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Mobile World Congress feels like a vapor TV show this year. Sure, there are batteries of new phones, lots of talk about speedy processors, and plenty of iPhone put-downs. But the most exciting stuff in Barcelona is either going away or just getting seriously. That's especially galling when the industry wants you to buy this new tech right now.
I have attended, the prevailing words "very soon," "second quarter," or "mid-2019." And that's a date announced at all. MWC always has its share of vapory tech, but in 2019, finding something that is not a concept or prototype is a rarity.
Over the past few days I have heard all about 5G and how it will power the innovations of tomorrow, and how to play the phones combines the convenience of a handset with the power of a tablet of none of the compromises. I want to believe it all, but it's just not realistic, and it probably will not be for a long while.
5G is here! Except it's not
Companies like Alcatel and ZTE are promising 5G devices that make our LTE slabs look like boring old dinosaurs. The problem is not that these phones will not-it's not worth buying when they do.
Michael Simon / IDGOppo talked about a 5G phone, but did not have a working prototype to show.
5G is not just a murmured buzzword at MWC this year. No, it's literally plastered everywhere. You can not walk 10 steps without being reminded that 5G has arrived, with Qualcomm leading the charge with banners, shirts, and posters.
But has 5G really arrived? The Galaxy S10 5G, LG V50, Mi Mix 3, and every other phone that uses the Snapdragon 855 chip will not be getting the fastest possible 5G speeds. Qualcomm's X50 modem only reaches 2.5Gbps, while the newer x55 modem, which is not shipping yet, can theoretically hit 7Gbps in a thinner and more versatile package. So this first round of 5G phones will be faster than LTE, but not as fast as 5G is supposed to be.
If that's too technical for you, do not worry about it. None of the 5G phones announced this week because they are not 5G networks to connect to anyway. So if you buy one of these first 5G phones, you'll be paying for a fancy logo. Maybe we'll see some 5G infrastructure deployment for smartphones by the end of this year, but it will be several years before 5G is anywhere near as ubiquitous as LTE.
Bottom line: Do not let the promised 5G motivate your phone in 2019. It will be smarter to wait until 2020 when phones will be even better.
LGThe LG V50 ThinQ has 5G and, uh, that's about it.
Even MWC demos fail to tell a compelling story. Xiaomi's Director of Product Management Donovan Sun made to 5G video call live on stage to carrier partner Orange Spain using the x50 modem, and it did not look any clearer or smoother than an LTE call. Then there's the promise of downloading a movie in 3 seconds-a common refrain at MWC. In reality, the only thing that is going to get faster is because today's 5G is so power hungry.
Folding phones: Look but do not touch
After Huawei was shown off by his Mate X folding phone Sunday, there was a mob of people waiting to get a glimpse at it. And that's all they could do-look-because Huawei had the few guards.
Michael Simon / IDGThe Mate X is neat, but would anyone spend $ 2,600 on it?
I'll admit that it's a good idea to have a good look at it. And the concept of shrinking can not be avoided. So, sure, the technology is amazing, but like 5G, it is a long way off of being practical, the laughably insane prices notwithstanding.
The only folding phone tech has been able to touch the Royole FlexPai. I've played with it myself. It feels like weird and looks weird, and it's not easy to use in either its phone or tablet format.
SamsungI want a folding phone, just not any of these folding phones.
While I have not Held the Samsung or Huawei foldables-remember, no one has-gone close their displays look like plastic, and they both have visible seams in the right (or wrong) lighting. Neither company has an elegant solution for camera placement, and putting one of these phones in your pocket will inevitably add an uncomfortable degree of bulk. And battery life and fragility are serious concerns.
So while MWC T-shirts and banners may be the future is here, it actually feels like the future remains beyond our grasp. 5G. Folding phones. Touchless gestures. If you squint, it's all very Westworld and Minority Report, but in focus, none of it is actually ready to transform our lives.
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