Best of MWC 2017 (Award Winners)

From Sony’s new Xperia XZ Premium smartphone that captures slow motion at 960fps, to Huawei’s P10 boasting the world’s first 4.5G smartphone. There were some incredible products on show at MWC this year. The Barcelona trade show even saw the (very) popular return of the classic Nokia 3310. However, each year there are always a handful of products that stand out and MWC 2017 was no exception.

Below are the five MWC launches you really need to know about.

Best of MWC 2017

Best smartphone: LG G6

LG has always made lovely phones, but the LG G6 is evidence of a company that’s at the top of its game. Beyond the excellent 18:9 screen, there’s nothing here that’s genuinely innovative. Having this kind of screen sounds crazy, but it’s built for the next generation of software, where split-screen apps will start to be much more common. But what LG has done overall is simple: it’s executed every detail exceptionally well, creating a high-end phone that looks great, performs brilliantly and delivers everything you want from the most important computer in your life.

Best laptop: Samsung Galaxy Book

Hybrid laptop/tablets are taking an increasing share of the portable computer market, and the Samsung Galaxy Book is the perfect example of why. It’s a great-looking device that performs well and has something often missing from hybrids: a great keyboard. This is the device we think really brings the hybrid concept to life, delivering a machine that’s powerful enough to do everything you want, and importantly makes both a great tablet AND a great laptop. Microsoft used to have the crown for the best-designed hybrid – but the Galaxy Book is the new king. 

Best wearable: Huawei Watch 2

LTE connectivity and a fitness-focused design make the Huawei Watch 2 a worthy successor to the first Huawei Watch, which rightly proved itself one of the more popular Android Wear devices. Why is LTE so important? Because this is one of the first watches that can work independently from your smartphone, and as such it’s a sign of things to come. One day, all smartwatches will work like this – but until that day, the Huawei Watch 2 is easily the best wearable of MWC 2017.

Best use of IoT: Nokia Digital Health

It seems like the tech world has promised a suite of IoT-connected health products for a decade without actually delivering. That definitely changed at MWC 2017 with Nokia’s medical-grade connected digital health products. Nokia has launched a range of products from the award-winning Withings ecosystem, including connected scales, activity trackers, blood-pressure monitors, thermometers and home cameras. The comprehensiveness of the suite makes it a clear winner for our “Best use of IOT” award.

Best security innovation: Intel security

IoT is changing how we interact with products. Being able to unlock your front door with a smartphone or check your home’s security camera from your laptop are just a couple of the beneficial scenarios. But how do you protect yourself from hackers? Intel Security has the solution with a new chip and the (Intel-owned) McAfee Secure Home Platform. The new Intel service offers routers a way to secure all IoT devices on its network. The new platform enables you to register trusted IoT devices on a network and set permissions for who can access them.