MWC, or Mobile World Congress, is a mobile tech show that has, in the past, been the home of huge releases by Samsung, Sony, LG and more.
In the past few years though, the focus of the show has changed slightly as most of the big players in the mobile space transitioned to their own dedicated events for major launches. It’s unlikely we’ll ever see the next big Samsung Galaxy S device getting its grand unveiling at the show.
MWC is now the home to a smattering of new releases, concept tech and more of a focus on tablets, wearables and other mobile devices – including plenty of talk of AI.
This is our look at our favourite new tech that our experts have laid their eyes on at MWC 2024. Below you’ll find everything from transparent laptops and ultra high-end phones to AI devices and more.
(Additional reporting from Adam Speight and Lewis Painter)
Lenovo ThinkBook Transparent Laptop Concept
Lenovo often arrives at MWC with a concept product, and this year is no different. The Lenovo ThinkBook Transparent Laptop Concept manages to completely stand out from the crowd thanks to its transparent display – yes, you can look straight through the laptop screen and see everything going on behind it.
The top of this laptop is a 720p 17.3-inch display, while the bottom half is a piece of glass that provides a touchscreen keyboard and trackpad. Lenovo’s latest concept feels like it’s been plucked straight out of sci-fi movies from the early 2000s and we can’t wait until it’s a real product.
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Infinix E-Color Shift Technology
Infinix brought a splash of colour to MWC 2024 with its E-Color Shift technology. Its prototype Infinix E phone dons a customisable colour panel on its back, adding a dose of excitement and variety to a typically static portion of a phone.
We saw a set of four different and vibrant designs, all offering 60 customisable areas and changing colours. They can be tailored to change based on time, mood and more. The technology behind the Infinix E is the E Ink Prism 3; an approach that uses different voltages to modify colour particles in the phone’s shells without affecting battery power.
Xiaomi 14 Ultra
MWC isn’t completely devoid of true flagship phones, and the first to catch our eye is the Xiaomi 14 Ultra. We were disappointed when the Xiaomi 13 Ultra didn’t make it out of China, so we’re relieved its follow-up is getting a much wider release.
The star of the show here is the quad 50MP camera array on the back, which is designed in partnership with Leica and features a variable aperture on the 1-inch main sensor. It has a striking textured back, a gorgeous flat display and all the latest components – including the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 – on the inside.
Xiaomi 14
The smaller, cheaper member of the Xiaomi 14 family, this powerhouse is a direct rival to Samsung’s Galaxy S24. Like the Ultra, the Xiaomi 14 sports top-end components and a Leica-branded camera array on the back with various shooting modes influenced by the German imaging specialists.
The 6.3-inch display is bright and sharp, while the matte texture on the black colourway feels great to hold.
Honor Magic 6 Pro
Another competitor to the ultra high-end phone crown that launched at MWC 2024 is the Honor Magic 6 Pro. This is Honor’s most successful attempt yet to create a no-compromise smartphone, with one of the very best phone screens we’ve ever laid our eyes on.
The zoom camera skills are very impressive too, there’s plenty of AI skills buried inside the software and we can’t help but be drawn to the striking green trim and standout camera module.
Honor MagicBook Pro 16
The MagicBook Pro 16 is Honor’s attempt to bring AI features into a laptop, hopefully without sacrificing the general day-to-day experience.
Features like Smart Picture Search, Smart Document Summary, Text Comprehension, AI Subtitle, and Magic Text hint towards a productive future where AI helps take some of the strain out of daily tasks. There’s plenty of power available here too, plus a slick design and good display.
Humane AI Pin
Even if it might not be ready to replace our smartphone quite yet, the Human AI pin is certainly an eye-catching piece of tech and one that we can’t wait to properly review.
This small pin uses on-device GenAI capabilities to provide you with information in a conversational way and it can handle general knowledge queries, currency conversion – and real-time translation too. There’s even a display that can be projected onto your hand.
There’s a futuristic air about the Humane AI Pin that we can’t help but get excited about.
Samsung Galaxy Ring
Announced, or more accurately teased, alongside the Galaxy S24, the Galaxy Ring has been seen in the flesh for the first time at MWC 2024.
Details might still be scarce – it’ll arrive sometime this year, likely in three hues and with many of the health tracking features we’d associate with the smartwatch – but this already feels like the future of wearable tech.
Lenovo ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 Gen 4
Lenovo’s ThinkBook range delightfully blurs the line between its all-in-on-business-focused ThinkPad lineup and its more consumer-facing options.
The result is ideal for the hybrid worker. The latest iteration of this is the tremendously versatile ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 Gen 4.
It comes with Intel’s latest Core Ultra chips along with a footprint of just 16.85mm and a 1.64kg weight. As a 2-in-1 device, you get a 360-hinge and an accompanying stylish, which can snuggly attached magnetically to the side of the device. It’s a stylish and adaptable machine for the home and the office.
Tecno MEGAmini Gaming PC
Ever fancied a powerful PC in a form factor that isn’t going to dominate your desktop? That’s what Tecno is aiming for with this MEGAmini gaming PC.
It has all the classic gamer-y signs, with RGB and, even, a dose of cooling. Remarkably, it even has a full-size GPU too, not some reigned in mobile version.
Sure, there’s got to be some compromises in terms of output, it’s just physics, but it points to an interesting future where you may not have to have a humongous gaming tower on your desk to enjoy high-powered gaming fun.
ZTE Nubia Flip 5G
The Nubia Flip 5G was a bit of an MWC surprise from Chinese manufacturer ZTE, jumping into the foldable market with one of the best-specced clamshells around.
It sports the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 alongside up to 24GB of RAM, the biggest clamshell battery at 5000mAh and a unique circular cover display that could help it stand out in a fast-growing market.
Tecno Phantom Extreme rollable concept
Rollable concepts have been floating around for the past few years – Motorola had its own at MWC 2023 last year – but the Tecno Phantom Extreme is the most polished we’ve seen to date.
It’s a great showcase of the concept tech, expanding its regular display into a square display with the press of a button, and it takes just 1.5 seconds. We likely won’t see it released, but it’s a very interesting look at the potential future of phones.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
