MWC 2022: Android Enters Year 10 at Mobile World Congress

Mobile World Congress is the world's biggest cell telephone trade evidence, and it'due south Android telephone makers' biggest show equally well. While Google has its own Google I/O conference, that'southward typically where Google shows off Android software. You want hardware? You go to MWC.

Android was first demoed at MWC 10 shows ago, back in 2008. Let's see how the now dominant mobile OS has inverse as information technology enters its 10th year in Barcelona.

2008: Google's Android Makes Its Public Debut

Android demo 2008

Android and MWC started together. Before 2008, the show was called 3GSM, just in 2008, a turn towards 4G (and incorporation of not-GSM technologies) gave information technology a more than global perspective. At the 2008 testify, iv processor vendors showed off pre-production devices running Android. They looked naught like the phones we run into today, though: the star was a non-touch-screen phone with a full QWERTY keyboard from Motorola.

"The Android devices at the show came in both touchscreen and not-touchscreen versions, with 2 different home screen designs," nosotros wrote at the time. "One design had a polish-scrolling ribbon of application icons along the lesser of the home screen. The other loaded up the home screen with many icons for all of your recent applications and actions."

MWC 2009: Where Are the Androids?

HTC Magic

A year after the Os launched, there was still only i Android phone in the United states of america, the T-Mobile G1. We saw 2 major Android phones at this show: the HTC Magic (to a higher place) and the Sony Ericsson Xperia. Samsung, and so far, was completely absent from the Android testify: the company told us information technology was on track to launch Android phones later that twelvemonth.

MWC 2022: Windows Phone Outshines Android

The biggest news of MWC 2022 nevertheless wasn't Google'south Os. It was Microsoft's brand-new Windows Telephone vii, which was adopted past major players like Samsung, LG, and HTC, likewise as sideshows similar Samsung's own Bada OS. Android'south dominance was still far from a washed deal.

But Google's Eric Schmidt gave the keynote at the show, and that may accept signaled the style the windows were blowing. Schmidt said that Google was at present "Mobile first," and pledged that Google would not get a wireless or wired Cyberspace provider, a pledge it's gone back on since then with Google Fiber and Google Fi.

Android phones were now outset to flow, but they were still pretty weird. Motorola'south CLIQ XT had a laptop-similar affect pad. Compaq'south Airlife 100 (higher up) was an actual laptop, similar an early Chromebook. Microsoft definitely still had a good chance at displacing Google as the leader in smartphones.

MWC 2022: Android Pulls Into the Lead

MWC was now becoming an Android show. This was the "Honeycomb" yr, when Google had conflicting versions of Android for phones and tablets that didn't quite mesh. HTC tried to answer by releasing its highly customized "Flyer" tablet, complete with pen, but Google saw the problem and pledged that Android would come together with the next version, Ice Cream Sandwich.

Nosotros likewise saw the outset rumors of Google Music and promises of high-cease, $99 super-phones, which never quite panned out. HTC also appear two doomed Facebook phones, the ChaCha and Salsa (above). A suddenly struggling Nokia, meanwhile, said its No. i priority was to beat Android.

MWC 2022: Snacking on Ice Cream Sandwich

At his keynote, Eric Schmidt warned confronting heavy manufacturer skins and wearisome upgrade cycles, a problem still plaguing the Android market place. But 850,000 Android devices were being activated a mean solar day, increasing the Os's momentum. Of our v best phones at MWC, four were Android devices, including a projector-phone and an Intel-powered phone. HTC was yet a major player with its HTC One 10, and Google'due south ain booth gave abroad the name of the next version of Android.

Likewise, we chosen the 5-inch LG Optimus Vu (above) a "large" "tablet." Oh, the innocence. If we knew then what we know now.

MWC 2022: Glitter Sparkles?

Samsung finally bankrupt through in 2022 with the Galaxy South III, and information technology stole the thunder at MWC 2022 by handing out invitations for its Galaxy S4 launch. The GSMA gave its device of the twelvemonth awards to the Galaxy S III, Nexus 7 and the Galaxy Camera, which I nevertheless kinjd of love. Meanwhile, Google tried to calm fears that it would boss the whole planet by saying information technology wouldn't open retail stores, and we previewed an Android phone covered in glitter sparkles (to a higher place) and some other with a shocking, never-seen-again 3GHz processor.

MWC 2022: Galaxy S5. Nuff said.

The biggest news at MWC 2022, of class, was the Galaxy S5, starting a 3-twelvemonth run of Galaxy launches at the show (which ends this yr.) Nokia, flipping a big centre finger to Microsoft in its last year of independent existence, decided to roll out a mediocre Android phone, the Nokia X. The 2nd YotaPhone (above) put an e-ink screen on the back of an Android phone, and the Geeksphone Revolution switched between Android and the now-defunct Firefox Bone on the fly. John Dvorak asked, When will Microsoft dump Windows Phone for Android? (Answer: Not yet.)

MWC 2022: Sleek, Gorgeous Phones

2015 was a good yr for proficient-looking Android phones at MWC. The show introduced the Samsung Galaxy S6, Samsung's "Project Cypher" to reinvent its phone designs. But it also had the sleek HTC One M9 and Sony'due south slim Z4 tablet. Google admitted it planned to become a wireless carrier and Yezz pledged to make modules for Projection Ara,, Google's doomed modular phone concept. Tired of smartphones? Check out the Runcible, (higher up) the weirdest phone we saw at the evidence.

MWC 2022: LG G5 and Samsung Milky way S7

Cat S60

Information technology was LG versus Samsung at MWC 2022, with LG bringing its modular G5 phone with a VR headset and a rolling robot 'friend' and Samsung deploying the Samsung Milky way S7 also. The strangest, most intriguing phone at the show? Probably the CAT S60 (in a higher place), which put a thermal imaging camera into an Android smartphone. Android innovation continues.

MWC 2022: LG G6, Just No Samsung Galaxy

LG G6 (MWC Embargo)

The Notation seven disaster prompted Samsung to push button its S8 launch until March 29, so the big Android debut this year was the LG G6, though we've also seen the eye-communicable 4K HDR Sony Xperia XZ Premium and Huawei P10. Stay tuned to PCMag.com for all the details from this yr'due south MWC as we wrap things upwards in Barcelona.