NEWS

The best stuff we’ve seen at MWC so far

by | Mar 4, 2025

A Lenovo laptop concept featuring a smaller extra display attached.

Mobile World Congress 2025 is well under way in Barcelona, Spain, and while there’s still two days left, the mobile-focused show has already delivered lots of new laptops, smartphones, concepts, and innovative accessories.

Some of the biggest announcements were made over the weekend, so we want to make sure you didn’t miss anything. Here are the best gadgets that have debuted at MWC 2025 so far, but there’s still more to come. You can catch up on all of our coverage of the show right here.

Samsung Display’s folding handheld console concept

Many of the most innovative devices making their debut at MWC are concepts that could one day make their way into consumers’ hands. Samsung’s Display group demonstrated a few different prototypes including an asymmetrical Z Flip-style phone that folds in two places leaving the middle of its screen visible, and a larger folding display hidden inside a briefcase. Its most interesting concept was a Nintendo Switch-style handheld console with a hinge in the middle allowing it to fold in half for improved portability.

Lenovo ThinkBook Flip concept

The ThinkBook Flip concept uses the same flexible OLED screen as Lenovo’s ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 that’s expected to arrive as early as June 2025 and start at $3,499. But instead of the screen extending out from beneath the laptop’s keyboard to increase screen real estate, on the ThinkBook Flip it’s static and designed to fold backwards. That will potentially allow the Flip to be used as a more traditional 13.1-inch laptop, as a 12.9-inch tablet, or as a laptop with an abnormally tall 18.1-inch display. The lack of a motorized mechanism could also make the ThinkBook Flip cheaper, if it ever sees the light of day.

Xiaomi 15 Ultra

Following the launch of the Xiaomi 15 Ultra in China, the company announced a UK and European launch for its latest flagship phone with pricing at around $1,600, although there’s no word on a US launch yet. Although some may find the 15 Ultra’s quadruple rear camera with an asymmetrical lens layout downright ugly, the phone features a new 4.3x periscope lens paired with a 200-megapixel 1/1.4-inch-type sensor with improved low-light performance that left us thoroughly impressed in our review.

Nubia Focus 2 Ultra

The Nubia Focus 2 Ultra smartphone’s camera dial being rotated.

Anyone who can remember fidgeting with the original iPod’s scroll wheel will appreciate a specific feature on the Nubia Focus 2 Ultra smartphone. Surrounding the camera bump on the back of the phone is a physical spinning dial – similar to the dials found on DSLR and mirrorless lenses – that can be used to adjust the camera’s zoom level or switch between a series of filter presets. There’s no word on whether the dial can be used with other smartphone apps, but using it as a tiny steering wheel would be a satisfying way to play racing games.

Lenovo Yoga Solar PC concept

The Lenovo Yoga Solar PC on a white table in front of a blue tile backdrop.

What if you didn’t have to worry about your laptop’s battery life as long as the sun was shining? That’s the idea behind Lenovo’s Yoga Solar PC concept featuring 84 solar cells integrated into the laptop’s lid. When positioned in direct sunlight for 20 minutes, the laptop’s solar panel will generate enough electricity for an hour of video playback. The company says it’s still evaluating power output in other lighting conditions, but the solar charging capabilities could still be a welcome fallback for times when a power outlet isn’t available.

Xiaomi Modular Optical System smartphone concept

Portability is a limiting factor when it comes to how good smartphone photography can get. To create a mobile device that offers photographic capabilities closer to what you can get from mirrorless cameras, Xiaomi is resurrecting an old Sony idea with magnetic lens attachments. The company’s Modular Optical System concept uses lenses that are actually self-contained cameras with sensors larger than what you’ll find in any smartphone. Captured images are processed by the phone the lens is attached to so they’re immediately available to share, and while a smartphone with a giant lens hanging off the back might be a little awkward to use, the temporary approach means the phone maintains its slim form factor the rest of the time.

Infinix solar smartphone concept

Lenovo wasn’t the only company at MWC staring at the sun for inspiration. Chinese phone brand Infinix demonstrated a concept smartphone at the show with an integrated solar panel on the back. Using more efficient perovskite solar cells like companies such as Anker do, Infinix’s says its SolarEnergy-Reserving technology can charge a phone at up to 2W speeds in optimal lighting conditions, although leaving your smartphone in the sun for a few hours to charge isn’t going to help with overheating.

HMD Amped Buds

What sets the HMD Amped Buds apart from other wireless earbuds aren’t their ANC or IP54 splash-resistance. It’s their charging case featuring a 1,600mAh battery that can keep the buds running for an impressive 95 hours before the case needs a power top-off. But if you’ve got a smartphone that’s dying at an inopportune time, the Amped Buds’ charging case can also be used to reverse wireless charge for Qi2-compatible mobile devices. That’s not quite enough power to fully recharge a smartphone, but when these launch in April 2025 for around $206, it could be enough of a boost for a couple extra hours of use.

Nothing Phone 3A and 3A Pro

After a multitude of leaks and official teases from the company, Nothing officially announced its 3A and 3A Pro phones at MWC. Both feature 6.77-inch displays, Android 15, and Snapdragon 7S Gen 3 chipsets paired with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage. The 3A Pro, which starts at $459, features a 3x periscope telephoto lens while the $379 3A’s zoom capabilities are limited to 2x. They’re both well-equipped midrange phones, but stand out with the introduction of a new feature Nothing calls Essential Space that uses AI to extract and store useful information from screenshots, voice memos, and photos.

Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro

The Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro in three different charging cases.

Imagine a pair of wireless earbuds that don’t lose their connection when you wander too far away from your smartphone or computer. Xiaomi’s new Buds 5 Pro are the first earbuds to feature Qualcomm’s S7 Pro chip, first announced in October 2023, that can stream audio at a much higher bandwidth over Wi-Fi. Your wireless connection will remain strong as long as you’re within range of your Wi-Fi network, but the buds can fall back to a standard Bluetooth connection when Wi-Fi isn’t available. The Buds 5 Pro are available now for $240, but at launch are only compatible with the Xiaomi 15 and 15 Ultra smartphones.

Tecno Spark Slim concept

The Tecno Spark Slim concept phone being held sideways to demonstrate how thin it is.

The Galaxy S25 Edge that Samsung teased at its Unpacked event earlier this year already has some thin competition. Tecno’s Spark Slim concept measures in at 5.75mm thick with a 5,200mAh battery – larger than what’s included in the Galaxy S25 Ultra – while the Galaxy S25 Edge is rumored to be 6.4mm thick. We don’t yet know when the Galaxy S25 will launch, but it will probably be a lot sooner than this concept since Tecno hasn’t announced any plans to put the Spark Slim into production.

Realme 14 Pro and 14 Pro Plus

A close-up of the Realme 14 Pro smartphone.

Can’t be bothered to unlock your phone and check a weather app to see what the temperature is? The Realme 14 Pro and 14 Pro Plus are available with a pearl white finish featuring thermochromic pigments that change from white to blue when exposed to temperatures below 61 degrees Fahrenheit. Not as accurate as a thermometer, but at least you’ll know if you need to grab a light jacket. The phones first launched in India in January, but are now coming to Europe with a price tag that starts at around $450.

Lenovo ThinkBook 3D laptop concept

The 3D fad may have passed, but Lenovo hasn’t entirely given up on it just yet. The company’s ThinkBook 3D laptop concept uses a combination of directional backlighting and user head tracking to simultaneously display both 2D and 3D content on screen without the need for any special glasses. Lenovo also created an accompanying AI ring concept that allows users to navigate and interact with 3D content using gesture-based spatial controls since trackpads and computer mice are limited to just two dimensions.

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