Xiaomi is one of the expected presenters at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018 later this February. Tech enthusiasts have been expecting that the Chinese handset maker would unveil its latest flagship smartphone, the Mi 7, during the convention. However, recent reports suggest that the next-gen Mi device will be launched outside the MWC, and Xiaomi is likely to introduce a different phone instead.
Tech firms have often used the MWC stage to launch their latest premium smartphone offerings. This time will be different for Xiaomi as it is no longer expected to reveal the Mi 7 in the event to be held in Barcelona. This scoop came from an insider source of Android Headlines, saying that the company will not have any major announcements to make at the MWC this year. With this, the public cannot expect the successor of the Mi 6 smartphone to be announced, as well as the other anticipated premium phones from Xiaomi in 2018.
Nevertheless, the presence of Xiaomi at the MWC 2018 will be important as it is rumored to launch another device to take the place of the Mi 7. While not be the biggest handset expected from the company this year, Xiaomi is said to introduce the Mi MIX 2S to the MWC participants this month. According to an anonymous source from Weibo, the Mi MIX 2S is set to launch at the MWC and compete with the big gadgets such as the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus. The particular handset is expected to boast Qualcomm's latest high-end mobile chipset, the Snapdragon 845, thus making its presence at the MWC more daunting.
Xiaomi is not the only tech company avoiding the MWC 2018 to launch its flagship device. HTC and LG have been reported earlier to skip the annual tech expo and hold a separate announcement of their respective flagships after the MWC. It appears that the reason why Xiaomi and the other smartphone makers refuse to showcase their latest flagship handset at the event is to prevent any direct comparisons with the Samsung Galaxy S9. The Sony Xperia XZ Pro is the only confirmed contender of the Galaxy S9 at this year's MWC so far.
