After several years in which the equipment launches were a secondary theme at the MWC, the 2019 edition will return the lost prominence. The uncertainty about the availability of devices compatible with 5G and the Chinese-US technological war (see separate text) caused several announcements to be ahead of the Barcelona event and that others, on the other hand, remain on the lookout for only three days of the beginning of the event.

The Smartphone will share the center of the scene with other devices - cameras, robots, speakers, drones, watches and wearables - and with the diversity of forms: the "foldable phones" captivated at CES 2019 and will maintain the expectation also in the FIRA Gran Via and the releases of this weekend. Undoubtedly all eyes will be on Huawei and its novelties, with the China vs. United States conflict as a backdrop: the appointment in Barcelona could be chosen by the Asian firm to show its equipment compatible with 5G, its folding screen, and above all, its own 5G chipset, with which it intends to go on to star the evolution to the next generation.

Samsung was ahead of the announcements this weekend with its traditional "Unpacked" product launch event, held last Wednesday in San Francisco and London. There it unveiled the Galaxy S10 5G, which aims to "point the way for the Galaxy family of the next ten years", according to the firm. The device was designed to take advantage of 5G connectivity, whether in games, video streaming or virtual or augmented reality experiences. And it will be available as part of the 5G releases of Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom and Sprint, among other operators, this year.

Along with its foray into 5G equipment, Samsung introduced the foldable Galaxy Fold. For DJ Koh, president and CEO of the IT and Mobile Communications divisions of the company, the Fold shows the desire of Samsung to "reinvent the Smartphone from scratch". Considered both a smartphone and a tablet, it allows access to three applications at once, thanks to an Application Continuity functionality created for the foldable design. The equipment can be purchased as from May 3 in certain markets, at US$1,980.

LG, Xiaomi and Motorola

?Another that preferred to be news before the MWC is Motorola, which two weeks ago unveiled the Moto G7 family, betting on the mid-range. Xiaomi keeps in reserve the announcement prepared for this weekend: it is speculated that it will present its Mi9, a folding device or a version of Mi Mix3 compatible with 5G.

LG will have its appointment with the press this Sunday night, in a conference in which it suggests to "say goodbye to touch". The expectation is placed on the new LG G8 ThinQ, which could include a navigation system using gestures. The firm could also reveal its 5G mobile, manufactured in partnership with Sprint, and with a release date for this semester; or its folding phone, which was originally suggested for CES 2019.