MWC 2024: Phones, tablets, robots, artificial intelligence and more

There was no shortage of crowds, since it is MWC after all. There were quite a few sounding names, as well as exhibition spaces. In a short time, I managed to catch many interesting things, for example, humanoid robots and a laptop with a transparent screen, but I had higher expectations before the fair. Xiaomi, Samsung, Honor, Huawei are constant and with the biggest presence. I was very pleased with their approach. They are the last line of defense for consumers. Most of the time, however, I was walking around the premises, which are more than obviously aimed only at B2B. Of course, at every turn, I also stumbled on artificial intelligence, 5G and even the first mentions of 6G technology. What did I manage to discover? What or who did I miss?

Phones, tablets, watches and bracelets galore

If there was any doubt that smartwatches and bracelets don't have their place in the market, it's high time you let go of that thought. Xiaomi presented its collection for this year: SmartBand 8 (Pro), Watch 4 and Watch S3. Honor has also joined them with the HONOR Watch 4, and both have also unveiled foldable phones where the battle is getting tougher. For the first time, I managed to take a close look at the Xiaomi Fold 3, their last year's model, which at first glance is technically perfect. We are waiting for their foldable phones in Slovenia and I hope that this year is a happy year for us. It would be interesting to watch how Samsung, Honor and Xiaomi would fight for the title of the best in this segment. If Apple gets involved in the future, so much the better.

Before that, we already had the opportunity to meet the premium Xiaomi 14 and Xiaomi 14 Ultra, and at the same time Honor presented their premium candidate HONOR Magic6 Pro, where the 180 MP telephoto camera fascinates me the most. HONOR still puts a lot of emphasis on the HONOR Magic V2 foldable phone, which I myself called the most sophisticated foldable phone on the market during the test. The Porsche version was also exhibited, but it is not available in Slovenia.

Xiaomi devices

Samsung presented its main devices less than a month ago, and I was able to observe (from a safe distance) the new smart ring Galaxy Ring in the showcase. There was no demo presentation, it looked attractive, but I have concerns about how much of a market smart rings can capture. They are a shortened version of smart watches that can do much more and at the same time we are used to their form from the past. I may be wrong and there is interest in the rings. Undoubtedly, they are interesting to look at, maybe that's enough for the target group that Samsung, Oura and others are targeting.

Tablets also got their time in the spotlight. Xiaomi does not hide its ambitions to get a piece of the tablet pie. The Xiaomi Pad 6 (and previous models) are an interesting combination of very good performance, beautiful aesthetics and, above all, a competitive price. Honor also has its candidates, which should not be underestimated. I missed a laptop more and in general I regret that Honor, Xiaomi and also Huawei, which has taken several steps to withdraw from the market over the years, did not pay more attention to laptops.

Qualcomm, which has been teasing the public with new Elite chips for half a year, devoted most of its space to connectivity and artificial intelligence. They also had devices with Qualcomm chips on display, and I was surprised that I had forgotten that their chips power smart glasses, VR glasses, and similar devices. There was a laptop with an X Elite chip, but the representative was more interested in showing me the artificial intelligence that works with local resources than talking about the chip's performance itself.

I found some hidden gems

I've been following some lesser-known brands from the background for a long time. Tecno showed everything they have launched so far at their showroom. Surprisingly, they also have some names under their umbrella that I have never heard of before. But attention was more focused on Tecno foldable phones. Their advantage is mainly in the lower price, although now that I have managed to see them up close, I understand why they are cheaper than the competition. The phones are solid, but it is noticeable that they are a step behind on the hardware side. The folding hinge is not yet at the level of the others, and the dimensions are generally much more cumbersome. It would be interesting to see if there is any advantage hidden in the operating system.

I also stopped by the manufacturer ZTE, which in addition to its phones controls the gaming brand Red Magic and also Nubia phones. The Red Magic 9 Pro draws attention to itself from afar. Its flashy design epitomizes gaming devices that are not to everyone's taste, but I like them. I also quickly tested the camera and the results were surprisingly not bad. Also on display were a few accessories (fan, Android controller) that should be part of the ensemble of anyone who wants to seriously play games on their phone. It's a shame that gaming phones have no place in Slovenia, with the exception of POCO phones, which in recent years have become masters of everything rather than real gaming devices, such as the POCO F1 in the past.

Speaking of POCOs, the POCO X6 (Pro) and F5 (Pro) should soon be ready for the Slovenian market. They still have a bold design, relatively interesting hardware components, but I will wait for the price and tests before I dare to say that they will be better than, for example, the Xiaomi 13T, which is currently perhaps the best phone in this class for €400.

ZTE also introduced the Nubia Flip foldable phone and a special Music phone that enhances the music experience with higher volume, lighting on the back that responds to the song being played, and some features for easier media management. Also on display was the Nubia Pad 3D II, their second generation tablet with a 3D display. It is not clear from the photos that it is 3D technology at all, but in real life it was interesting to watch how objects move on such a screen. At the beginning, you have a slightly faint feeling due to the different perspective, but it quickly disappears (similar to VR glasses). I didn't need glasses for the 3D experience, which is perhaps the most important fact.

Lenovo "tickled" us again with the concept of a transparent laptop, which at first seems very interesting, but then you wonder why you would want someone to see what you are doing on the screen and why you would allow yourself to be distracted by objects and scenes behind the screen . Since it is a novelty, a large crowd of curious people flocked around it anyway. I also made a quick stop at the iFixit booth where they walked me through the process

Robots, robots and more robots

In a little while, robots will be waiting for us at the MWC in front of the entrance. Etisalat company put a "humanoid robot" in front of everyone who wanted me to accept the coffee invitation in every way. The innards of the robot were visible for all to see and I can only imagine how much sweat has been put in and how much effort and development still lies ahead for this kind of robot to be able to do more than just basic interaction. There was also a mechanical hand nearby, which tried its hand at the role of an amateur barista, but we have already noticed this at some airport.

Xiaomi has already attracted the traditional crowd with its robot dog Cyberdog 2. The Tecno dog is almost identical, but with both, I wonder who and why would have it in the living room.

The fairgrounds were also a gathering place for drones and autonomous flying taxis, which are already in use in China.

Huawei targeting 5.5 and 6G

Huawei has claimed the largest territory. The part that was open to the public was dedicated to the presentation of the new phones (Huawei Mate 60), with which they ruled again in China. They are equipped with a new, proprietary Kirin chip, which is also the reason why we will not see these phones in Slovenia and Europe in general. They look great, the build is top notch as always, but for everything else it's hard to say what's going on. What I was able to photograph was very encouraging, but I'm already used to that from Huawei cameras, which are still considered one of the best today. Special models of phones and watches in collaboration with Porsche were also on display. The Huawei Ultimate, a watch already brimming with premium features, was something special in the showcase with a Porsche guise, as was its price (around 4 thousand). I also managed to snag the FreeClip wireless headphones, which have a tab that clips onto the ear.

The second part, closed to the public, was filled with technology that is unknown to the consumer, but which is happening everywhere in the background. They presented us with 5.5G technology and how they are creating use cases to convince service providers to invest. We also saw the beginnings of the sixth generation of the mobile network, but this is still several years away.

I missed…

… OPPO, OnePlus, Sony, Vivo, Realme, NVIDIA and similar sounding names. Currently dominating the field of artificial intelligence, NVIDIA would be a good fit as I have always had that infamous word “AI” hovering over my head.

OPPO Find X, Find N3 Flip, Vivo X100/X100 Pro were showcased by MediaTek, which supplies them with chips. I regret that Vivo withdrew from our (and European) market due to patent disputes, because the Vivo X80 and Vivo X90 were great phones with a nice system and cameras that can compete with Samsung, Xiaomi and Apple.