When it comes to Mobile World Congress, there are always a few big stories that dictate the discussion. Whether they are flagship phones or company mergers or just new tech in general, someone steals the show.
For 2014's MWC, that would be Samsung. In research performed by social media listening platform Synthesio, they claim that Samsung was "mentioned 1,246,000 times, or in 44.2% of all online conversations". That number was only followed by Nokia, who were mentioned in 586,200 online conversations, or 20.8% of the time. That's second, but a distant one.
No doubt that Samsung had the most going for it, after all, they announced their new flagship Android phone, the Galaxy S5. Even more, they announced a fitness bracelet (Gear Fit), Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo, with the Gear Fit receiving a lot of accolades for its bold, unique design.
Meanwhile, Nokia announced a new Asha, the Nokia 220 and of course the Nokia X series of Android devices. It was really the latter that received the most attention though due to its seemingly sensational story lines. If Nokia had announced a Windows Phone 8.1 flagship phone, we're sure the online conversation race would be a lot closer.
Regardless, Nokia was still able to best Sony and their Xperia Z2 announcement. The force is still strong with Nokia, even in 2014.
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Samsung most popular at MWC with 1.2 million online conversations - twice nearest rival Nokia
Research by Synthesio reveals Galaxy S5 was the best received hardware launch at Mobile World Congress
February 28, 2014: The launch of the Galaxy S5 helped Samsung dominate online conversations during Mobile World Congress, according to research by social media listening platform Synthesio.
Synthesio analysed conversations on social media platforms, blogs and the comments sections of newspapers, about brands throughout Mobile World Congress and discovered that Samsung was mentioned 1,246,000 times, or in 44.2% of all online conversations about major brands. Online users were particularly impressed by the S5's camera and display.
Samsung's nearest rival Nokia was the subject of 586,200 online conversations (20.8%) following the launch of the Nokia X. The Xperia Z2 helped Sony to third place with 18% of online conversations.
Much of the online chat related to the Nokia X cited the use of the Android operating system and the handset’s low price, however, 60% of all online conversations related to the phone were neutral, which could indicate that consumers were ambivalent about the device. Blackberry's launch of the Q20 failed to set social media alight, with the handset mentioned in only 250,000 (8.9%) online conversations during the conference.
Catriona Oldershaw, Managing Director of Synthesio UK, said: "Mobile World Congress may have been dominated in the media by news of WhatsApp's merger with Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg's keynote speech. However, social media users were keener to discuss the hardware that was launched. The runaway winner this year was Samsung's Galaxy S5. This builds on the successful launch of the S4 last year and seems to indicate that the online community is a growing fan of the brand. Nokia put in a strong showing, however, many users seemed to be underwhelmed by the X. Blackberry should also be concerned that the Q20 did not create much buzz online."
