MWC 2020 is shaping out to be one of the worst events to ever grace the mobile space if the rate at which companies are announcing their absence continues.
The latest development is from HMD Global, the official Nokia licensee that makes smartphones and accessories in the same name.
The company now joins the likes of vivo and LG that have since announced they will not send reps to the show.
We were expecting some big announcements from MWC, but it appears this will not be the case as tech corporations are now focusing on the health of their workers in place of staging keynotes for their customers.
The Coronavirus case has been the main contributor to the more than ten pull outs from MWC that includes many companies that are based in China. At the moment, more than 800 people have lost their lives from the virus, and there is a high chance the number will go higher.
Nokia was expected to announce the likes of Nokia 10, but that is only a guess as the company has done a good job to keep the device, among others that it has in place (hopefully) under lock and key.
It is also highly probable that we will not see the successor of the Nokia 9 PureView, as there are rumours that HMD will go back to the drawing table and shift to affordable flagships as was the case with the Nokia 8 from 2017.
Locally, HMD has also been doing a good job distributing its releases in a market that largely buys budget to mid-range phones. The company is also one of the few that does updates right, mainly because Nokia phones are equipped with stock Android that does not require a lot of work to upgrade, unlike bloatified ROMs we know from other manufacturers.
MWC 2020 is dead?
This is a valid assumption because, at this rate, it is likely the show will be very boring if the big boys keep pulling out. We are also seeing a trend where companies are lurking in the shadows, and announcing their absence as soon as rivals report they will not show up.
Already, the likes of TCL, Facebook. MTK, vivo, and Intel, to mention a few, will not take part on the show’s floor.
On the bright side of things, Xiaomi and Huawei will be there, but their reach can only go so far considering Huawei is facing bans from the US and their future releases, including the P40 series will lack Google services as was the case with the Mate 30 series.
We are looking forward to good announcements, including companies revoking their absence because it would appear that GSMA’s health precautions are useless of corporations are not going to show up.
