Whether you’ve been following the event throughout the last week or are catching up now, below you’ll find my overview of the best devices from this year’s Barcelona show, from wearables to laptops to smartphones and , of course, many concepts.
I also listed my honorable mentions (and a “showstopper” award), because the volume of quality products presented by brands around the world this year was at this point astonishing.
Best smartphone at Mobile Word Congress 2024: Honor Magic 6 Pro
Of all the smartphones I got my hands on this week, none left a bigger impression on me than Honor’s Magic 6 Pro (and ZDNET’s review is here).
Beyond the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 12GB RAM/512GB storage configuration, 5,600mAh battery, and Dynamic Island-like “Magic Capsule” interface that bundles background apps ( timer, music player, voice recorder, etc.) in a black background window around the front sensor, Honor has integrated some of the most useful artificial intelligence functions I have seen from a smartphone manufacturer in the last 12 last months.
“Magic Portal” is one of the most notable. It’s a smart assistant that recommends apps and experiences based on what you highlight on the screen, including Google Maps when you select an address or your Calendar app when you select an upcoming event in a text conversation.
Motion detection capture is my favorite feature. It leverages AI to take photos of fast-moving subjects. I demonstrated this feature with a basketball player at MWC and the results were astonishingly clear.
Honorable mentions for other WMC smartphones
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Xiaomi 14 Ultra : Another big player in the global market, Xiaomi’s 14 Ultra is one of the few flagship phones to adopt a smaller but more comfortable 6.3-inch screen, and I’m delighted. The new Photography Kit, which lets you manually control the camera, is the best mobile accessory I’ve seen at MWC. -
Energizer Hard Case P28K : 28,000 mAh! Is there any need to say more? Energizer’s next model is arguably the world’s longest-lasting smartphone, with an expected battery life of one week. -
Porsche Design Honor Magic V2 RSR : The most expensive smartphone I tested this week at MWC is undoubtedly the Magic V2 RSR from Honor, whose industrial design is inspired by the 911 RSR from Porsche. It’s also the thinnest foldable phone I’ve used so far!
Best wearable of Mobile Word Congress 2024: OnePlus Watch 2
The second version of one of the lowest-rated smartwatches we’ve tested at ZDNET is a redemption of sorts in every sense of the word, offering the best of what its predecessor did while eliminating its flaws.
In fact, the autonomy and efficiency of the new OnePlus Watch, as mentioned in ZDNET’s product test, are appreciable, reaching up to 100 hours on a single charge.
This is largely due to a new hybrid architecture of the Real-Time Operating System (RTOS) for basic tasks like step counting and activity tracking, while moving to Wear OS 4 from Google for more difficult tasks. At €300, the Watch 2 is far from perfect; the 47mm size is not the most inclusive, and the lack of ECG (electrocardiogram) reading, cycle tracking for women and other functions will be noticed by the most demanding users.
Honorable mentions for other WMC smartwatches
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Samsung Galaxy Ring : The first real competitor to the Oura Ring has finally been revealed. And if Samsung can offer even a fraction of Oura’s features, then its existing ecosystem and elevated design could be enough to ensure market success. -
Tecno Pocket Go : The first of its kind, Tecno’s Pocket Go is a duo composed of XR glasses and a portable Windows PC. Together, you have one of the most portable ways to play (or work) in places where space is limited.
Best laptop of Mobile Word Congress 2024: Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 5
Lenovo’s ThinkPad series has never been all about glitz and glamor, but this year’s model has seen some notable upgrades, both outside and inside. On the outside, aluminum cladding surrounds Lenovo’s Communications Bar, which houses the webcam and Windows Hello sensors for facial recognition.
This design contributes to thinning the edges and creating a convenient contact point when opening the lid.
Even more impressive, the ThinkPad T14 Gen 5 features Intel’s Core Ultra processor, up to 64GB of RAM, and 2TB of storage. This model is also more repairable than ever , thanks to Lenovo’s partnership with iFixit, which has prepared special repair guides for users to replace batteries, SSDs, WWAN and more at their convenience.
Honorable mentions for other MWC laptops
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Dell Latitude 7350 Detachable: The brand’s 2-in-1 business-oriented laptop is perhaps the most notable release for business customers. The competitor to Microsoft’s Surface Pro is equipped with the latest Intel Core Ultra processor, a 2.8K resolution screen and all the security features you would expect from the Latitude range . -
Samsung Galaxy Book4 360 : It features a 360-degree hinge, an Intel Core Ultra 7, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU, and a design that’s just as sleek as last year’s Book3 Ultra (and others models are available).
Best concept of Mobile Word Congress 2024: Lenovo Project Crystal
Kerry Wan/ZDNET
Concepts were everywhere at MWC, but Lenovo’s Project Crystal stood out with its transparent micro LED display And his keyboard. Was this project included in another company’s special laptop of the future plan?
Probably not, but Lenovo believes the display’s transparent design lends itself to a use case most readers are familiar with: multimodal AI processing.
By capturing what’s behind the laptop using a rear camera, the laptop can present digital overlays to add context, such as the type of plant or species of animal you’re looking at . I’m not entirely convinced that the laptop is the most practical type of machine for such applications (the Rabbit’s R1 seems more practical to me) but it’s a fascinating concept that made the MWC all the more more interesting this year.
Honorable mentions for other MWC concepts
The crazy product of Mobile Word Congress 2024: Humane Ai Pin
Kerry Wan/ZDNET
At this year’s MWC, no brand or product was more disruptive than Humane and its laser-beam AI Pin. I walked past the Qualcomm and SK Telecom booths several times a day this week, and there was always a crowd with smartphones and cameras pointing toward the one product that may well replace those same devices in the future.
Humane currently sells the AI Pin exclusively in the United States, which makes the interest it has generated in Barcelona even more surprising.
Either way, demoing a gadget as polarizing as the AI Pin might just be the best move the startup has made yet. All that remains is to hope that it confirms when the products launch in the spring.
Source: “ZDNet.com”