Bending screens, AI models, and robot dogs? A given at any tech show here in 2024. But, at MWC 2024 in Barcelona this week, we also got a look at a few emerging technologies that could quickly become staples in all of our favorite devices, making shows like these what they’re supposed to be — a glimpse into the future. Take a look with us in our list of the Best of Mobile World Congress 2024!
Best of Mobile World Congress 2024
Oppo Air Glass 3
The struggle to make augmented reality glasses look good continues apace. Oppo is making good strides with the Oppo Air Glass 3, a set of AR glasses that really do look like a set of glasses! This time around, they can be used to interface with Oppo’s generative AI assistant using voice commands and AR visuals. But, with these glasses looking sleek, you know the processing is going on somewhere else — the Air Glass 3 will be a smartphone companion that will rely on a connection to smartphones using Oppo’s OS.
Motorola Adaptive Display Concept (wrist phone)
Ever since rollable displays were first shown off, the wrist-worn phone has had a more explicit place in the imaginations of techies. Well, for anyone wondering what a slap bracelet crossed with a smartphone would look like, wonder no more — the Motorola Adaptive Display Concept uses a flexible display with a soft back to allow the phone to be bent into many positions, including a loop that fits around the wrist. Because it’s made possible using multiple hinges and fold points, it can also be folded into a tent, or into a mini-laptop configuration — the list goes on. It’s just a concept for now, but it’s one of the first times we’ve seen what a smartphone-as-a-smartwatch would look like in the real world.
Tecno Pova 6 Pro
Above all else, we have to give Tecno credit for design flair that really does set their phones apartment from everyone else! The green option for the Tecno Pova 6 Pro is a sight to behold, but it’s not just the cool mecha kinda vibe it’s got going on that we love — Tecno took a mid-range phone and put a huge 6,000 mAh battery in it, virtually guaranteed to make it one of the longer-lasting mid-range phones out there.
Lenovo ThinkBook Transparent Display Laptop
I don’t think we’ve gotten to say that a laptop looks cool in a really long time, so we’re going to enjoy it. The Lenovo ThinkBook Transparent Laptop is just in the concept phase for now, but it’s using a transparent Micro-LED display (like the one Samsung had at CES earlier this year) to allow you to completely see through the display, while still maintaining top-level image quality. Super cool, and it uses a virtual keyboard to allow that whole area to double as a capacitive sketchpad. Not sure what a final product will look like, but it seems like Lenovo is figuring out how to make a really intriguing machine for digital artists. Something to keep our eyes on!
OnePlus Watch 2
It’s tough to make a smartwatch stand out, but here’s one way you can do it — two processors! By using two chipsets — one to handle low-intensity background tasks, and a higher-powered Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset for running apps — the OnePlus Watch 2 optimizes battery use, making it a smartphone that can last for 100 hours of regular use or 48 hours of heavy use. And, when it finally does run low? No problem — it can charge back up to full in an hour. That allows it to be more powerful while still maintaining the impressive battery life of the original OnePlus Watch.
Tecno Dynamic 1 Robot
Lots of robot dogs lately, and the parade keeps on keeping on — might have to have two categories at dog shows soon! The Tecno Dynamic 1 is based on a German Shepherd, and uses AI to make its movements and responses more dog-like, and to help it learn tricks over time. Also, the robotics are strong and stable enough to allow it to run at up to 8.3 mph. I don’t know if that zoomies-level yet, but that’s booking it!
Infinix CoolMax technology
Infinix is working hard on improving mobile gaming performance, and that means figuring out how to keep operating temperatures down! They had a lot to say about gaming at MWC 2024, but we were really impressed by their Coolmax technology, which uses current to draw heat away from the processor, and out of the devices using a small cooling fan. Really neat to see that kind of technology miniaturized, and they’re saying it can reduce operating temperatures by as much as 10%, which is huge for battery efficiency (and making sure you don’t get sweaty palms while gaming).
Honor Magic V2 RSR Porsche Design
After a launch in China last month, Honor’s supercar of a foldable is speeding into Europe. The Honor Magic V2 RSR Porsche Design takes the high-powered Honor Magic V2 foldable from last year and wraps it in a beautiful new exterior from Porsche Design, and they throw in a pretty nice stylus. The Honor Magic V2 foldable was already one of the most premium foldable smartphones out there, thanks to top-of-the-line specs and two separate displays — the larger one tablet-sized when the device is unfolded, and an external smartphone-sized display when it is folded. The stylus can be used on both displays. Like always with Porsche, this one doesn’t come cheap — it’ll be €2,699 in Europe, or about $3,000.
Huawei Mate X5
The Huawei Mate X5 is a premium foldable from last year, when it was released in China. It’s now coming to Europe, giving the continent yet another premium foldable to consider — one with an impressive camera array and a very lightweight build.
HMD Fusion
HMD is making a big show of the fact that they’re releasing HMD-branded devices — for the most part, they’ve been known for making the phones still bearing the Nokia name. They’re making user freedom and ease of repair two major tenets of their business, and we can see that in the HMD Fusion kit, a development kit that allows folks to develop and build their own smartphone add-ons, which will work using magnetic pins on HMD phones. It’s kind of like the Moto Mods Motorola makes, but you can develop and make your own. It’s definitely niche — mainly for hobbyists and businesses that have very specific needs that they best know how to meet — but for those folks it should be a blast!
TCL Linkkey with 5G RedCap
5G is super fast — with top speeds that are faster than most of us will ever maximize the use of. So, TCL took 5G connectivity and turned it down a little, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing! The TCL Linkkey with 5G RedCap is a 5G connectivity dongle that can connect non-5G devices to a 5G network and reduced 5G speeds, which are still faster than the 4G/LTE speeds that came before. The upside? It’s cheaper, and it takes way less power, so it’s a lot more battery-efficient.
Xiaomi 14 Ultra
Xiaomi has established itself as one of the top options for folks who want the best in a smartphone camera array. With the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, Xiaomi is continuing their partnership with Leica and upgrading the camera array, using the big circular array you see in the middle device. This time around, the camera array has focal lengths from 12mm to 120mm and a f/1.63 to f/4.0 stepless variable aperture. There are two telephoto cameras, including a Leica 75mm floating telephoto camera and a Leica 120mm periscope zoom camera.
Qualcomm AI Hub
AI models are increasingly run on devices themselves, instead of in the cloud — with the amount of data processing involved, anything but the fastest connection can make the wait time for AI tasks a little long. So, Qualcomm has taken a bunch of its favorite models, from photo editors to image generators, and placed them in one hub for you to browse. You can install AI models on your device, and better yet, Qualcomm has optimized all the AI models on the hub for their hardware.