Let's face it, when it came to phone announcements this year's CES was a little... underwhelming. But MWC 2014 is just around the corner and it's looking a lot more promising.

It all kicks of on February 24, but to tide you over till then here's a rundown of the biggest and best phones that we're expecting (or hoping) to see on the show floor.

• MWC 2014: what to expect

Sony Xperia Z2

The Sony Xperia Z1 Compact was one of the biggest phone announcements at CES and it looks like the Japanese firm plans to top it in Barcelona with the launch of its new flagship, the Sony Xperia Z2.

A tweet from @evleaks claimed the Xperia Z2 was 'tipped' for an MWC debut. That's not quite a confirmation and as the Sony Xperia Z1 only launched at the tail end of last year it would seem rather soon for a new flagship, but then there was less than a year between the Sony Xperia Z and the Z1 so it's not impossible.

So what can you expect from the Xperia Z2? Rumours point to a 5.2-inch 1080p display with a 506ppi, a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, 3GB of RAM, 20.7MP camera with Xenon flash and Android 4.4.

It seems a fairly safe bet that the Xperia Z2 will also be water and dust proof, given that its predecessors are.

• Sony Xperia Z2 release date, news and rumours

HTC One 2

The HTC One was one of the best phones of last year and really put HTC back on the map, so expectations for the HTC One 2 (Or M8 or Two or whatever it ends up being called) are high.

There's been no confirmation that we'll see the HTC One 2 at MWC, but @evleaks has hinted the handset will be with US carriers by the end of Q1 2014, while court documents from a patent trial claim that the handset will also be out in the first quarter of 2014.

None of that means MWC of course, and it gives HTC until the end of March to hit that Q1 prediction - and we reckon it'll favour a stand alone launch rather than battling for attention at .

So what do we know about the handset so far? Well, rumours point to a 2.26GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, either 2 or 3GB of RAM, an UltraPixel camera, Android 4.4 and Sense 6. Of course it will also keep the metal body which was such a big selling point of the One.

Those are certainly some good specs but for our money they're maybe not that big of an upgrade, particularly if it ends up with just 2GB of RAM. Still, if it launches at MWC it could be the star of the show.

• HTC One 2 release date, news and rumours

Samsung Galaxy S5

Short of a new iPhone the only handset which stands much chance of overshadowing the HTC One 2 is the Samsung Galaxy S5 and there's a chance that it might make an appearance at MWC.

There were conflicting rumours on whether the Galaxy S5 would actually be unveiled at MWC 2014, but after Samsung sent out a teasing invite headlined "Unpacked 5" there seems to be little doubt over the arrival of the firm's next flagship device.

On the other hand some rumours suggest that the Galaxy S5 will launch in either March or April at a dedicated launch event.

This makes more sense as Samsung has a history of shunning MWC and instead holding its own launch events - but that invite is very, very hard to ignore.

When it does launch we're expecting a 2560 x 1440 AMOLED display, Android 4.4, a 16MP camera and either an Exynos 6 or Snapdragon 805 processor.

It's also looking likely that a metal version of the handset may be offered and there's a possibility that it could have a 64-bit processor, a fingerprint scanner and even an eye scanner.

While we are all eagerly anticipating the arrival of the much rumoured HTC One 2, that's not the only smartphone the Taiwanese firm appears to be working on.

Chinese site MyDrivers seems to have spilled the beans on a handset dubbed the HTC Desire 8, with a variety of specs and an accompanying image.

The firm is looking to expand its smartphone offering with Jeff Gordon, HTC's Senior Global Online Communications Manager, tweeting, "It's important for HTC to have a complete, competitive range across price points. Lots more to come!"

According to the leak, the Desire 8 will feature a 5.5-inch display, a decent sounding 13MP rear camera and an equally impressive-on-paper 5MP front snapper.

Object of your desire?

If the leaked image is to be believed then the HTC Desire 8 is set to sport a minimalist, clean design - apparently favouring plastic over the metal found on the HTC One, we assume to keep the cost of the handset down.

There are small front-facing grills, but the Desire 8 may just have the one front facing speaking, with the holes at the top of the handset potentially hiding an earpiece only, instead of the double Boomsound setup we get on the flagship One.

The HTC Desire 8 could be announced at MWC 2014 in Barcelona at the end of February, and we'll be there to bring you all the latest.

• What will the new HTC One be like?

Leaked images seem to be the current trend when it comes to the HTC M8 and today has turned out to be no different.

Fitting in with previous leaks, the new front face of the HTC One 2 seems to be pretty legit, and once again proves that the One 2 will be more evolutionary for the Taiwanese brand, rather than completely reinventing its design once more.

But until the M8 is launched only HTC truly knows what is going on and things are always open to change. We are also dealing with an image obtained by @htcfamily_ru, a tipster we aren't overly familiar with.

Pretty as a (photoshopped?) picture

Doubts creep in as this tipster has previously leaked images of a dual flash and dual sensor, work that was deemed photoshop trickery by one of HTC's Regional Directors Mark Moons.

If this is the real deal it seems we are looking at a device that comes with beauty levels more akin to Sylvester Stallone than Helen of Troy. That pretty hefty bezel at the base leaves more than a taste of disappointment, but is expected as HTC keeps its plans of using BoomSound as a selling point alive.

That disappointment may materialise as Phone Arena points out today's image shows the M8 with Taiwanese lettering (one guess as to where HTC is based) suggesting this is likely legit and that small bar next to the camera is has also popped up a few times.

So is this the real deal? And just what is that strange little bar? Let us know your thoughts below.

Having apparently learned little from all the privacy woes of the last year or so, Samsung is reportedly developing a service that records smartphone users' actions and shares them with other apps.

The service is called "Context," according to a report on The Information.

Beyond collecting keystrokes from users, the report says Context would also record what apps are used and even the data that a device's sensors (camera, microphone, etc.) pick up.

All that data would then be available for app developers to use to tailor app content to specific users.

Red flags

Context may never actually make it onto devices, however, reportedly because Samsung is unsure whether it will actually help the company sell more phones.

In other words, Samsung can't figure out whether users are interested in having their every action recorded, catalogued and exploited by developers.

In related news, The Information also dropped a new hint about a meeting that supposedly took place between Google and Samsung just a day before Google announced it would sell Motorola.

The two companies supposedly discussed the future of Android - specifically, how much freedom device makers will have to customize the operating system on future devices.

But the outcome of the meeting is unknown.

• At least the Samsung Galaxy S4 doesn't record your every move. Click the link for TechRadar's review.

A new year, another set of flagship handsets from the twin titans of smartphones, Apple and Samsung -- but will this finally be the year such devices can shake off the bezel in an effort to slim down even further?

The Korea Herald reported Tuesday that Samsung and Apple may face another rivalry in 2014 as speculation runs rampant the Galaxy S5 and iPhone 6 may each feature bezel-free, edge-to-edge displays.

Korean mobile giant Samsung Electronics appears likely to launch the initial offensive later this month when the manufacturer is expected to announce the Galaxy S5, which unnamed industry sources claim will be the model to finally ditch a hardware-based home button.

Samsung is also rumored to be following Apple into the fingerprint scanner market, which will reportedly be offered on the bottom left and right sides of the bezel-free screen.

Begone, home button

Apple is also said to be testing a prototype of this year's iPhone 6 with a larger, bezel-free display that could also move the Touch ID fingerprint scanner found on the iPhone 5S onto the actual display itself.

The eventual goal of both companies appears to be an edge-to-edge screen offering button-free fingerprint scanning from anywhere on the display, but "technological hurdles" remain that could delay such a feature until the second half of the year.

Now that Apple has staked out the early fall season for its smartphone launches, that could give the iPhone maker an edge over Samsung, who is expected to begin selling the allegedly slimmer Galaxy S5 much earlier in the year.

Samsung is also reportedly hard at work on touch panels that would allow its Galaxy devices to be used even while wearing gloves, part of a bezel-free initiative launched in 2012 under the code names "Project B" and "Galaxy B."

1. It may have a bezel, but our Samsung Galaxy S4 review shows it's still a fine handset!