MWC 2019: The 7 coolest things we saw
A lot happened at the year's biggest phone show, but here's the stuff you actually need to pay attention to.
- Once wrote 50 articles in one month.
And just like that, MWC 2019 is over. With it, came a huge truckload of announcements. When it came to foldable phones , we saw Huawei's Mate X, TCL's foldable prototype that turns into a smartwatch, Motorola's foldable phone plans and more. Beyond that there was the HoloLens 2 and the five-camera-packing Nokia 9. For the TL;DR on what you need to know from the show, read on.
Mate X attempts to steal Galaxy Fold's thunder
Samsung pretty much had the foldable phone market, as it exists at least, on lock. Then came MWC and the Huawei Mate X, the company's first foldable phone. While the Galaxy Fold looks like two phones stacked together, Huawei takes a more streamlined approach with the Mate X and the result is a foldable phone that's a bit more seamless. We compared the two phones directly if you need more to go on.
Three ways HoloLens 2 is better than HoloLens
The HoloLens 2 was officially announced earlier this week and it attempts to improve on Microsoft's original AR headset in three different ways: better eye-tracking, a wider field of view and better hand tracking. We got to go hands-on with the HoloLens 2 and speak to its inventor. It's still not a device for us sweaty masses, but the potential of the technology is still exciting.
Moto has a foldable phone too
Apparently the new hotness is foldable and every company and their dads are hopping on the bandwagon. And Motorola is no different. Though nothing has been officially revealed, it's certain that Motorola will revive its Razr phone to introduce its foldable vision. It's also rumored to cost $1,500 and will be available this summer.
Nokia 9 has five cameras and it looks weird
OK, multiple cameras on phones is getting a bit out of control. That won't stop Nokia from releasing the Nokia 9 PureView with a total of five cameras. At this point, if a 10-camera phone came out, I'm not sure I'd even bat an eye. The company also introduced the retro-looking Nokia 210 complete with a brick body and Snake the game.
The LG G8 can read your veins
LG's latest flagship, the G8, can scan the veins in your hand to unlock it. It does this with new sensors that work with its front-facing camera. Not only does it enables features like 3D mapping for face unlock, it can scan your hand for user authentication and touchless gesture controls. Although a bit awkward to execute, these new tricks give a glimpse of big changes in how people will interact with their phones.
Make any phone 3D with Lucid's $30 screen protector
You could go out and buy a Red Hydrogen One if you want your phone to do 3D for $1,300 or buy a $30-$40 screen protector (we don't know the final pricing yet) and attach it to your current screen. It works by using a "Holoscreen," which is a lenticular screen protector, and Lucid's app. We got to try it for ourselves and it actually works.
The Galaxy 10 is out on March 8
Sure, the 8th is Captain Marvel day, but it's also Galaxy S10 day! And while this wasn't technically announced at MWC, this will be one of the biggest phone releases of the year and it happens less than a week from now. Check out our full review of the Galaxy S10 Plus to see what we think.
