Mobile World Congress 2025was a astonishingly exciting show because it was really about smartphones for a change . It ’ll come as a surprisal to those not really conversant with the consequence , but the huge trade show has such a broad remit , covering everything and anything that could be considered mobile engineering , phones sometimes take a bit of a back seat . Not this year though , and it was terrific to see .
How many phones?
Three big name rule the smartphone headlines at MWC , and they all broughtmorethan one phone to the show . Samsung was a surprisal , as although it used to come to MWC with its Modern S series phones , since it settle to oblige its own Unpacked result it has keep a modest mien there . This year though it started MWC off with the newGalaxy A36 and Galaxy A56phones , its mid - range alternatives to theGalaxy S25series , which always prove popular with buyers .
Xiaomi fall out Samsung ’s proclamation with a host of new devices . TheXiaomi 15 Ultrawas the most exciting earpiece of the show , but the standardXiaomi 15is no slouch , and it consecrate about one-half of its two - hour , jam - packed launch event to the two gadget . directly after MWC formally embark on ( Samsung and Xiaomi used the weekend lead - up to launch phones ) , Nothing harbinger the Nothing Phone 3a andNothing Phone 3a Pro , which face unlike to any other earpiece available today , and are highly suitable .
Three brands , sixphones , and also three different cause for evidence at MWC . Xiaomi continue to promote itself in Europe , Nothing wants to show off its unique designs to a large consultation , and Samsung knows the grandness of its A - series . It had no purpose of let other brand dominate MWC this year , even if it did n’t hold a full case . This is already more brand Modern headphone we ’ve seen at some MWC evince in the late past tense , but we ’re not done yet .
Concepts and craziness
bet past the big name brands with phones you ’ll be capable to buy presently , and you ’d find even more phones and tech drive by phones at MWC 2025 . HMD ( the domicile of Nokia - brand phones ) came with theHMD Fusion X1and a handful of Nokia feature phones , some promoting its recent partnership with the Barcelona football club . TCL announce theTCL 60XE and the Nxtpaper 11 Plus tabletfor the U.S. ( andseveral phones for other regionstoo ) Tecno make out with the Camon 40 phone , and even Realme did n’t want to be left out , as it announced the global discharge of the color - changingRealme 14 Pro Plus .
Realme was one of the mark with construct sound too . Its crazyUltra television camera / earphone hybridwith interchangeable tv camera crystalline lens on the back almost outshone the more svelte ( but more or less less fun ) Xiaomi Modular telephone that followed the same construct , only with a high - technical school magnetized connection system for the lenses . Tecno hada tri - fold smartphone , Lenovo had acrazy concept laptop computer with a turn up screen door , and T - Mobile talked AI Phone , which wasfirst discussed at MWC 2024 .
Chinese smartphone brands sure as shooting made the most of MWC 2025 , coming with a mix of smartphones , laptops , vesture , and concept equipment see there ’s something for everyone . You may be look for Apple in all this , but it does n’t attend MWC . However , it is a master at diverting attention its way , which it did with theApple iPhone 16ethe week before the show , and the newiPad Airas the show was at its height . These are also mobile product announced around , if not actually at , MWC 2025 .
AI and even 6G too
Digital Trends necessitate Techsponential psychoanalyst Avi Greengart , who attended the show , for his insight into MWC 2025 and the wealth of smartphones .
“ This year ’s Mobile World Congress featured a luck of smartphones from Formosan brands , some are come to Europe but not to the U.S. for political and statistical distribution reasons ” he narrate us by email . “ Nothing ’s 3a express that mid - grade phones can have distinctive innovation and safe cameras . ”
Greengart also talked about the engineering that break down beyond smartphones at MWC 2025 , but crucially he still highlighted very much smartphone - based tech .
“ MediaTek and Qualcomm showed off their next - generation modems that support fast speeds and more tractability , specially at the boundary of the web or when upload content , ” he proceed . “ I had multiple discussions about planet connectivity beyond emergency services where the business mannikin is still being function out . 6 yard was mostly a background discussion subject , and on - equipment AI is a vast focus for smartphone vender and their silicon supplier . ”
AI was a openhanded theme , as demonstrated byHonor , Tecno , and Oppo at the show , but its presence at MWC wasn’tquiteas salient for consumers as I expected . I had several meetings ( notably HMD and TCL ) where AI was scarcely discussed , and Xiaomi drop only a short metre on its mobile AI feature during its launch event . For businesses , infrastructure , and software package , AI was still the great talk compass point though .
Phones saved MWC
Compared to MWC 2024 , where only a fistful of young phones were declare , MWC 2025 has been a restoration to what the show was best known for in the past . What ’s more , the new smartphones arrived with more fanfare and extra hype , while the surprising amount of concept fluid devices prove brands are eager to show they are n’t standing still , and are work to make devices more exciting .
HMD is a expert deterrent example of how smaller players are coming up with other intriguing ways to stomach out . Making phone that promote online safe for kids is n’t as newspaper headline grabbing as a trifold phone atomic number 76 couplet of smart trash with a filmdom , but the company has go about it in an intriguing way , and gone all - in on it as a scheme too . But at the heart of HMD ’s program is a new smartphone , the Fusion X1 , and there are more to observe . This summate up the trend that smartphones are back at MWC 2025 very well .
It seems unmated to triumph that a roving technology trade show was about smartphones for a modification , but the bluff amount of smartphones and smartphone - side by side tech at MWC 2025 made it strange , particularly liken to the last few year . What ’s more , it also demonstrates MWC itself has avoided becoming a in the first place occupation - orient show , as it menace to do in the limited attending events that have place after 2020 . We await forward to get wind MWC 2026 continue the trend .
