MWC 2013: 10 Standout Mobile Devices (So Far)

Mobile World Congress 2013 kicked off this week in Barcelona, and now we have undeniable proof of why CES was so bland this year — everyone was clearly saving their goods for MWC. The prevailing theme so far has been giant phones, tablets and those tablet-phone Frankensteins, phablets, in a range of spec tiers and price points.

The announcements have been head-spinning, but if you’ve been keeping up with the news, you probably have your own list of winners and losers. Which ones have gotten your attention so far? Here’s a list of 10 noteworthy new devices to refresh your memory.

HP Slate 7

Hewlett-Packard’s first Android tablet:

• Stainless steel frame
• 7-inch display
• Dual-core 1.6GHz chip (based on ARM’s Cortex-A9 architecture)
• Android Jelly Bean 4.1
• 8 GB of storage
• 1 GB of RAM
• microSD support
• 3 MP camera (rear) / VGA (front)
• Starts at $169
• Available in the U.S. in April

Samsung Galaxy Note 8

What the new 8-inch Galaxy Note tablet lacks in looks, it has in improved S-Pen features, specs and a monster battery:  

• Android 4.1.2
• 1.6GHz quad-core A9 processor
• 2 GB RAM
• 16 or 32 GB storage
• 1,280 x 800 display res
• Improved S-Pen features that controls the menu and back buttons, expanded S-Pen recognition area
• microSD support (up to 64 GB)
• 4600 mAh battery
• Pricing unknown
• Available Q2 2013

LG Optimus F7

Mid-range Android phone with fast LTE connectivity will likely target cost-conscious users: 

• Android Jelly Bean 4.1.2
• Dual-core 1.5GHz processor
• 4.7-inch HD display (1280×720)
• 8 GB of storage
• 2 GB RAM
• 8 MP camera
• microSD support (for up to 32 GB)
• Pricing details haven’t been announced

Asus FonePad

7-inch Android tablet with phone functionality:

• Android 4.1
• 1.2GHz Intel Atom Z2420 processor
• 16 GB storage
• 1 GB of RAM
• 1280×800 IPS display
• 3 MP camera (front) / 1.2 MP (rear)
• 4270 mAh battery
• Priced at $249 (£179, including VAT in the U.K.)
• Availability not announced yet

Asus Padfone Infinity

5-inch smartphone that docks into a 10-inch tablet:

• 1080p display (441ppi)
• 10.1-inch tablet dock with 1920×1200 display
• Android 4.2
• 1.7GHz Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor
• 2GB RAM
• 32 / 64GB storage
• NFC
• 13 MP camera (rear) / 2 MP (front)
• 2400mAh battery (in the phone, for up to 19 hrs 3G talk time; tablet adds another 11 hrs)
• Launches in Europe (April), with Asia to follow later

Acer Liquid E1

Mid-range phone with decent speakers and recent version of Android:

• Android 4.1.1
• 1GHz dual-core MediaTek processor
• 4.5-inch IPS display (960×540 pixels)
• 1 GB RAM
• 4 GB storage
• microSD support (up to 32 GB)
• Stereo speakers and built-in DTS sound
• Optional dual SIM cards
• Already heading to global market

ZTE Open Firefox Phone

Entry-level smartphone, the first official one with Mozilla’s Firefox OS:

• Open-source Firefox operating system
• 1GHz Qualcomm processor
• 3.5-inch display
• 512 MB storage
• 256MB RAM
• 3.2 MP camera
• All apps are HTML5 web apps
• Pricing unknown
• Available mid-2013 in Spain, Venezuela, Colombia

ZTE Grand Memo

ZTE’s first phablet:

• 5.7-inch 1080p display
• 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor
• 13 MP camera
• Android Jelly Bean 4.1.2 (with MyFavorite 3D UX)
• 2 GB RAM
• microSD support
• “One-hand” T9 keyboard (can sit on either side of the screen)
• No word yet on pricing and availability

Nokia Lumia 720

Mid-range Windows 8 phone is thinnest Lumia to date, offers decent camera:

• 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8227 processor
• 512MB RAM
• 8GB of storage
• microSD support
• 4.3-inch ClearBlack display (WVGA)
• 6.7 MP camera (rear) with Carl Zeiss optics and low-light performance / 1.3 MP (front) with “Skype HD Wide Angle” for video chat
• 2000mAh battery
• Colors: Red, yellow, cyan and matte black and glossy white.
• Available March 2013

Xperia Tablet Z

Self-proclaimed thinnest 10.1-Inch Tablet on the market is also water-resistant:

• Size/weight is 6.9mm and 495g
• Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor
• Android 4.1 (4.2 coming soon, says Sony)
• HD WUXGA display
• 2 MP HD camera (front) / 8MP rear camera with “Exmor R for mobile”
• Two built-in speakers with four “speaker halls” on left and right corners
• Wi-Fi version has 64GB of storage
• microSD support
• NFC and Universal IR
• Water-resistance (levels IP55 & IP57)
• Global availability in Q2 2013

Which one do you think ruled the event so far? Is it one of these or another device? Let us know down below in the comments.