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These are the most exciting phones at MWC

LG, Sony and Samsung --the most popular phones on CNET now introduced to us at Mobile World Congress 2017.

Vanessa Hand Orellana CNET Senior Editor
As head of wearables at CNET, Vanessa reviews and writes about the latest smartwatches and fitness trackers. She joined the team seven years ago as an on-camera reporter for CNET's Spanish-language site and then moved on to the English side to host and produce some of CNET's videos and YouTube series. When she's not testing out smartwatches or dropping phones, you can catch her on a hike or trail run with her family.
Vanessa Hand Orellana
3 min read
Sarah Tew/CNET
Watch this: Hottest phones unveiled at MWC 2017

Every year phone manufacturers from all over the world flock to Barcelona to unveil their latest devices at Mobile World Congress, leaving us with a batch of brand new phones to compete for our attention. And this year is no exception.

Which ones are worth your precious time?

We've rounded up the five most popular new phones from MWC on CNET right now, plus the tease that has everyone talking.

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LG's new flagship phone has a sleeker design than its modular predecessor.

Sarah Tew/CNET

LG G6

LG's latest flagship abandoned last year's modular design for a more polished look. It's got a 5.7-inch screen with almost no bezel, and a waterproof casing that will survive just about any spill or a quick dunk in a meter of water. It kept that dual-lens camera design from the LG G5 with a 13 megapixel main and 13 megapixel wide-angle option with plenty of special features to take advantage of its increased breadth. Sadly you won't get a removable battery this year. The wireless charging option is a good consolation prize, but you'll only get that if you're a US customer. Read the full G6 hands-on.

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This blast from the past phone has a few upgrades including a color screen and rounded edges.

Andrew Hoyle/CNET

Nokia 3310

The Nokia 3310 may not become the bestseller that it once was, but this throwback phone is definitely causing a scene at MWC. The 3310 came back after a 17-year hiatus and it brought Snake along with it. It's got a rounder, slimmer design and a color display, but aside from that it's the same old brick phone you know and loved. It boasts a pixelated display, 2-megapixel camera and web browsing at snail speed. It's a trip back in time that doesn't come cheap either: about $50, £40 or AU$70. Read our Editor's Take on the Nokia 3310.

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The physical keyboard feels cramped on the KeyOne, but comes with all sorts of shortcuts.

Andrew Hoyle/CNET

BlackBerry KeyOne

The BlackBerry KeyOne is another phone banking on nostalgia this year. If you're still yearning for the days of physical keyboards and BlackBerry's messenger service, this may be your match. It's got the perks of the past along with all the modern conveniences of the present including a 4.5-inch touchscreen, a fingerprint scanner and the latest version of Android. And there's the privacy draw, parent company TCL says it's going to offer one of the most secure Android experiences on the market. Read the full BlackBerry KeyOne hands-on.

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The XA1 and XA1 Ultra are similar to Sony's XZ Premium in design, but they are not waterproof.

Josh Miller

Sony Xperia XA1 and XA1 Ultra

Sony unveiled its top-of-the-line XZ Premium with a 4K HDR display, super slow-mo video and the most powerful Snapdragon processor (the 835) soon to be on the market. But its midrange sibling is the one getting all the attention on CNET. The XA1 and XA1 Ultra have an elegant design with a nearly edge-to-edge display and USB-C port. But be warned: The 720-pixel resolution display on the 5.2-inch option is a huge step down from the 6-inch Ultra, which has full HD. There's also no fingerprint sensor and it won't withstand spills of any sort. Read more about the Sony Xperia XA1 and XA1 Ultra.

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The 12 megapixel camera on the Moto G5 is one of its top selling points.

Andrew Hoyle/CNET

Lenovo Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus

If getting the most bang for your buck is important to you -- and how could it not be? -- Lenovo's new Moto G5 and G5 Plus may be your best bets. You'll get a nice-looking splashproof phone with a fingerprint scanner, 1080p display, removable battery for the G5 only or Turbo Charge for the Plus, and the same 12-megapixel shooter as Samsung's Galaxy S7, which we still love.

US customers may have a hard time getting their hands on the smaller G5, which starts at £169 for 16GB and 2GB RAM (about $210 or AU$275) rising to £179 (about $220 or AU$290) for 16GB and 3GB RAM.

The 5.2-inch plus will be available stateside with 32GB for $229 (£259, or about AU$320) or 64GB of storage for $299, which converts to about £240 or AU$390.Read the full Moto G5 hands-on.

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The announcement of Samsung's Galaxy S8 took center stage at MWC 2017.

Samsung

Samsung Galaxy S8

This one wasn't even at the show, but it's making its presence known. Samsung announced the sequel to the S7 at their keynote on Sunday, promising "to create innovation of kind this industry hasn't seen in a very long time" And while we've heard this kind of promise from tech companies before this phone is already shaping up to be the talk of the town in the first half of 2017. Catch-up on everything we know so far about the Samsung Galaxy S8.