The Best of Mobile World Congress 2023

The Best of Mobile World Congress 2023

Outside of CES, Mobile World Congress (MWC) is one of the biggest trade shows for tech and gadgets — and it’s taking place this week in Barcelona from February 27 to March 2. It’s typically an event where smartphone and laptop manufacturers announce their various flagship devices that will be released at some point in the year, but they also reveal prototypes and other future-facing concepts that they are working on, too. Below, we’ve rounded up the coolest things that have been announced so far.

Mobile World Congress is going to run through out the week, meaning there’s a good chance that cool new tech as the show goes on. We’ll update with a notable announcement as they come out.

Honor Magic Vs

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The Honor Magic Vs is the company’s first foldable smartphone that will be available outside of Asia. It has the same basic design as Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4 — both have flip horizontally open to reveal a larger “more tablet-sized” display. It has a 6.45-inch outside OLED display, but it folds open to a larger 7.9-inch OLED display. It’s powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ processor and you’ll be able to configure it with up to 12GB of RAM. It should cost around $1,599, making it slightly more affordable to its Samsung rival.

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Honor Magic 5 and Magic 5 Pro

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Honor Magic 5 Pro.

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Honor also announced its new Magic 5 series of more conventional (non-folding) smartphones. Specifically, there’s the Magic 5 and Magic 5 Pro. Both smartphones have a similar look and feel — with a distinctive large circular triple-rear camera system — but the Pro is obviously a little more premium. It has a larger display, a more capable camera system, a bigger battery and is configurable with more RAM and storage. The Honor Magic 5 and Magic 5 Pro should cost around $950 and $1,250, respectively.

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Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro

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The Xiaomi 13 and 13 Pro are the company’s newest flagship smartphones. Both pack the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ processors and have Leica-branded camera systems. The main difference between the two is size, camera system and charging capabilities. The Xiaomi 13 and 13 Pro are 6.36- and 6.73-inches, respectively, with the Pro model the only one with the Sony’s one-inch (huge) sensor. The Pro is also capable of fast charging at 120-watts, meaning it can go from zero to fully charged in under 20 minutes. The two smartphones are expected to start around $1,050 and $1,370, respectively.

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Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 (Gen 2) and Z16 (Gen 2)

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Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 (Gen 2).

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Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 (Gen 2).

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Lenovo announced the second-generation of its ThinkPad Z-series of laptops, specifically the Z13 and Z16. Both laptops have been updated with next-gen AMD processors and larger touchpads with significantly improved haptic feedback. Perhaps most significantly is the fact that you’re going to be able to configure the ThinkPad Z13 (Gen 2) out with an optional all-natural lid that’s made out of flaxseeds; in addition to being more environmentally-friendly, it should give the laptop a more aesthetically-pleasing feel. Both laptops will be available in July. The ThinkPad Z13 (Gen 2) is expected to start at $1,249, while the larger ThinkPad Z16 (Gen 2) is expected to start at $1,749.

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Xiaomi Wireless AR Glass Discovery Edition

a woman wearing smart glasses

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Xiaomi unveiled a fresh prototype of its augmented reality glasses that, when wearing, allow you to see the real world and various notifications and alerts from your smartphone. The Xiaomi Wireless AR Glass Discovery Edition has a fairly sleek and lightweight design (126 grams). They are also powered by the same processor that’s in the Meta Quest Pro VR headset. There’s no price or release date at this time.

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Outside of CES, Mobile World Congress (MWC) is one of the biggest trade shows for tech and gadgets — and it’s taking place this week in Barcelona from February 27 to March 2. It’s typically an event where smartphone and laptop manufacturers announce their various flagship devices that will be released at some point in…