones that have proved to be rather popular in emerging markets and developing countries, they might want to leverage on the Moto brand as part of enhancing their image. While we can expect to see Lenovo introduce new smartphones under the Vibe brand, we would not rule out the possibility of them introducing a new Moto handset. If that happens, then it would certainly be a break from tradition.

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Xiaomi

Xiaomi is another fast growing brand that looks set make a splash at MWC this year, and it will certainly pull no punches when delivering its latest anticipated flagship, the Xiaomi Mi 5. This handset felt as though it has been in the pipeline for the longest time, and thanks to Hugo Barra's Facebook teaser, it does mention that the Xiaomi Mi 5 will make its debut in this year's edition of MWC - which will also be a first for Xiaomi. The media preview will be an invitation-only event, and Hugo Barra himself will host the event. Simultaneously, there will be a launch event held in Beijing, as China is the home market of the company. Let's find out what Xiaomi has in store for the world for real this February 24th, shall we?

Date: February 24, 2016
Time: 08:20 CET

HTC

Last but not least, there has also been whispers surrounding HTC and what they have in store for the masses at MWC 2016 - and a flagship device is not far from the menu. After all, MWC 2015 was the platform where HTC rolled out their flagship HTC One M9, so it makes plenty of sense that the same can be said for the next generation HTC One device. It has been called the HTC One M10 aka Perfume, but no one really knows what the final name of the device will be called, although word has it that it will drop the BoomSound feature that has defined many of its predecessors.

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