Xiaomi
A Xiaomi company's logo is pictured during a presentation to celebrate the entry of the company into the Mexican market, in Mexico City, Mexico, May 9, 2017.REUTERS/Edgard Garrido

As the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018 approaches, the anticipation around what's coming next is keeping fans occupied. Courtesy of a consistent flow of rumours and speculations, we have a pretty good idea of what major devices are expected at the annual MWC happening in Barcelona next month.

While Samsung and Sony are under the spotlight for their upcoming flagships, Xiaomi is a name that will not miss anyone's attention at the global event. Xiaomi's product portfolio has been quite disruptive, making its presence at the MWC a huge deal for many.

As rumours pointed out, the company was planning to launch the 2018 flagship Mi 7 at the event, but new evidence suggests otherwise.

Android Headlines reported, quoting an unnamed high-level Xiaomi employee, that the Chinese company has no plans to make any major announcement at the MWC, which eliminates the possibility of the Mi 7 being released next month. The report also said Xiaomi might not launch the rumoured Mi Max 3 at the tradeshow.

MWC 2017, Nokia, HMD Global Oy, Lenovo, Moto, Huawei, ZTE, Sony, Gionee, LG G6, Nokia 6, Xperia XZ Premium, Gionee A1, BlackBerry KEYOne
MWC 2017Sami Khan/IBTimes India

This may leave many disappointed, but also benefit the Chinese tech company from getting overshadowed by the presence of Samsung, Sony and Nokia.

Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are set to be launched ahead of MWC on February 25, and will be a hot topic for most gadget enthusiasts. Sony is also making announcements on its Xperia XZ Pro – featuring a bezel-less design at last – on the same date.

With two tech titans clashing, Nokia is expected to share the spotlight with the long-rumoured Nokia 9 flagship.

Xiaomi's announcements might be eclipsed by all this, so delaying the launch of its flagship phones seems like a wise call.

Xiaomi is going to be present at the MWC 2018 trade show, which was recently confirmed, but just don't get your hopes high for an exciting event.

A glimmer of hope...

Xiaomi may not disappoint at the MWC event. The AH report is just one of many speculations and nothing is concrete until the company says so. So there's hope.

For example, a recent report said Xiaomi might be launching its Mi MIX 2 successor at the event with a truly bezel-less design. The Mi MIX 2S is not going to be a replacement for Mi MIX 3, which is still on the map for later this year, but merely a bi-annual upgrade to the Mi MIX 2.

Nothing much is known about the device itself, except that it will have a bezel-less design form, but we are bound to learn more details sooner than later.

Mi Mix 2S
This alleged Mi Mix 2S render shows the front camera is moved to the top-right corner, giving rise to that awkward notch.Slashleaks

Xiaomi made headlines last month when it announced a partnership with Qualcomm for the Snapdragon 845 chipset. The Mi 7 flagship is going to be the first smartphone with the new chipset, but reports have outlined most of the features of the phone much ahead of its release.

The Mi 7 smartphone is expected to come with a 6-inch bezel-less OLED display, Apple Face ID-like facial recognition technology, dual cameras with 16MP sensors at the back and a 16MP front snapper. Under the hood, the handset will likely pack a 3,350mAh battery, 6GB RAM and different storage models to meet the needs of customers.

Xiaomi Mi 7 or Mi MIX 2S, what is your next device going to be?