MWC 2013: news and reviews from the world’s biggest mobile show

MWC 2013 has kicked off in Barcelona with big news from Mozilla, Nokia, Samsung and more.

Mobile World Congress takes over Barcelona at the end of February, moving to a new larger location this year as smartphones and tablets continue to dominate the tech industry.

Here, we round up the top news at the show – with announcements and first-look reviews from MWC 2013 coming throughout the week.

PC Pro’s Greatest Hits of MWC 2013

28 February 2013 – We’ve picked the top handsets and tech on show at Mobile World Congress this week, including the best Android and Windows smartphones and tablets. Click here to read our picks for the award-winners of MWC 2013.

Alcatel One Touch Idol Ultra review: first look

28 February 2013 – Alcatel’s oddly named One Touch Idol Ultra review was actually announced just before MWC, but had it’s first outing for reviewers to get their hands on it at the Barcelona show. Despite being a mid-range handset, the Alcatel One Touch Idol Ultra is the slimmest handset we’ve seen. It features a 4.7in, 1,280 x 720 AMOLED screen, dual-core 1.2GHz processor and 1GB of RAM – find out the full details in our first-look review of the Alcatel One Touch Idol Ultra.

HP Slate 7 review: first look

27 February 2013 – HP has unveiled it’s Android tablet, the HP Slate 7. The tablet targets the low end of the market at $169 – it is expected in the UK later this year, but pricing hasn’t yet been revealed. Read our first-look review of the HP Slate 7 for more details on the tablet’s specs, which include a 1,024 x 600, 7in display, front and rear cameras, and dual-core 1.6GHz Cortex A9 processor alongside 1GB of RAM.

ZTE Grand Memo review: first look

27 February 2013 – ZTE is looking to rival Samsung’s Galaxy Note II with its own Grand Memo, a 5.7in phone, or as some have taken to calling them, “phablet”. It features a 1,280 x 720 resolution display, and is powered by Qualcomm’s fastest chip, the 1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800. Find out more about its specs with our first-look review of the ZTE Grand Memo.

Asus PadFone Infinity review: first look

26 February 2013 – Asus announced two new PadFones, and we’ve taken a look at the higher-end Infinity, as it’s going to have to work hard to justify the £799 price. The PadFone Infinity is a 5in smartphone that docks into a 10in tablet. It’s a good-looking, impressive device, but can it convince in the price? Find out more in our PadFone Infinity first-look review.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 review: first look

26 February 2013 – We’ve got our hands on Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8, its latest “phablet” – an 8in tablet that can also make calls. The Note 8 has a 1,280 x 800 resolution screen, 1.6GHz processor, 2GB of RAM and a massive battery.

Take a look at our first-look review of the Galaxy Note 8 to find out whether taking calls on an 8in device makes sense.

EE CEO: 4G doesn’t need unlimited plans

26 February 2013 – CEO Olaf Swantee has claimed the average data use on EE’s 4G network is 1.4GB a month, claiming that means his firm doesn’t need to offer an unlimited plan – although it suggests users are merely carefully staying inside their data caps. He also said 25% of traffic on the network was video, and said the average speed was 16Mbits/sec.

Asus unveils PadFone, Fonepad tablets

25 February 2013 – Asus has revealed the latest versions of its PadFone tablets, which use an Android smartphone to power a tablet. The PadFone 2 will arrive in the UK in March for £599, while the higher-spec PadFone Infinity will be £799.

Asus also unveiled the Fonepad, a budget 7in tablet that allows users to make calls. Find out more with our first-look review of the Asus Fonepad.

LG to buy webOS for smart TVs?

25 February 2013 – One of the more intriguing rumours to come out of MWC today suggests LG is to buy webOS from HP in order to use the platform on smart TVs. Neither firm has confirmed the report, but speculation suggests LG is planning to announce the move at the Barcelona show.

HP Slate7 Android tablet announced

25 February 2013 – HP has unveiled its much-rumoured Android tablet, the Slate7. No UK pricing has yet to be revealed, but it’s expected to cost $169 when it arrives in April.

The Slate7 features a dual-core Cortex-A9 1.6GHz processor and runs Android 4.1.

Nokia unveils budget-priced Lumia 520, 720 smartphones

25 February 2013 – Nokia has kicked off Mobile World Congress by unveiling a pair of low-cost Windows Phone devices. The Lumia 520 costs only £120, and comes with a 1GHz processor, 8GB of storage and a microSD slot, and a 4in 800 x 480 display. It will be available in the UK in the second quarter.

The Lumia 720 features a 4.3in display, dual-core 1GHz CPU, and 8GB of storage plus a microSD slot. It will also arrive in the second quarter, and cost about £218. Find out more in our our first-look reviews of the Nokia Lumia 720 and the Nokia Lumia 520.

Huawei claims Ascend P2 is “world’s fastest smartphone”

24 February 2013 – Huawei has unveiled the Ascend P2, claiming it’s “the world’s fastest smartphone”.

That claim is for its “CAT4” LTE, which allows the Ascend P2 to support download speeds of up to 150Mbits/sec. The Android 4.1 smartphone features a 4.7in, 1,280 x 720p resolution display, and runs a 1.5GHz, quad-core CPU and 1GB of RAM. It’s 8.4mm at its thinnest and weighs only 122g. The Ascend P2 also features a 13-megapixel camera, and can shoot Full HD, 1080p video.

The Huawei Ascend P2 is expected to arrive in Europe in the second quarter, for €399 (around £345).

Mozilla unveils first Firefox OS handsets

24 February 2013 – Mozilla has shown off the first phones running its Firefox OS, with handsets made by ZTE, Huawei, LG and Alcatel. The low-cost handsets – such as the ZTE Open, which will cost less than £70 – are targeted at emerging markets. They’ll arrive in Poland, Hungary, Columbia, Mexico and Brazil in the second quarter, but won’t arrive in the UK until 2014.

Find out more with our first-look review of the ZTE Open running Firefox OS.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 unveiled

24 February 2013 – Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Note 8, an Android tablet that can make and receive phone calls. Samsung has not yet announced pricing or a specific release date.

The Galaxy Note 8 comes with Samsung’s stylus, features a 1,280 x 800 TFT display, and runs a 1.6GHz chip, alongside either 16GB or 32GB of storage. That can be expanded via the microSD slot.

Greatest hits of MWC 2013

24 February 2013 – PC Pro is picking the nine best products on show at MWC, and you can help. Head over to our Greatest Hits of MWC 2013 blog post to let us know which devices you think are the best tablets and smartphones on Android and Windows Phone, and hardware is the best in show.

LG unveils Optimus F5 and Optimus F7 ahead of MWC

21 February 2013 – LG has unveiled a pair of 4G handsets ahead of MWC, the Optimus F5 and the Optimus F7. The Optimus F5 is a 4.3in handset with 1.2GHz dual-core processor and “largest in class” battery, while the 4.7in Optimus F7 runs on a 1.5GHz dual-core processor. Both come with the latest version of Android and LG’s “QSlide”, an interface to enable the use of two apps at the same time.

Dr. Jong-seok Park, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile, said: “With adoption of LTE expected to explode in 2013, we are sending a clear message to consumers with the Optimus F Series that LTE isn’t only for heavy-content users and techies anymore. It’s for everyone.”

The Optimus F5 will be released in Europe in Q2, followed by the Optimus F7 in “selected markets”. Pricing is yet to be revealed.

Ubuntu tablet and smartphone interfaces on show at MWC

19 February 2013 – Canonical is set to release previews of its smartphone and tablet OS, allowing developers to download the interfaces to a Nexus 7 or Nexus 10 tablet, or a Nexus smartphone, in order to start creating apps. The new OSes, part of Canonical’s wider efforts to make a single platform across mobile and PC, will be on show at Mobile World Congress, and the development firm will be on hand to flip Nexus devices to Ubuntu to enable visitors to try it out.

No Nokia tablet at MWC: report

18 February 2013 – Nokia’s tablet won’t be arriving at MWC, a researcher suggests, despite previous reports and images leaked from Pakistan last week. Strategy Analytics has called its sources in the channel and found no traces of a Nokia tablet, suggesting the Finnish firm intends to instead focus on its Lumia smartphone range at the Barcelona show, according to a report from Know Your Mobile.

Forget hardware – MWC should focus on software

15 February 2013 – There’s no innovation left to happen in smartphone hardware, one analyst has said, suggesting MWC will instead focus on software. “Industry commentators are wrong and are stuck in a pre-1981, pre-Microsoft ‘hardware mindset’,” said Victor Basta, managing director at Magister Advisors, according to ComputerWorld UK. “The mobile industry is no longer about the device.”

“The past few years have been about perfecting the mobile device. Smartphones are now derivative, innovation has already happened and Apple’s share price is suffering partly because of this,” Basta added. “For 2013, all important mobile innovation will be software-based.”

Opera to release Android WebKit browser at MWC

13 February 2013 – Opera has confirmed its switch to WebKit for its browsers, and the first release starring the rendering engine will arrive at Mobile World Congress in Android handsets. The Norwegian browser firm said it will unveil the new Android browser at the show at the end of the month.

Nokia to unveil a Windows tablet?

12 February 2013 – Nokia has long been rumoured to be working on a Windows tablet; there’s been little hard evidence but the firm’s CEO hasn’t ruled it out, and it’s an idea with some merit. Now, reports of a slide shown in Pakistan suggest that Nokia is already working a 7in tablet into its marketing materials – possibly ahead of a launch at MWC, notes TechCrunch.

Best of British mobile design heads to Barcelona

12 February 2013 – A British contingent of designers is heading to MWC, and Cnet will be showing off a selection of some of their best creations at the show. Highlights include a folding universal smartphone charger, a skin cancer-detecting app, and a tool that enables the display of a handset to be shown on an in-car dashboard – handy for satnav and playing videos for the kids.

Google a no-show for MWC

6 February 2013 – Android devices will surely cover much of MWC’s show floor, but Google won’t have a stand of its own, according to a French mobile site. Google told the site its representatives will still be at the show to “support” its partners; this move by the company suggests it won’t be launching anything of its own at the show.

Asus expects to show off PadFone 2

5 February 2013 – Asus has already said it has “huge” plans for MWC this year, and the latest reports suggest these will include the successor to its Asus PadFone 2, which the company says has hit sales of two million, according to Tom’s Hardware. Leaked photos also suggest Asus plans to unveil the Android-based MemoPad 10 tablet at the show.

Intel reveals dual-core for Android

1 February 2013 – Intel has revealed its plans for Mobile World Congress 2013, saying it will show off a new chip. “Specifically, Intel will showcase its latest smartphone technologies and devices running the Android platform, including a new dual-core, dual graphics platform, as well as OEM- and service provider-supported devices based on the company’s new Intel Atom Z2420 platform targeted at emerging markets,” the company said.

ZTE expected to release Mozilla handset

30 January 2013 – According to a report from Know Your Mobile, ZTE looks likely to unveil a handset running Mozilla’s Firefox Mobile OS. The Chinese handset maker is promoting its press conference with the hashtag “ZTEMozilla”, and is known to be working with Telefonica on the platform.

HTC pre-empts MWC with London release

29 January 2013 – HTC isn’t waiting for Mobile World Congress to kick off; instead, it’s holding its own launch event days before the Barcelona show. HTC hasn’t said what it plans to release on 15 February, but rumours suggest it will be the M7 smartphone – the follow-up to the HTC One X– which is expected to come with a top-end camera.

Samsung tablets leak online

29 January 2013 – Leaked photos have revealed two highly anticipated Samsung tablets, the Galaxy Tab 3 and Galaxy Note 8.0. Both are expected to be revealed at MWC in February.

The former is expected to be a 7in device – possibly a budget tablet to target Google’s Nexus 7. The latter is an extension of Samsung’s successful Galaxy Note line, and is expected to come in 16GB or 32GB versions, although full specs haven’t been revealed.

Telefonica promises big Firefox phone news at MWC

23 January 2013 – Firefox’s mobile OS looks set to grab some attention at Mobile World Congress, with Telefonica Digital’s CEO Matthew Key promising a “big announcement” at the Barcelona show.

Telefonica already revealed it’s working on a pair of developer phones, set to arrive in February – and likely to be on show at MWC. The handsets, developed with Spanish manufacturer Geeksphone, are the 1GHz, 3.5in display Keon, and the dual-core, 1.2GHz, 4.3in Peak.

Samsung to unveil 8in Galaxy Note at MWC

21 January 2013 – Samsung’s mobile president JK Shin has revealed the company plans to unveil an 8in version of its successful Galaxy Note “phablet” at Mobile World Congress.

Shin didn’t share any further details of the tablet or its specs, but it’s intriguing to see Samsung push the Note firmly out of the phone category and target similar-sized devices such as the iPad mini, Google Nexus 7 and Samsung’s own Galaxy 7.7 tablet.

LG “halts” Nexus 4 production ahead of new launches

15 January 2013 – LG has reportedly halted production of its Nexus 4 smartphone ahead of launching new devices at MWC, according to International Business Times.

The report suggested LG may already be working on a successor to the Google Nexus-branded smartphone, and said LG was expected to release more Nexus devices – possibly at the Barcelona show.

Asus promises “huge” MWC

9 January 2013 – Asus didn’t release a smartphone at CES in Las Vegas, saying it’s planning a “huge” launch at MWC. The company wouldn’t tell The Inquirer how many products would be released, but said Android remained a focus for the firm – and added it expects tablets to outsell laptops this year in the UK.

Huawei announces pair of smartphones for MWC

7 January 2013 – Huawei plans to launch a pair of new smartphones at MWC, after launching the Ascend D2 and Ascend Mate at CES in January. “Huawei will be launching two new products at MWC that are more innovative than these two phones,” Richard Yu, head of Huawei’s consumer business group, said at the Las Vegas tech show.

Yu later told Engadget that at least one of the smartphones would be a follow-up to the P series Android handset, and would be thinner than Alcatel’s 6.45mm One Touch Idol Ultra.

LG holds mobile launches for MWC

7 January 2013 – LG told CES attendees it will launch new “tier one” mobile devices at Mobile World Congress in February, revealing little detail about what smartphones to expect.

However, reports suggest LG may release the Optimus G2, possibly sporting Qualcomm’s new S4 Snapdragon Prime chip, according to Know Your Mobile.