The Mobile World Congress 2014 kicked off Monday in Barcelona, where global tech giants are set to roll out their latest smartphones along with more affordable sister products.

Hosted by the Global System for Mobile Communications Association, around 1,700 firms, the largest ever number of participants, from 220 countries are expected at this year’s MWC running through Thursday under the theme “Creating What’s Next.”

Global tech players, including South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Inc., joined the event, introducing their latest flagship lineups with state-of-the-art features.

Samsung, the world’s No. 1 maker of smartphones, launched the market’s much-awaited Galaxy S5 at the event. Details were not available as of press time, but a press release handed out earlier emphasized the number five.

The company had provided a handful of keywords in its teaser video clip released ahead of the event, such as “speed,” “life,” “create,” and “social.”

The most prominent hint among the words, however, is “wet,” which implies the next Galaxy smartphone could be waterproof.

Other keywords such as “focus,” “selfie,” and “alive” also suggest the upcoming device will emphasize new features for its camera.

Meanwhile, LG, chased hard by global rivals for the No. 3 spot after Samsung and Apple, released the G Pro 2, a cross between a smartphone and tablet PC with a 5.9-inch display, on Feb. 13 at home. The device will stand at the heart of LG’s exhibition at the MWC.

The most prominent feature of the phablet is “Knock Code,” an updated feature of its previous “KnockOn,” which allows users to unlock the device by simply tapping the screen several times.

The previous version only allowed for the device to be turned on and off.

The global smartphone market has been divided into two segments, with the larger slice dominated by Samsung and Apple Inc., and the other contested by smaller firms including Chinese and Japanese players.

Along with top-tier smartphone line-ups, the tech players will also showcase a handful of more affordable models, in a bid to allure users getting started on smart devices for the first time. Samsung will showcase its Galaxy Note 3 Neo, a simpler version of its phablet the Galaxy Note 3, which will maintain many of the key features such as “S-pen” and “multi-window.”

The Galaxy Grand 2, the upgraded version of the Galaxy Grand which paved the market for simple smartphones last year, will also be introduced at the event, featuring a 5.3-inch screen with an 8 megapixel camera.

The 4.5-inch Galaxy Core LTE, which supports the fourth-generation network, will also be showcased at the event.

In addition, the South Korean tech giant will display original versions of its Galaxy S4, which was launched in April 2013, as well as its flagship phablet Galaxy Note 3 at the MWC.

Samsung, however, reportedly has no plan to introduce smartphones powered by its own mobile operating system Tizen, which was originally scheduled to be launched last year.

LG is ready with its L series III lineup, with the more affordable smartphones to run on third-generation networks. Powered by Android’s Kitkat, the model comes in three sizes, namely 3.5, 4.5, and 4.7 inches.

South Korea’s No. 2 tech player will also roll out a smaller edition of its flagship G2, with a reduced screen size of 4.7 inches. It maintains most of the original version’s features with additional keys on the back.

The tech companies will also introduce several devices that can be connected to smartphones.

Samsung is unveiling Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo, the successors to the Galaxy Gear, which was released in September last year.

The Tizen-powered Gear 2 smartwatch features a 1.63-inch screen and basic 2.0-megapixel camera, and connects to Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3 smartphone and other gadgets via Bluetooth technology.

The Gear 2 Neo, which has no camera on its body, has the same panel size but is lighter than the Gear 2 at 55 grams, according to Samsung.

LG, which is yet to release its smartwatch, will instead showcase its Lifeband Touch, a wearable device that tracks users’ physical activities and can connect to smartphones through its touch screen. The device was first introduced at the U.S. Consumer Electronics Show in January.

While vying to prove their prowess, the two will have to pay close attention to moves by Chinese firms, which pose a potential threat to the current industry leaders. (Yonhap)