Here's what to expect from all the biggest tech companies at Mobile World Congress this year

Mobile World Congress (MWC) starts on February 26 in Barcelona and runs through to March 1.

Last year's event started excitedly with Greenpeace protestors scaling the building outside Samsung's press conference. IBM's Watson created artworks, and we saw connected dogs and seals, and loads of VR.

But people really are at MWC for the phones. And this year, there's a lot of interest in how the big manufacturers are going to answer the challenge put up by Apple's iPhone X and Google's Pixel 2.

Take a look:

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Samsung

There isn't much detail that hasn't already leaked on the new Galaxy phones. But if you haven't heard, Samsung is said to have ditched early plans for phones with larger screen-to-body ratios and will stick with the S8 and S8+ housing.

The big changes with the S9 and S9+ are the cameras. The S9 may stick with a single-lens on the back, but the S9+ will get a dual-lens setup. That means a proper optical zoom and the popular Portrait mode seen on the iPhone X and Pixel 2.

Samsung's invite tells you all you need to know about where its mind is at:

The fingerprint scanner will be shifted, away from the dire location next to the camera lens which frustrated so many S8 users.

A new Snapdragon processor and potentially 6GB of RAM, mated with a new DeX Station could make the dream of a genuine smartphone-powered desktop PC a reality.

But the biggest potential news is a rumour from a Reddit user who claims to have both the S9 and S9+. BihPandemonium says both phones are "thicker and heavier and they don't feel as glossy as the S8 the S9 has a much better grip".

Why they are thicker and heavier may have something to do with a new battery. BihPandemonium reckons you can squeeze "about a 1.5-day battery life" out of the S9+.

There are also rumours of a Samsung version of Apple's Animoji feature, and confirmation of stereo speakers.

What would be really exciting, but unlikely, is a peek at a foldable Galaxy X.

Sony

Isn't giving much away:

Best guess? Sony's new Xperia range will have some form of haptic feedback.

Or it could have a curved screen or be bendable. But the most likely feature you'll see from Sony on February 26 is a new design. It's time to ditch the big bezels it has kept since 2013, and the company's India managing director Kenichiro Hibi told Indian Express back in September that a change was coming.

So, will we soon see a Sony Xperia XZ Pro with a 4K edge-to-edge display and dual camera? Earlier this month, this now-deleted tweet from Three Care in Ireland says yes:

Huawei

The next number off the rank at the rapidly expanding Chinese giant is the P11, otherwise known as the P20. The juiciest rumour is Huawei has leveraged its partnership with Leica to produce a 40MP triple lens camera.

But we're unlikely to see it at MWC because several sites have picked up on the fact that Huawei will not be introducing a phone at MWC this year. Mainly because it has already sent invites out to a "flagship devices" launch in Paris, scheduled for late March.

It has something up its sleeve though:

VR-related? Maybe, but most likely a new line of MateBooks. And there are rumours of a Huawei Watch 2 making an appearance.