(Credit: Lily Yeh; Lenovo; Samsung; Xiaomi)
BARCELONA—Mobile World Congress, the largest annual trade show centered on mobile technology, roared with action this week in Spain with more than 100,000 attendees from around the globe.
MWC might be focused on phones, but it now covers a wide range of connected technologies, including laptops, smartwatches, and smart glasses. We spent a week in Barcelona, attending various events to learn everything there is to know about the year in mobile tech ahead. The prevailing theme? AI is going to change everything—and it's already started.
Best of MWC
With that in mind, these are the products, concepts, and technologies we think will have the biggest impact on the industry this year.
Best Flagship Phone
Xiaomi 15 Ultra
The Xiaomi 15 Ultra is our favorite phone at MWC this year, largely due to its advanced camera technology. The company co-engineered the phone with renowned German camera maker Leica and created a powerful imaging device as a result. The 15 Ultra has three 50MP sensors for the main, ultra-wide, and telephoto cameras. It also features a second telephoto camera with a periscope lens and a 200MP sensor. The phone can capture 8K30, as well as 4K60 in Dolby Vision. Moreover, it has the ability to constantly record 4K120 for adjustable playback speeds. Every other aspect of the phone is top-notch: It has a Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, up to 1TB of storage, a fast-charging 5,410mAh battery, all the latest radios, and, of course, a gorgeous screen. All this power doesn't come cheaply: Expect to pay around $1,500 for it. It's anticipated to go on sale in China soon, but we don't yet know if it will be coming to other markets.
Best Affordable Phone
Samsung Galaxy A56
Samsung might have hit a home run with the Galaxy A56. Priced at under $500, it brings a lot of tech to the table. To start, it's one of the first wave of Galaxy A phones to ship with some Galaxy AI features. It also has a large and bright screen, peppy performance, good network support, and plenty of battery life. The 50MP camera is enticing, as is the rapid wired charging, Circle to Search, and six years of software support. The phone is slated to arrive later this year.
Best Modem
Qualcomm Snapdragon X85
You're looking at the modem that's most likely to be inside the Samsung Galaxy S26 next year. Qualcomm's Snapdragon X85 packs a lot more AI than last year's X80 modem did, leading to a 30% improvement in inference capabilities. Beyond AI, it will support the most advanced 5G networks with theoretical top downlink speeds of 12.5Gbps. Qualcomm is most likely to pair the X85 with its yet-to-be-announced premiere system-on-a-chip. It will probably follow up the Snapdragon 8 Elite with a new generation in October.
Best Tablet
Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro
Xiaomi's Pad 7 Pro is a powerful tablet meant for professionals. This slim slate may look familiar (ahem, iPad), but it contains some of the industry's top tech. It's the screen that really appeals to the eyes: The 11.2-inch OLED panel has an incredible 3.2K display with an adaptive 144Hz refresh rate and adaptive HDR. The tablet is powered by the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 processor and has a large 8,850mAh battery that charges at a rapid 67W. The Pad 7 Pro includes a 32MP front camera for 4K video conferencing and a high-resolution 50MP rear camera. It measures 6.18mm (0.24 inches) thick and weighs 1.1 pounds. It runs the latest version of Xiaomi's HyperOS, which contains more AI than the company has ever put into a tablet. The Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro is priced reasonably at 499 euros (about $537) and goes on sale later this year.
Best Laptop
Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Gen 6
We like our Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon laptops, but the ThinkPad X13 Gen 6 gets you much of the way there for half the price. The X13 weighs a mere 2.05 pounds, making it light enough to take anywhere. It also has plenty of power. You have your choice of Intel Core Ultra or AMD Ryzen processors, and you can pack it with as much as 64GB of RAM and 2TB of storage. It has a bevy of ports, a 13-inch screen at 400 nits, and Wi-Fi 7, sub-6GHz 5G, NFC, and Bluetooth. The ThinkPad X13 Gen 6 starts at $1,139 and should arrive in June.
Best Smartwatch
Honor Watch 5 Ultra
With a titanium alloy case and sapphire glass screen protection, the Honor Watch 5 Ultra offers high-end design touches similar to the $799 Apple Watch Ultra 2 and the $649 Galaxy Watch Ultra, but it's less than half the price of either at 279 euros (roughly $300). Notably, the Watch 5 Ultra promises 15 days of battery life on a charge, far exceeding most feature-rich smartwatches. It runs Honor's proprietary MagicOS with plenty of health and fitness tracking tools and cross-platform support for both Android and iOS phones. Honor hasn’t announced a release date for the Watch 5 Ultra or whether it will be available in the US.—Andrew Gebhart
Best Smart Glasses
BleeqUp Ranger
These smart glasses are some of the first we've seen to target a specific activity, in this case, cycling. The BleeqUp Ranger resembles a pair of Oakley cycling glasses and packs a ton of tech into a slim frame. The primary feature is an AI-equipped camera that captures 1080p video or 16MP photos. It has a 120-degree field of view and can record up to an hour of video onto the 32GB of onboard storage. A Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 chip keeps it running. The AI can help with video capture, as it can automatically tag segments based on events like swerving or rapid acceleration. Built-in speakers will help you stay in the groove as you spin your wheels. You control the glasses by tapping the touch-sensitive temples. The glasses cost $500 and ship in May.
Best Prototype
Lenovo ThinkBook Flip AI
The ThinkBook Flip AI from Lenovo follows the maximalist approach that bigger is better. In this case, we're talking about a bigger screen. The Flip AI features a unique dual-screen design that flips up to form a single 18.1-inch tall display. It's probably the best way to get this much screen real estate into something that still folds into a relatively compact laptop. Moreover, when the flipping segment of the screen is closed, you can have it show content on the back side of the lid. This could let you present to someone seated across from you, for example. Lenovo hasn't announced plans to actually release the Flip AI, but we like that the company continues to think outside the ThinkBook.
Best Concept
Samsung Display Asymmetrical Fold
Samsung Display brought an array of bending and folding screens and prototypes to showcase what its flexible screens can do, including one that can fold like an accordion and another that opens like a pamphlet. Our favorite is the smaller Z Flip 6-style phone with two asymmetrical folding segments, which is like nothing else we saw at the show. Samsung Display didn't say if any of these concepts will make it to market, but that's the same tactic it took with its first folding displays many years ago.
More of the Best From MWC
Can't get enough MWC coverage? Check out our favorite phones from the show.
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