MWC 2026: What to expect at the world’s largest phone show

I’ve been writing about phones for a long time and I can’t remember when I expected to see so many new phones in such a short period of time. I’m talking late February to early March, when we could see more than a dozen new devices in a week or two.

Samsung usually launches its new Galaxy flagships in January, but this time it will likely take place in late February. This year, Apple would also launch its new iPhone 17e in the same time frame. And Mobile World Congress, an annual mobile industry event taking place in Barcelona, ​​Spain, will begin on March 2, with some announcements likely coming a day or two earlier.

MWC is still about phones, with a few tablets, laptops and other gadgets added to the mix. So what’s different this year? Well, we think there will be just a little more of everything.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The event was hit hard during the Covid pandemic years, but it managed to bounce back, once again attracting many major phone manufacturers who will present their new devices for the first time in Barcelona.

Judging by the invitations we received and the reports we saw, there will be many. Here’s what we currently know.

Xiaomi could bring a surprise or two

Remember when Xiaomi brought its SU7 Ultra supercar to Barcelona?
Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Xiaomi is the largest consumer electronics company that usually unveils its entire new range of mobile products at MWC. Think phones, tablets, headphones, watches and many accessories.

Over the past couple of years, Xiaomi has also spiced things up by showcasing its latest electric vehicles at the show, as well as showing off cool gadgets like this cute robot dog that flips backwards. We have high expectations for the company’s MWC booth, and Xiaomi always manages to exceed them.

The highly anticipated Honor Robot phone

The Honor Robot phone is real, and we’ll probably get a closer look at it at MWC.
Credit: Honor

Honor is a company that quietly delivers devices with specs that outperform most other phones. Last year, Honor mainly focused on strategy, which is not the most exciting topic from a consumer perspective. This year, however, Honor’s booth will be much more interesting.

First, the company is introducing a new foldable, the Honor Magic V6, at the show. It follows the Magic V5 which made its global debut in August 2025; I hope Honor has a good reason to show us the V6 much earlier in the year.

We’ll also likely see new Honor tablets and laptops at MWC. But the real star of the show might be the Honor Robot Phone, a concept device featuring a robotic gimbal camera that extends from the back of the phone. The idea expands the functionality of a smartphone into a unique blend of a smart home companion, tripod and baby monitor. The Robot Phone has been spotted in the wild before, but at this year’s MWC we got a very close look at what it can do.

Samsung expected to offer Galaxy S phones

Can Samsung top the Galaxy Z TriFold with something even crazier?
Credit: Timothy Werth/Mashable

It’s strange. For the past two years, Samsung has unveiled its Galaxy S flagships in January, leaving some space between the launch and MWC. Last January, the company introduced a whole new category of devices with its Samsung Galaxy Z Trifold triple foldable, but Galaxy phones will likely arrive at the end of February.

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked is scheduled for February 25, just a few days before MWC kicks off. We’ll definitely talk about Unpacked, but maybe MWC provides an opportunity to take a second look at some of Samsung’s new phones, or maybe the company has a surprise or two in store for the Barcelona show. Remember the Samsung Galaxy ring? We (unexpectedly) got our first glimpse of it in Barcelona a few years ago.

Lenovo/Motorola could bring a fun concept

Last year, Lenovo introduced a laptop with a transparent display. Can the company complement this with something even stranger?
Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Lenovo likes to bring bold new concepts to MWC, and we’re expecting something similar this year. Think laptops with rotating screens, flip laptops, laptops with transparent screens… well, you get the idea.

Lenovo’s Motorola phone brand probably won’t launch anything major at MWC, but we’ll be on the lookout for new concepts and prototypes.

TCL will probably bring everything

TCL’s NXTPAPER is still unique in the market.
Credit: TCL

China’s TCL continues to build on its interesting NXTPAPER technology, which transforms a classic-looking smartphone screen into something much more pleasant to look at and akin to an e-ink screen.

The company usually brings its entire range to Barcelona. These are often phones that have already launched in China, but it’s always interesting to get a glimpse of what the company has in stock (and when it plans to launch the latest devices globally).

Nothing expects to have a new phone to show off

Nothing’s phones were the coolest devices at last year’s MWC.
Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Nothing, the brand that makes these transparent phones that look like nothing else on the market, launched its Nothing Phone 3a and 3a Pro at MWC last year.

We don’t know if the company will find successors this year, but we do know that it will be present in Barcelona. Fingers crossed.

Oppo, Vivo, Huawei, ZTE, Nubia, Tecno and others will bring phones, cameras and more.

Long before the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold, there was Tecno Phantom Ultrimate 2
Credit: Christian from Looper/Mashable

Yes, many Chinese companies have a strong presence at MWC, and many of them are bringing new devices to the show this year.

We don’t know of any particular major flagships that are set to launch in Barcelona this year, but that doesn’t matter because the concept phones and prototypes we see at these companies’ booths often end up being more exciting than your standard phones. Think ultra-thin foldables, flexible screens, phones with incredibly powerful cameras, and other out-of-this-world stuff. Will all of them ever hit the market, especially the US market? Probably not, but they’re really cool to look at.

Mobile World Congress 2026 is officially being held in Barcelona from March 2-5, 2026, with press days beginning on February 28. Mashable will be there to cover all the news from the event.