Day One of MWC 2023: Xiaomi 13 Goes Global, Huawei Targets 5.5G Era
At Mobile Word Congress (MWC) 2023, a global trade show that kicked off on February 27 in Barcelona, Spain, Chinese consumer electronics manufacturers including Huawei, Honor, Xiaomi, OPPO, and ZTE showcased China’s latest breakthroughs in cutting-edge communication technology and electronics.
On the day before the official opening of MWC 2023, Xiaomi released the global editions of the Xiaomi 13 and the Xiaomi 13 Pro, starting from €999 ($1,058). This series of smartphones will be available in Europe, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East starting March 8. The Xiaomi 13 series offers professional optical lenses from the German camera brand Leica. Its notable camera features, including Leica’s filter, watermark, and classic shutter sound, aim to provide its users with a brand-new smartphone photography experience.
Xiaomi
The Xiaomi 13 and the Xiaomi 13 Pro allow users to create Dolby Vision content with vivid colors, bright contrast, and rich details, as well as shoot 4K videos in night mode. Both devices support HyperOIS.
In addition, Xiaomi introduced its Wireless AR Glass Discovery Edition, Buds 4 Pro, Watch S1 Pro, and Electric Scooter 4 Ultra.
A Xiaomi enthusiast from France shared that Xiaomi is the third largest smartphone brand by market share in the country, second only to Apple and Samsung. France is also the largest market for Xiaomi electric scooters. Polish consumers who made the trip from Poland to Barcelona to attend MWC 2023 said that Xiaomi has many dedicated fans in Poland. Xiaomi ranks first in the Polish phone market share.
OPPO
OPPO showcased the Find N2 Flip series that was released in London on February 15. The Find N2 Flip features the largest cover screen of its kind, an all-day battery life, and the SUPERVOOC flash charge function.
A media industry insider from Indonesia said that OPPO is very popular in the country because Indonesians love taking photos and sharing them on social media or with family and friends. OPPO smartphones offer powerful photography effects, especially in portrait mode. In addition, OPPO phones run on a simple operating system suitable for the elderly. “My mother has been using an OPPO smartphone,” the Indonesian said.
According to the latest data from Counterpoint, a data research company, OPPO’s shipments ranked first in Indonesia in the third quarter of 2022, and OPPO products occupied a dominant position in products among nearly all price ranges, from below $150 to above $500.
Honor
Honor CEO George Zhao released the brand-new flagship Honor Magic5 smartphone series at MWC 2023, which includes a vanilla edition and a Pro edition.
The Honor Magic5 series is equipped with an all-new Millisecond Falcon Capture algorithm, a triple main camera combination, a discrete display chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform, and a silicon-carbon negative battery technology. The series comes in five colors: Glacier Blue, Meadow Green, Coral Purple, Orange, and Black. The Magic5 will start at €899 (8G+256GB; $952), while the Magic5 Pro will be €1199 (12G+512GB; $1,270).
In an interview, Zhao said that Honor has gained a leading position in global smartphone photography. Its devices can automatically capture high-speed actions or sports scenes using AI technology, without the need to press the shutter button.
ZTE
ZTE showcased consumer products of all categories including the ZTE Axon series, the ZTE Blade series, its nubia line, and its MBB, FWA, and IoT family products and industrial solutions. The nubia Pad 3D, the world’s first AI-powered eyewear-free 3D tablet; the nubia Neovision Glass, AR glasses that provide super audio-visual experience; and the 5th Gen of FWA were all showcased at MWC 2023. The ZTE MyOS system will enable intelligent perception and interaction between different devices, covering four major areas including sports & health, audio & visual entertainment, business & travel, and family & education.
SEE ALSO: Nubia to Launch First AR Glasses at MWC 2023
Huawei
Huawei’s main exhibition booth at MWC Barcelona was designed around the concept of “Intelligent Future, Full of Hope.” The company indicated that it would work with its partners to move towards a more prosperous 5.5G era. Huawei’s Carrier BG President Li Peng delivered a speech on how 5G was opening the door to an intelligent world, and that the leap to 5.5G would be a key milestone. “Huawei is ready to work with its industry partners to deliver a ubiquitous 10Gbps experience with innovative wireless, optical, and IP technologies; explore use cases like vehicle-road collaboration and environment monitoring to integrate sensing and communication; and build a unified energy efficiency indicator system to drive green industry development,” said Li.
At the exhibition site, a government worker from Uganda claimed that Huawei is the most influential technology company in the country. Its business covers many fields, including communication operation networks and the government’s digital engineering. Many lines of Huawei products meet the needs of African consumers and businesses.
