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15 trailblazing smartphones from Mobile World Congress

See the new handsets to come out of the industry's biggest trade show.

By Lindsey O'Donnell on Mar 9 2015, 4:34PM

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Mobile World Congress jam-packed with devices

Mobile World Congress, which took place in Barcelona, Spain last week, drew an eclectic array of smartphone vendors, such as Samsung, BlackBerry and HTC, hoping to show off their pivotal flagship smartphones.

Between conferences about wearables and connected devices, several vendors unleashed their cutting-edge phones, pushing new innovative features and displays for both the consumer and enterprise space.

Following are the top groundbreaking smartphone and phablet devices released during Mobile World Congress.

Microsoft Lumia 640, Lumia 640 XL

Microsoft continued its midrange Lumia smartphone series, including the Lumia 630 and Lumia 635, by introducing the 5-inch Lumia 640 and 5.7-inch Lumia 640 XL.

Both phones will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, featuring quad-core CPUs running at 1.2GHz. The two versions will also feature LED flash, 8-megapixel front-facing cameras running on Lumia Camera software.

The two new smartphones will be upgradeable to the company's new operating system, Windows 10, but will also be compatible with the latest version of Windows Phone 8.1 and the Lumia Denim update.

The Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL will be available in the USA later in April and March, respectively, according to Microsoft. The Lumia 640 will cost US$210, while the XL will cost US$240.

The Blackphone 2

Silent Circle, an encrypted communications firm, released its Blackphone 2, an upgrade to the original ultra-secure mobile device.

Silent Circle secures its devices through both high-level encryption platforms and by utilising its own virtual network to protect company data. The second version of the device complements the first Blackphone, which was released during Mobile World Congress in 2014.

In addition to the new upgraded phone, Silent Circle also unveiled the Blackphone+ tablet. The Blackphone 2 will be sold in the second half of 2015, according to Silent Circle.

Lenovo Vibe Shot

Lenovo's Vibe Shot places strong emphasis on its camera as a pivotal feature.

Vibe Shot, a 5-inch FHD smartphone, is targeted at "budding photographers," according to Lenovo, as the smartphone features a 16- megapixel rear camera with a six-piece modular lens and a full-frame 16:9 low-light sensor for taking pictures at night.

The aluminum-framed phone itself is designed to look like a camera. The Vibe Shot is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, and runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop. It also contains 32 GB of storage and will be available in the USA in June starting at US$349.

Lenovo A7000

In addition to Vibe Shot, the company released the Lenovo A7000, a 5.5-inch HD smartphone featuring audio technology from Dolby Laboratories, an American company specialising in audio noise reduction and audio encoding.

On the smartphone level, Lenovo's Dolby partnership enhances user experiences with headphones on the smartphone. The Lenovo A7000 runs on Android 5.0 and a MediaTek True8Core processor with 4G LTE, and is 7.9mm thick. The smartphone comes in onyx black and pearl white, according to Lenovo.

The Lenovo A7000 will be available this month, starting at US$169.

Huawei MediaPadX2

Huawei's phablet, MediaPadX2, made its debut at Mobile World Congress. The 7-inch ultra HD 7.18mm MediaPadX2 comes equipped with a larger screen, an aluminum metal texture and a businesslike design, according to Huawei.

The phablet is powered by a Kirin 930 2.0GHz octa-core chipset on a 64-bit platform and is 4G-enabled. The MediaPadX2 is also equipped with a 13-megapixel rear camera and amps up its audio features with a Smart PA and DTS surround sound technology.

Pricing and the availability date for the MediaPadX2 will be disclosed at a later date, according to Huawei.

HTC One M9

HTC showed off its long-expected One M9 smartphone, an all-metal, 144.9mm-thick device powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 with an octa-core 64-bit platform.

The new phone, a variant to HTC's One M8, includes ambient light, proximity, compass and magnetic sensors, an improved 20-megapixel front camera and an enticing dual-tone metal body with a curved back.

One M9 also makes use of HTC Sense 7, a platform allowing the smartphone's users to customise their phones. The One M9 will be available in March and will come in silver, pink, gray and gold.

LG Midrange Phones

LG used Mobile World Congress as a base to show off its previously unveiled four midrange smartphones, the 5-inch LG Magna (pictured), 4-inch LG Joy, 4.7-inch LG Spirit and 4.5-inch LH Leon.

The four devices will be available on LTE and 3- versions, and will vary between metallic and plastic back covers. The LG Magna and LG Spirit go further in their design with curved backs.

Sony M4 Aqua

Sony showed off its Xperia M4 Aqua, a low-end alternative to the Xperia Z3 with waterproof features. Weighing 136 grams, the M4 Aqua runs on Google Android 5.1 Lollipop, and is powered by the 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor.

The 5-inch display phone includes a 13-megapixel camera with auto focus and a 5-megapixel HD front camera. Sony will release the M4 Aqua in the northern spring.

BlackBerry Leap

Smartphone vendor BlackBerry unveiled its 5-inch HD touch-screen BlackBerry Leap, a midrange phone, set to cost US$275 when it is released in the USA in April.

The BlackBerry Leap comes after the Canadian company's releases of the BlackBerry Classic and BlackBerry Passport in the fall. The new device contains support for encryption, built-in malware protection, and backup protection against data breaches and cyberattacks. It will wrap in BlackBerry's newer features that became available in February, such as its connected messaging and content feature, BlackBerry Blend, and its digital voice-activated assistant, BlackBerry Assistant.

BlackBerry Leap comes a year after the company unveiled the Z3 smartphone, aimed at emerging markets, at Mobile World Congress 2014.

Samsung Galaxy S6

Samsung took the wraps off its high-end latest smartphone in the Galaxy S series, the 5.1-inch Galaxy S6. The thinner, lighter smartphone contains a flat panel and, unlike previous versions, is made from aluminum and Gorilla Glass as opposed to plastic frames.

The South Korean-based company took an alternate route to its Galaxy S5, released at Mobile World Congress 2014, in terms of display, but the Galaxy S6 also had some new upgraded features such as Samsung Pay and updated Knox security platform perks.

The Galaxy S6 runs on a 14nm mobile processor with a 64-bit platform. It will be available 10 April, according to Samsung.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge

The Galaxy S6 Edge was unveiled next to the Galaxy S6 at Mobile World Congress.

The main difference between the two phone versions comes down to display - while the Galaxy S6 contains a flat panel, the Galaxy S6 Edge's panel is curved around both vertical sides, creating a novel look for Samsung's product line.

Like the Galaxy S6, the Galaxy S6 Edge also runs on a 14nm processor with a 64-bit platform, contains a 5.1-inch display with metal material on its base, and promotes new features such as wireless charging and improved camera sensors and lenses.

While the prices for the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge were not revealed, Samsung executives said that the Galaxy S6 Edge would cost more than its complementary version.

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15 trailblazing smartphones from Mobile World Congress

See the new handsets to come out of the industry's biggest trade show.

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