Mobile World Congress, the largest phone trade show of the year, takes place March 3-6 in Barcelona, Spain, where leading cellphone manufacturers, network operators, component suppliers, and others will showcase their latest offerings.
Last year, the show hosted over 2,700 exhibitors and 101,000+ attendees. The GSMA, which holds the event, says 2025 will be even bigger.
In addition to fresh hardware, we’ll see the latest developments in the software that powers them. Translation: Expect lots of AI. PCMag will be on the ground in Barcelona to bring you all of the latest news and announcements. Here are some of the highlights we expect.
AI Takes a Firm Hold
We believe that one of the biggest focuses of the show this year will be tighter AI integration across more aspects of mobility. Keynote speakers, including Peter Sarlin, the co-founder and CVP of AMD Silo AI; Arthur Mensch, the co-founder and CEO of Mistral AI; and Aravind Srinivas, the CEO and co-founder of Perplexity AI, are prepared to discuss AI’s progress in depth.
Most of the public-facing AI tools available today come from Google’s Gemini software and Samsung’s Galaxy AI. Though Apple Intelligence is another fledgling AI for consumers, the company rarely participates in MWC and isn’t expected at the show.
Google has partnered with numerous manufacturers attending the event to give them access to its AI tools, but we don’t know exactly what type of announcements the company has planned. Samsung is expected to showcase its recently launched Galaxy S25 series alongside earbuds, wearables, and other mobile devices from its catalog.
The Hardware Launches to Watch
While AI is expected to take center stage, we still expect a few notable hardware launches.
British company Nothing is expected to launch its 3(a) smartphone and perhaps the 3(a) Pro at its March 4 event. There aren’t many details about the 3(a)’s processors, screen, or cameras, but its unique design will likely draw crowds. Nothing has sold some of its phones in the US, though it sometimes requires people to register as developers.
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Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi is expected to unveil its latest flagship phone, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra. The company debuted the 14 Ultra at the show last year, and this year’s model is rumored to have cameras even more impressive than its predessor’s. Unfortunately, Xiaomi doesn’t sell many of its phones outside of its home market in China.Â
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HMD Global is hosting an event on March 2, where it is expected to reveal the new flip phone that it has teased on X in recent weeks. We don’t know much about it just yet, but we’re looking forward to learning more.
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Honor’s March 2 event appears to focus on AI. It plans to reveal what it calls the Honor Alpha Plan and accompanying AI initiatives. Whether or not new hardware joins Honor’s AI strategy on stage isn’t clear.
Another Chinese manufacturer, Oppo, is expected to showcase its foldable Find N5 phone, one of the world’s thinnest. Realme will debut its color-changing 14 Pro series phone and possibly more, and ZTE plans to launch new products on March 3.Â
PCMag will be there to keep you updated with all the latest news throughout the show, so check back often to learn what direction the mobile industry will take over the next year.
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About Sarah Lord
Analyst, Mobile
