Huawei takes another stab at high-end Android smartphones with the Ascend P7, a successor to the P6 featuring a 5-inch 1920x1080 display, 4G LTE connectivity and a 1.8GHz quad-core CPU.

According to the company, the device features a 7-layer surface treatment on the back for a "high-quality look and feel" and a "luxurious metallic appearance and exquisite micro pattern."

One feature Huawei insists on touting is the front-facing camera-- an 8MP number with a non-spherical lens and a panorama function for better, err, panoramic and group selfies (or "groufies"). Users can even take selfie videos at 1080p resolution, a "beauty" mode includes 10 level auto-facial enhancement and users even get a bulit-in mirror function and a selfie preview window.

BLU Products launches a premium addition to the Life Pure smartphone series-- the Life Pure XL, a 5.5-inch flagship number available in 2 configurations.

It carries a 1920 x 1080 display, quad-core 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU and either 3GB RAM and 32GB storage or 2GB RAM and 16GB storage. Powering all is a 2500mAh battery, while cameras come in 16MP rear- and 8MP-front-facing.

Connectivity comes via wifi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS and NFC, while the OS of choice is Android 4.2.

Can an underdog device maker truly take on the heavyweights of the mobile industry? OnePlus believes so as it launches the One, a smartphone promising superior build quality and features at a "disruptive" price.

Not to be confused with the HTC handset sharing the same name, the OnePlus One is a nice-looking 5.5-inch number featuring a 2.5GHz Snapdragon 801 CPU, 3GB RAM, 3100mAh battery, 13MP f/2 camera and JBL-designed bottom-facing speakers.

It runs on CyanogenMod 11S, a special version of the modified Android version turned standalone OS.

Samsung will launch "at least" two smartphones running on the Tizen mobile OS by Q2 2014 as part of an effort to break out of the Android universe, senior VP Yoon Han-kil tells Reuters.

According to the interview Samsung wants build an own Tizen-centric ecosystem-- thus challenging the iOS/Android duopoly and opening a 3rd party app and services revenue stream.

However Tizen-based ambitions have seen setbacks from both internal and external sources. A Samsung-Google patent cross-licensing agreement has been seen as a tightening of Samsung's ties with Android, while "poor market conditions" have hampered prospects in at least some regions.

Imagine a modular smartphone, with upgrades as easy as switching out a module with another. This is the Google plan for the phone of the future, as shown off at the first Project Ara developer conference.

Project Ara was first revealed by Motorola back in November 2013. It hails from the Google ATAP (Advanced Technology And Projects) group, and is one of the few things Google kept when it sold off Motorola to Lenovo. Thus the conference is part of an effort to stir developer interest in the device.

As described above the concept is fairly straightforward-- it consists of a Google-designed metal frame, into which users can slot 3rd party modules. The platform promises to free users from the obsolesce cycle, as one should be able to freely upgrade devices according to their requirements with a potentially infinite array of components.

HTC launches the next version of the One flagship smartphone, the One (M8), a larger 5-inch model featuring identical aluminium unibody construction to the 2013 model if with even more metal.

According to the company the body is 90% aluminium, compared to the 70% of the previous model. The edges are also more-rounded and the finish is brushed, not matte.

The 5-inch display is 1920x1080 resolution, while powering all are a quad-core 2.5GHz Snapdragon 801 processor, 2G RAM, 16/32G storage (expandable to 128GB via microSD slot) and a 2600mAh battery.

The Yotaphone is not the only smartphone making use of an eReader-style display-- the MIDIA InkPhone is another smartphone using the display technology, if without the additional LCD touchscreen.

Seen at CeBIT 2014, the InkPhone carries a 4.3-inch eInk Flex display, 1GHz processor, 512MB RAM, 4GB storage and a 1800 mAh battery promising up to 2 weeks of use on a single charge. How so? Through the eInk display, of course.

“Low capacity of batteries is a weakness of modern smartphones,” Chinese eReader maker Onyx says "That is a consequence of using large LCD displays and many aplications that works in the background when device is running.”

Samsung focuses on wearables and fitness at Mobile World Congress 2014, where it launches a duo of Gear smartwatches and a fitness band together with the fifth iteration of Galaxy S smartphone.

The Galaxy S5 is a 5.1-inch number promising a "refined experience" via 1920x1080 Super AMOLED display, 2.5GHz quad-core processor, 2GB RAM, 16/32GB of storage and 16MP rear-facing camera. The battery powers up to 12 hours of video playback, while the camera shoots 4K video as well as photos enhanced with software features such as phase detection, auto focus, real-time HDR and selective focus.

In a first for the Galaxy S lineup the S5 is IP67 dust and water resistant.

The OS of choice is Android KitKat, if with the usual rafter of Samsung additions-- and an emphasis on health. S Health 3.0 provides a personal fitness tracker complete with pedometer, diet and exercise records, and the phone features real-time heart rate tracking via placement of one's finger over the rear-facing camera.