Best Of Mwc 2026: The Biggest News We Saw From Lenovo, Xiaomi, And More This Week

By Nina Raemont, Wearables and Health Editor / Mar. 4

Motorola announced a business pinch nan GrapheneOS Foundation, and this will bring nan backstage and open-source operating strategy to Motorola phones by 2027. As ZDNET master Steven Vaughan-Nichols writes, this business could create 1 of nan first viable, independent, and open-source smartphones. 

Also: I can't hold for Motorola's GrapheneOS phones: Why they're a triumph for privateness and unfastened source

GrapheneOS builds connected an open-source mobile operating strategy pinch privateness enhancements baked in. It runs astir Google play apps. While nan business betwixt Motorola and GrapheneOS Foundation steers nan telephone institution successful nan open-source direction, it's worthy noting that Motorola won't beryllium replacing its Android operating strategy pinch GrapheneOS. 

By Nina Raemont, Wearables and Health Editor / Mar. 3

Oukitel's rugged lineup of phones continues pinch its WP63 smartphone -- and this 1 is hot. Seriously. 

The phone, which Oukitel describes arsenic an "outdoor powerfulness beast" comes pinch a built-in igniter, which could beryllium utilized for starting fires successful nan woods aliases lighting a cigarette. I wonderment conscionable really safe a telephone that tin ignite a occurrence tin perchance be, fixed nan truth that it besides has a powerful battery, and, well, occurrence and batteries don't ever mesh good together.

But that's not nan only highlight. It besides has a USB-C cablegram for charging different devices, alongside a 20,000 mAh battery. It's a earnestly chunky telephone built for outdoor explorers. 

By Nina Raemont, Wearables and Health Editor / Mar. 3

While nan Clicks Communicator debuted astatine CES earlier, nan keyboard-equipped Android handset returned to nan nationalist astatine MWC.

Unihertz conscionable unveiled its Titan 2 Elite, and if you squint, it looks for illustration a BlackBerry of yore. The instrumentality boasts a 4.05-inch OLED surface and a QWERTY keyboard, if you've been missing tactile buttons connected your iPhone. And for illustration nan iPhone, nan Titan 2 Elite besides mimics iPhone 17's burnt orangish pinch a rusty orangish decorativeness of its own. 

The retro-looking smartphone has immoderate modern touches, for illustration a keyboard that doubles arsenic a trackpad and programme shortcuts connected nan keys. The Kickstarter for nan instrumentality opens this month.

By Nina Raemont, Wearables and Health Editor / Mar. 3

T-Mobile wants AI to grip your calls successful a much important way, and it's not waiting for telephone makers to create a characteristic for it. The institution unveiled nan Magenta AI Call Assistant astatine Mobile World Congress. The adjunct will execute unrecorded translations, summarize calls, and inquire questions connected behalf of nan telephone user. In nan future, Telekom will adhd much integrations and functions into nan AI-assisted telephone calls. This could beryllium performing bookings, filling retired forms connected a user's behalf aliases asking questions for scheduling appointments. 

The characteristic arrives first for Deutsche Telekom users successful Germany. However, nan characteristic could springiness america a fewer hints of what T-Mobile could unveil successful US markets aft its European rollout. 

By Kyle Kucharski, Editor / Mar. 2

By Nina Raemont, Wearables and Health Editor / Mar. 2

It's ne'er excessively early to statesman talking astir nan latest connection standard, and there's nary amended a clip to statesman this speech than during MWC. 

On Sunday, telecommunications institution Ericsson announced that it successfully completed nan world's first 6G pre-standard over-the-air session. These sessions are benchmarks for nan standard's readiness. The caller level could further support outer connectivity and create AI autochthonal networks, according to The Verge. 

AI elephantine Nvidia is already crippled for 6G, and starring nan charge. It's partnering pinch telecom providers for illustration Cisco, Nokia, T-Mobile, and Ericsson to accelerate nan connectivity's build."Unlike 5G, 6G is being calved successful nan AI era, and nan networks of coming simply aren't fresh for nan usage cases of tomorrow," said Ronnie Vasishta, elder vice president of telecommunications astatine Nvidia. 

Demos could get arsenic early arsenic 2028 during nan Olympics, and we could commencement seeing 6G successful action arsenic early arsenic 2030. 

By Kyle Kucharski, Editor / Mar. 2

By Nina Raemont, Wearables and Health Editor / Mar. 2

We're 2 days distant from Apple's "Special Apple Experience" taking spot successful New York, London, and Shang Hai connected Wednesday. Nevertheless, that hasn't stopped nan tech elephantine from drumming up immoderate hype up of clip pinch nan merchandise of its affordable iPhone 17e and nan M4 iPad Air, Apple announced connected Monday. 

The affordable iPhone gets Apple's A19 spot (the aforesaid spot that's successful nan iPhone 17 and iPhone Air), much retention (at 256GB, nan guidelines gets 128 much GB than nan iPhone 16e), and MagSafe capabilities. Apple says this telephone is much durable, too. It comes successful white, black, and soft pink, and its starting value is $599. 

By Kerry Wan, Editor successful Chief / Mar. 2

Within nan deeper halls of MWC, I came crossed a modular smartphone creation conception by a lesser-known company, Tecno. But, man, is nan merchandise ambitious. On its own, nan Tecno telephone measures 4.9mm bladed (compared to nan iPhone Air's 5.6mm).

That leaves room for nan company's plethora of modules for nan instrumentality -- I counted 10 successful full -- including an enhanced telephoto lens, portable artillery packs, and clip-on straps. 

While this is simply a concept, meaning we whitethorn not really spot this connected nan marketplace immoderate clip soon, it shows that nan ultrathin telephone shape facet shouldn't beryllium constricted successful functionality.

By Kerry Wan, Editor successful Chief / Mar. 2

Ahead of its March 5 event, Nothing coming unveiled 2 much colors for its upcoming Phone 4a: Blue and Black. The erstwhile is easy nan much absorbing of nan two, arsenic it has a turquoise-like appearance, layered pinch components, wiring, and glowing indicators passim nan backmost cover.

Also: How Nothing plans to clang Apple's March motorboat party

The institution gave media members astatine MWC a sneak preview of nan colors, alongside nan Pink and White variants that were announced earlier, this afternoon. We'll study much astir nan telephone connected Thursday, including pricing and availability.

By Kerry Wan, Editor successful Chief / Mar. 2

By building Nxtpaper complete AMOLED, TCL says its phones tin now execute much vivid visuals while retaining nan level of oculus comfortableness we've travel to expect. In a warm, naturally-lit room, I picked up a moving exemplary and saw nan quality myself.

Since nan beginning, TCL Nxtpaper has been rooted successful LCD panels, partially for nan easiness of ray guidance (to create that earthy e-paper appearance) and cost. The downside of LCD backlighting, however, is reduced opposition and colour accuracy. That's wherever AMOLED comes in. 

Also: TCL showed maine its Nxtpaper AMOLED telephone astatine MWC, and my eyes couldn't judge it

With a paper-like image sample set, nan AMOLED portion and an LCD 1 (albeit an older TCL model), nan erstwhile was noticeably much colour accurate, portraying nan brownish tones nary matter if it was dimmer aliases brighter. 

In fact, nan brightness of nan AMOLED portion was conscionable a small past nan 50% people erstwhile it matched nan LCD one's max. That's different large tie of nan sheet upgrade.

By Kerry Wan, Editor successful Chief / Mar. 2

If you're based successful nan US, Lenovo sneakily released a big of caller laptops and concepts overnight, including ThinkPad, Yoga, and Legion models. Let's attraction connected immoderate of nan concepts here.

It's debatable which 1 of nan galore concepts is nan astir bizarre, but my ballot goes to nan Modular AI PC, which has a detachable secondary show that tin beryllium mounted onto nan backmost screen of nan laptop, nan guidelines of nan laptop (by removing nan keyboard), aliases group connected a kickstand. 

You tin freely configure your workflow's setup. The ports, including USB-C, USB-A, and HDMI, are hot-swappable, too.

Also: Is Microsoft really spying connected you pinch Windows telemetry?

Then there's nan Legion Go Fold, featuring a 7.7-inch show that tin grow to 11.6 inches and tin beryllium connected to detachable controllers successful vertical aliases horizontal orientation. When not utilized arsenic a gaming tablet, nan Legion Go Fold tin beryllium mounted onto a keyboard case, becoming an ultraportable, 2-in-1 computing device.

Lenovo besides showed disconnected nan AI Workmate Concept present successful Barcelona, a table robot pinch an articulating caput that tin converse pinch you and task images and documents arsenic requested. It won't beryllium nan quietest workmate, nor tin it recreation pinch you arsenic you navigate a hybrid workflow, but Lenovo believes it's a imaginable avenue for early spatial capabilities.

By Kerry Wan, Editor successful Chief / Mar. 1

Honor besides unveiled nan Magic V6 foldable phone, which ZDNET's Jason Howell tested up of nan motorboat and says is nan thinnest yet powerful of its kind. 

The Magic V6 measures 8.75mm bladed erstwhile closed, is rated IP68 and IP69 for h2o and particulate resistance, and someway packs a 6,660mAh artillery acknowledgment to its silicon-carbon material. That's compared to nan Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7's 4,400mAh. It's not moreover close.

Also: I held nan thinnest foldable telephone astatine MWC 2026, and it sets a satisfying caller standard

But there's more: Honor says nan Magic V6 outer and soul displays tin scope a highest brightness of 6,000 and 5,000 nits, respectively. That only applies to HDR content, but is still a number we've yet to spot connected foldables, raising nan barroom for media consumption.

Powering nan telephone is Qualcomm's caller Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, nan aforesaid 1 recovered successful nan precocious released Samsung Galaxy S26 series.

By Kerry Wan, Editor successful Chief / Mar. 1

We're officially connected Day 2 of what I'll telephone "MWC Preview Weekend," and Honor is starring nan news activity coming pinch its AI Vision keynote. There, nan institution announced respective caller hardware products, including immoderate caller accusation connected its chaotic Robot Phone, which debuted astatine CES.

The Robot Phone whitethorn beryllium nan richest embodiment of AI successful a handset that we've seen frankincense far, for amended aliases worse. It's shaped for illustration a accepted phone, pinch a slab-like design, but features a rotating camera gimbal that extends from nan backmost of nan device.

CNET: A Phone With a Robot Arm? I Got a First Glimpse astatine Honor's Quirky Camera Phone

There are immoderate imaginative usage cases pinch specified a feature, for illustration body-tracking during video calls and much stabilized recording. Then, location are immoderate much questionable usage cases, for illustration its playful nods and caput shakes (and Honor says it tin moreover creation to music), that springiness it much personality. Because we each want our phones to person a small much character, no?

Honor hasn't shared a definitive merchandise day for nan Robot Phone yet, but it positions nan marque good successful an AI hardware abstraction that's perpetually seeking retired what's next.

By Kerry Wan, Editor successful Chief / Feb. 28

I conscionable sewage retired of Xiaomi's Saturday motorboat event, wherever nan Chinese electronics shaper announced a barrage of products, ranging from flagship phones and Gemini-supported wearables to a next-generation Gran Turismo hypercar. 

Judging by nan assemblage reaction, 1 merchandise was intelligibly nan prima of nan show -- nan Leica Leitzphone. While built connected nan model of nan Xiaomi 17 Ultra, meaning astir of its wide specs are nan same, nan ultra-premium handset features 3 cardinal differences: 

1. Leica's signature silver-and-black creation (with nan reddish dot logo)
2. A civilization Essential Mode UI pinch dual-tone app icons and widgets, on pinch exclusive Leica movie simulations (such arsenic M9 and Monopan 50)
3. A mechanical camera ringing that lets you power zoom, aperture, and much settings pinch a twist.

I person much to opportunity astir nan instrumentality successful an upcoming story, but it's up location for 1 of nan astir nosy camera phones I've tested lately. Not everyone should bargain one, though, arsenic nan Leica Leitzphone won't motorboat present successful nan US, and moreover if you are based successful a region pinch availability, Xiaomi says it'll costs 1999 euros (roughly converting to $2.362).

By Nina Raemont, Wearables and Health Editor / Feb. 28

Will immoderate telephone astatine MWC beryllium arsenic beautiful and pinkish arsenic Nothing's Phone 4a? Ahead of nan company's March 5 telephone launch, it unveiled a pastel pinkish colorway that I can't thief but beryllium perfectly obsessed with. 

It'll beryllium moreover amended if that's conscionable 1 of galore pastel hues Nothing plans to connection nan Phone 4a in, arsenic nan expected midrange instrumentality will request immoderate spot of charm to entreaty to nan masses.

By Kerry Wan, Editor successful Chief / Feb. 28

I conscionable touched down successful Barcelona and was not prepared for nan migration statement to widen each nan measurement to nan stepping belts. Either MWC is much bustling than ever, aliases nan BCN airdrome is severely short-staffed. It mightiness beryllium a spot of both.