Mobile World Congress: Why do smartphones look so alike?

Is smartphone hardware treading water while industrial designers wait for bendy screens and other flexible, futuristic components to make more radical models possible? And will sales continue to decline until they do?

Samsung is casting a long shadow over this year’s Mobile World Congress.

The technology industry get-together in Barcelona is set to be dominated by the launch of its Galaxy S9 and S9+ handsets.

The reaction from many rivals – including Huawei, HTC and LG – appears to have been to hold off their own flagship launches until later in the year.

Based on “leaks”, the S9 looks to be another rectangular, rigid product with an almost-all glass front and sleek metal back.

Samsung’s own teaser campaign has centred on its camera’s capabilities rather than a radical form.

Of the few other new phones expected, speculation has focused on how many lenses they will feature, where their fingerprint sensors will be placed, their display dimensions and whether they will retain a headphone jack, rather than any expectation of a major leap forward.