Mobile World Congress predictions

If want to be the first to hear about the next generation of smartphones coming down the pipe, there�s no better place than Mobile World Congress, which kicks off at the end of February. But for an early peek at what�s in store, I quizzed CNET Senior Editors Jessica Dolcourt and Brian Bennett on the products and trends they expect to see. So here you go, CNET�s Top 5 predictions for the 2013 Mobile World Congress as predicted by the editors who will be there. Starting off at #5: quad-core smartphones with 1080p screens. NVIDIA, Qualcomm, and Samsung are involved in a full-on �core war� right now, so quad- core will be the norm at this show. Of course, the other battlefront is screen quality, and nothing says that better than 1080p in your pocket. Both of these specs will be all the buzz in Barcelona. At #4: Windows Phone 8. Now that the Windows 8 desktop OS is out the door, it�s time for Microsoft show how the latest Windows Phone devices will seamlessly tie in. We�ll be looking for some new flagship Windows smartphones, but there�s also a chance we�ll see a few tablets running Windows Phone 8, as well. I�m not sure if the world needs a third Windows tablet OS, but maybe third time�s a charm. Coming in at #3: a new Nokia phone. Nokia took some hard knocks over the past few years, but phones like the Lumia 920 have shown that they can still crank out an exciting phone or two. And now that Microsoft has their back, you�ve got two underdogs with a chip on their shoulder and something to prove. Hopefully that�s a recipe for awesome. At #2: A new Samsung Galaxy Note. If you�re looking for an Android smartphone or tablet with an integrated stylus, Samsung has you covered. This year, the rumors are pointing to an 8-inch version of the Note, but maybe we�ll also get a peek at something smaller. Or maybe a giant 20-inch version. Or a helicopter. Or a sea cow. As long as there isn�t an Apple patent on it, I think Samsung will try anything. But there is one thing they won�t try at Mobile World Congress: a launch of the Galaxy S4. Nope, according to our editors, Samsung�s flagship smartphone is a big enough deal to warrant a special party all its own later this year. The good news is, your new Galaxy S3 won�t feel outdated for at least a few more months. Alright, and now, the #1 thing our CNET editors predict for the 2013 Mobile World Congress: a new flagship phone from HTC. Samsung dominated Android phones last year and now it�s time for HTC to come back swinging. In fact, there are already some rumors bubbling up and guess what they say: it�s going to be a �quad-core� phone with a �1080p display�. Who could have guessed? Whatever it is, let�s hope it puts HTC back in the game. So those are the predictions for Mobile World Congress, which kicks off in Barcelona on Monday February 25th. Our editors will be covering that show from top to bottom, so check back for our full coverage. And for more Top 5s like this, visit Top 5.CNET.com. I�m Donald Bell, thanks for watching.