Their inventors were impatient to present them, finally, to an audience of media and of course buyers.
Canceled twice due to Covid-19, the Mobile World Congress show, which ends this Wednesday, was the long-awaited opportunity to highlight technologies related to mobility.
While announcements were surprisingly poor on the smartphone side, the booths at the show housed consumer innovations worth taking seriously.
Follow the leader.
A more affordable robot dog
Xiaomi's Cyberdog is fun but still lacks features.
It's already been 6 years since Spot, Boston Dynamics' robot dog, has been roaming around the world, and now it has a Chinese rival.
The Chinese giant Xiaomi left its Cyberdog, a robotic canine barely less frightening than Spot, frolicking on its stand.
Made available to developers for 1,500 euros (against 70,000 euros for Spot), its software is
open source
and therefore modifiable at will.
Because it should be given a practical use: Cyberdog arches, jumps, follows its owner but it could also do surveillance or help seniors.
Loving looks at the show, he has not finished exploiting his true potential.
Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi also has its Cyberdog robot dog on display at its stand.
pic.twitter.com/mGGM3jnR9c
— Damien Licata Caruso (@DamienLicata) March 1, 2022
The metaverse in glasses
HTC's Flow virtual reality glasses take the user into a virtual world without making their weight feel too much.
After abandoning the smartphone market, the Taiwanese manufacturer HTC decided to launch into virtual reality (VR) with its Vive headsets.
In their latest iteration, the Vive Flow, a VR headset in “glasses” format, takes you for a ride in the metaverse or rather the Viverse.
This virtual universe brings together several services from the very advanced manufacturer on cryptocurrencies and NFTs, i.e. all the fashionable technologies.
It includes the Vive Browser (a VR browser), the Vive Connect (the travel portal) and several parental control functions, such as the Vive Guardian which limits exploration for the youngest.
Light and immersive, the Flow headset still suffers from a few shortcomings, particularly in its autonomy because it constantly needs a portable battery to power it.
Read alsoHonor: how the ambitious Chinese smartphone manufacturer plans to relaunch in France
The watch against blood pressure
Huawei ventures into connected health in all its forms.
In retreat on smartphones since the loss of the Android license, Huawei has refocused on office automation and health.
With its Watch D, the Chinese manufacturer is tackling connected watches with a still new option: the blood pressure monitor.
All current competing models measure heart rate or oxygen saturation, but this rectangular tocante will perform electrocardiograms and detect blood pressure.
A mini-pump system with small airbags, similar to the device at the doctor's, has been miniaturized.
Marketed in China since the end of last year at around 500 euros, it would, according to Huawei, have met with great success with overworked but health-conscious Chinese executives.
One more folding smartphone
Not yet available in Europe, Honor's Magic V has the merit of revitalizing the market with a competitor for Samsung.
Back since its divorce from Huawei, Honor wants to show that the technical quality of Chinese engineers maintains its world level with the Magic V, a folding smartphone in pocket book format.
Inside, this direct competitor to Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 3 offers a 7.9-inch panel with a punch for the selfie camera and a fold, both very discreet.
Above all, it has a 6.45-inch external screen that allows you to perform all basic tasks without unfolding the large screen as with a conventional smartphone.
The grip leaves a good first impression.
Equipped with the latest components, this device is above all intended to stimulate competition between manufacturers in order to democratize use.
However, its sale in Europe is not currently planned.
Ultra-mega fast charging
The SuperVooc charger only needs a quarter of an hour to complete a full USB-C charge.
We will soon no longer need to plug in the smartphone while going to bed.
The time of a simple passage through the morning shower should be enough.
The Chinese manufacturer Oppo amazed a lot of visitors with a demonstration on its stand of the 150 W SuperVOOC charger. To put it simply, a compatible smartphone with a 4,500 mAh battery goes from 1 to 50% in just 5 minutes.
The complete recharge cycle drops to… 15 minutes.
Oppo ensures that the battery life is not shortened in the medium or long term.
It would retain 80% of its capacity after 1600 charge cycles, the current standard.
A first smartphone from the BKK group and the OnePlus brand should include this new technology in its box.
A demonstration of ultra-fast charging from the Chinese manufacturer Oppo.
150 W so a full charge in… 15 min.
The first smartphone that can use it will be a OnePlus.
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— Damien Licata Caruso (@DamienLicata) March 1, 2022
Alongside the 150 W charger, the Shenzhen manufacturer also staged its prototype 240 W SuperVOOC charger (24 V for 10 A) capable of fully charging a compatible phone in just… 9 minutes.
The coffee will not have time to cool.