MWC 2013: 10 Standout Mobile Devices (So Far)

mwc-entrance

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