Samsung, the world's biggest smartphone maker, is set to unveil its new flagship Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus, on Sunday evening ahead of the opening of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the industry's largest trade show, amid signs global demand for smartphones may have finally peaked.
The Galaxy S9 - reported to include an upgraded variable aperture camera and improved iris scanner – is the most anticipated new smartphone launch timed to coincide with the telecom industry’s annual gathering, which is set to attract over 108,000 attendees and over 2,300 exhibitors from across the telecom and technology ecosystem.
Updated device releases are also expected from manufacturers including Sony, LG and HMD - the owner of the Nokia smartphone brand. Huawei, the world’s third largest smartphone manufacturer behind Samsung and Apple, has teased product launches for Sunday, although its new flagship, the P20, is likely to launch next month instead of in Barcelona.
Such new launches however come following dwindling global demand for newer smartphones; industry analysts Gartner reported last week that global device sales fell year-on-year for the first time ever in the fourth quarter of the year, dropping 5.6 per cent to 408 million during the three months to the end of December. Samsung sold 86 million phones in the fourth quarter of 2017 with the year-on-year sales declining of 3.6 per cent in the period.
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Gartner blamed the drop in sales on slowing upgrades from feature phones due to a dearth of ultra-low cost quality smartphones, combined with longer upgrade cycles at the high end, with customers unpersuaded by incremental technology updates in newer devices.
Gartner’s figures follow reports earlier this month from research company IDC that China’s annual smartphone sales fell 4.9 per cent in 2017, as consumers in the world’s most populous nation wait longer to upgrade their devices.
Apple – the second largest smartphone manufacturer behind Samsung - earlier this month announced an unexpected 1 per cent drop in iPhone sales for the three months to end December, in spite the launch of its new iPhone 8 and iPhone X models.
The rise of AI technology across the mobile ecosystem – exemplified by voice assistants such as Apple’s Siri and Google Assistant – and the upcoming launch of 5G networks - which may offer download speeds of up to 50 times quicker than existing 4G networks – are set to be key topics of discussion at this year’s Mobile World Congress.
Keynote speakers at the event, which runs from Monday until Thursday, include Softbank Vision Fund CEO Rajeev Misra, who will discuss investment trends in AI and cryptocurrencies, Ajit Pai, chairman of the US Federal Communications Commission, and World Bank president Dr Jim Kong Ying, who will both discuss regulatory challenges for the industry.
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Kandahar%20
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Last five meetings
2013: South Korea 0-2 Brazil
2002: South Korea 2-3 Brazil
1999: South Korea 1-0 Brazil
1997: South Korea 1-2 Brazil
1995: South Korea 0-1 Brazil
Note: All friendlies
The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee
Miss Granny
Director: Joyce Bernal
Starring: Sarah Geronimo, James Reid, Xian Lim, Nova Villa
3/5
(Tagalog with Eng/Ar subtitles)
FIGHT%20CARD
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The five pillars of Islam
Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Geneva from Dh2,845 return, including taxes. The flight takes 6 hours.
The package
Clinique La Prairie offers a variety of programmes. A six-night Master Detox costs from 14,900 Swiss francs (Dh57,655), including all food, accommodation and a set schedule of medical consultations and spa treatments.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Founders: Ines Mena, Claudia Ribas, Simona Agolini, Nourhan Hassan and Therese Hundt
Date started: January 2017, app launched November 2017
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Private/Retail/Leisure
Number of Employees: 18 employees, including full-time and flexible workers
Funding stage and size: Seed round completed Q4 2019 - $1m raised
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, 500 Startups, Vision Ventures, Seedstars, Mindshift Capital, Delta Partners Ventures, with support from the OQAL Angel Investor Network and UAE Business Angels
Company%C2%A0profile
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The five pillars of Islam
Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon
- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.
- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.
How they line up for Sunday's Australian Grand Prix
1 Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
2 Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari
3 Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari
4 Max Verstappen, Red Bull
5 Kevin Magnussen, Haas
6 Romain Grosjean, Haas
7 Nico Hulkenberg, Renault
*8 Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull
9 Carlos Sainz, Renault
10 Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes
11 Fernando Alonso, McLaren
12 Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren
13 Sergio Perez, Force India
14 Lance Stroll, Williams
15 Esteban Ocon, Force India
16 Brendon Hartley, Toro Rosso
17 Marcus Ericsson, Sauber
18 Charles Leclerc, Sauber
19 Sergey Sirotkin, Williams
20 Pierre Gasly, Toro Rosso
* Daniel Ricciardo qualified fifth but had a three-place grid penalty for speeding in red flag conditions during practice
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
