MWC 2014 review: all the phones that matter

Sony Xperia Z2

We only welcomed the arrival of the Xperia Z1 a few short months ago, but Sony has already announced its 2014 successor, the Z2. The headline feature here is definitely a brand-new IPS Live Colour LED display, which Sony claims has the widest colour gamut of any mobile device on the market today. That screen is 5.2-inches and packs a full-HD 1920x1080 resolution, while the intrnals have been upped to 3GB RAM, a quad-core 2.3GHz Snapdragon 801 processor and a 3200mAh battery.

Turn the device over and you'll find a 20-meg camera, which can record 4K video and slow-mo video. It'll ship with Android 4.4 Kit Kat skinned with Sony's UI and it is, of course, IP58-certified and waterproof.

Price: £599 | Available: March | Sony | Hands-on: Sony Xperia Z2 review

Samsung Galaxy S5

Samsung used MWC to show off the latest addition to the immensely popular Galaxy S line, the Galaxy S5. But what exactly has changed? Let's take a look.

The display has been upped to 5.1-inches and it packs a 1080p, full HD resolution, while it's all powered by 2GB RAM and a 2.5GHz quad-core processor.

While many were expecting a major change for this year's flagship Galaxy S model, Samsung has instead played it safe, keeping a very similar design to the S4. The S5 does thankfully replace that slimy back with a new fabric like design.

Your photos will be taken care of thanks to a 16 meg snapper on the back, which now has a few more tricks up its sleeve - like UHD video recording and a Lytro like depth of field feature. A load of new health benefits are here too, a heart rate monitor on the back for instance. Similar to models that went before, Samsung has overlaid Android (this time Kit Kat 4.4) with its TouchWiz UI, so you'll have to make do with those overly colourful icons.

Price: TBA | Release: April | Hands-on: Samsung Galaxy S5 review | Samsung Galaxy S5 vs iPhone 5s

YotaPhone 2

While it is still at the prototype stage, the second YotaPhone is already shaping up to be something quite special. What really sets it out from the crowd is the rear e-ink screen, which is now touch enabled. Go back to the front and you'll find a 5-inch 1080p panel, while a Snapdragon 800 processor provides the grunt. The 4.7-inch e-ink screen is always on, displaying notifications and bits of info, plus there's now an SDK so developers can build special apps to take even more advantage of it.

Price: TBA | YotaPhone

Nokia X

Nokia has finally entered into the world of Android, announcing three brand new devices here at MWC 2014 - the X, X+ and XL. The Android OS running here is a completely unrecognisable version of 4.1.2, completely forked (similar to what Amazon does with its Kindle Fire) and looking like a Windows Phone clone. You won't have access to Google apps like GMail and the Play Store, though Nokia says apps will still work, all developers will have to do is add in a few lines of code.

Specs wise, the X packs a 4-inch IPS LCD at 800 x 480 resolution display, 3-meg fixed focus snapper, 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor and 512MB RAM. The X+ ups the RAM by 256MB and included a 4GB Micro SD card, while the XL ups the screen size to 5-inches, but the resolution the same.

Available: Q2 | Nokia | Hands-on: Nokia X review

X+ and XL

Acting as a larger sibling to the LG G2 and as a sort of rigid LG G Flex, the G Pro 2 packs a 5.9-inch, full HD display along with a load of cool camera tech like an optically stabilised 13-megapixel camera and 4K video recording. The buttons are still confined to the rear, but KnockCode (an evolution of KnockOn) lets you unlock the phone with just a few well timed taps.

Available: Q2 | LG | Hands-on: LG G2 review

LG G Pro 2

The Blackphone does things a bit differently, offering up an Android smartphone with security as its heart. When you order the phone you'll be able to choose from a number of apps and skins that'll atop the PrivatOS - a system that encrypts locally stored information. You can then add in extra security based services like Silent Circle and Disconnect.me so your calls, texts and browsing will stay completely private.

Specs wise the Blackphone comes with a 4.7-inch HD display, quad-core processor, 16GB internal storage and an 8-meg camera.

Price: $629 | Blackphone

Blackphone

Continuing with the tradition of shrinking down flagship devices, the G2 Mini dispenses with the 5.2-inch display of its bigger brother, instead going with a slightly more manageable 4.7-inch version. There's an 8-meg snapper around the back, flanked by the volume and on/off button and it's powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor with 1GB of RAM.

Available: TBC | LG | Hands-on: LG G2 Mini review

LG G2 Mini

The M2 has a decent spec sheet, headlined by a 4.8-inch qHD display and 8-megapixel camera. There's also LTE support, a 2,300mAh battery and a design that mimics the much more top end Z2 sans the aluminium.

Available: April | Sony | Hands on: Sony Xperia M2 review

Sony Xperia M2

The Grand Memo II packs a 6-inch HD display, 2GB RAM and a fairly run of the mill Snapdragon 400 processor, but it does look like it'll come in at more of a mid-range position that Samsung's Galaxy Note 3. The rear camera is 13-megapixel, while the front facing 5-meg version looks like it will be great for selfies. Keeping this phablet running is a 3,200mAh battery, while the software is Android 4.4, but that has been covered with the MiFavor 2.3 user interface.

Available: Q2 | ZTE

ZTE Grand Memo II

HTC's 'flagship midrange' device boasts a phablet sized 5.5-inch 720p display, a Snapdragon 400 processor, 1.5GB RAM and 8GB of internal storage - though can be significantly improved thanks to support for 128GB MicroSD cards. Round the back there's a 13-meg camera, which features the Zoe short clip recorder from the HTC One and up front there's a whopping 5-meg front facing snapper - perfect for crystal clear selfies.

Price: TBA | HTC