Korea‘s top two smartphone manufacturers are set to reveal new models at the upcoming Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next month, with industry watchers keeping an eye on rollouts of new innovations in camera and artificial intelligence technology.

As for the core functions of the phones, both companies seem to be focused on keeping the essentials from their previous models rather than completely overhauling their designs for MWC, they said.

Samsung’s head of mobile Koh Dong-jin confirmed at the Las Vegas tradeshow Consumer Electronics Show this month that the Galaxy S9 will be revealed at MWC, although he declined to comment on whether the company will be revealing a highly anticipated foldable phone.

For now, industry rumors put the Galaxy S9 at the same size as the 5.8-inch Galaxy S8 with a minimized bezel and sticking with the Super AMOLED display. 

A photo apparently showing specifications of the Galaxy S9 leaked on social aggregator Reddit has put the spotlight on potential upgrades in the flagship phone‘s photography capabilities, with hints the rear camera will have a variable aperture able to switch between f/1.5 and f/2.4.

Some current speculations also claim that Samsung’s new rear camera will be able to shoot at 1,000 frames per second.

After being presented at MWC, the Galaxy S9 is expected to be available for consumer purchases sometime in March.

Meanwhile, LG will be bringing its upgraded V30 phone to MWC rather than its next flagship model, with CEO Jo Seong-jin reportedly having instructed LG‘s smartphone division to review the phone from scratch. 

At CES, Jo had strongly hinted that the company’s follow-up to the G6 would be revealed much later than initially anticipated, saying LG will “not launch (new models) just because other rivals do.”

The 2018 version of the LG V30 is expected to retain the high-quality audio and photography capabilities of the previous version, while adding increased artificial intelligence capabilities based on LG‘s partnership with Google. 

While LG has momentarily delayed its entry into the flagship battle, it is targeting the mid-range smartphone market with the LG X4+ to be available for consumers at the end of January.

Priced at around 300,000 won ($281), the phone is about a third of usual flagship smartphone release prices. It will be the first mid-range phone from LG to support digital payment system LG Pay, and will offer a 32-bit digital-to-analog converter with 192-kilohertz audio support. 

By Won Ho-jung (hjwon@heraldcorp.com)