Mobile World Congress has only just begun, but we’ve already seen a ton of interesting new technologies. From a real-life Barbie flip phone to screens that wrap around your wrist, this year’s conference is full of promising gadgets and concepts.
We’re there in person this year armed with laptops, cameras and a thirst for the next big thing. Also we’ll have tapas and beer, because Barcelona.
Read more: Top Phones to Expect in 2024: iPhone 16, Google Pixel 9 and More
So what can we actually expect from the show? Here’s what we’ve seen so far, along with what we’ll be looking for as the show goes on.
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The Xiaomi 14 Ultra
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Motorola’s wearable phone concept
Mind-bending folding concepts from Motorola and Samsung
It wouldn’t be Mobile World Congress without futuristic display concepts. Motorola and Samsung are already delivering on that expectation with wacky but compelling concept phones that can wrap around your wrist. When flat, Motorola’s adaptive display concept looks like an ordinary phone. But it folds backwards to form an arch and snaps onto a magnetic band on your wrist to keep it in place. Not to be outdone, Samsung also showcased a phone-bracelet concept that transforms from a regular-looking phone to a curvy screen that fits around your wrist.
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Motorola’s wrist-worn phone concept
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Samsung’s wearable phone concept.
The show has only just begun, so I’m sure there are more concepts to be seen.
Samsung’s Galaxy Ring
Samsung teased its upcoming wearable, the Galaxy Ring, during its Galaxy Unpacked event in January. At Mobile World Congress, it gave us another look at a prototype version of the ring and went into more detail about its health tracking capabilities. It seems like we’ll have to wait until later this year to get the full picture, but CNET’s Katie Collins got a closer look at how the ring fits and the battery size Samsung is able to cram into the current prototype version.
Big tech announcements like this have a habit of sparking similar ideas from other players, and it’s quite likely we’ll see similar wearables at the show from other brands. Whether these take the form of rings, or if we’ll see a sudden influx of smart necklaces or smart nose piercings, remains to be seen.
Read more: Samsung’s Surprise Galaxy Ring: Who’s This Wearable Actually For?
But the same is likely to be true of mixed reality or spatial computing headsets. Apple’s Vision Pro is making big waves in the tech world and even managed to impress our very own Scott Stein, who called it “a mind-blowing look at an unfinished future.” While Apple never attends these shows, it’s highly likely that we’ll see competing devices from brands wanting to get in on the headset computing action.
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Xiaomi’s new electric car
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