What to Expect at MWC 2026: Robots, AI, and Phones We’ll …

Honor and Xiaomi have some interesting tech on tap for Mobile World Congress, but will exhibitors in Barcelona spare a crumb for the Americans? We’ll be there to check it out. Next week, component makers, phone manufacturers, network operators, and a few of y…

Next week, component makers, phone manufacturers, network operators, and a few of your favorite PCMaggers will once again head to Barcelona for Mobile World Congress, the largest mobile trade show on Earth. The developments that emerge from this conference, scheduled for March 2-5, resonate for years, as business deals are struck and new technologies debut. Last year’s event drew over 100,000 people and more than 2,900 exhibitors, and we're expecting similar numbers this year.

We'll be on the scene in Spain, uncovering the show's gems and getting hands-on time with devices that may (or may not) revolutionize the industry. Here's what we expect from MWC 2026. MWC attracts phone manufacturers from around the world. China-based Honor is expected to show off the Robot Phone, which features a robot arm with gimbal capabilities to adjust the rear camera and an AI "brain" to perceive the world around it "in an instant." We also expect to see the super-thin Magic V6 foldable, and possibly some humanoid robots.

These devices may not come to the US, but they will still influence the competition. We're also expecting to learn more about the Motorola Razr Fold. We first checked it out in person at CES, but Motorola tweeted this week that it will get "into every detail" about the device at MWC. As we noted in our hands on from CES, "Motorola is finally prepping something to compete with devices that have been in the market for years." We didn't get a lot of details in Las Vegas, except that it has a 6.6-inch outer screen, an 8.1-inch inner screen, three 50MP cameras on the rear, and a 32MP selfie camera.

We'll find out more on March 2. Xiaomi, meanwhile, is kicking things off on Saturday, Feb. 28, with a power bank accessory, the Xiaomi Ultra Thin Magnetic PowerBank 5000 15W. We'll also get a look at the technology that will power future phones. Mobile chipmaker Qualcomm says it will show off "cutting-edge wireless research that strengthens the foundations of 6G and advances AI-native experiences," including AI agents and augmented reality.

In the past, Samsung hosted Unpacked events at big trade shows like MWC and IFA, but lately, it's done its own thing. The Galaxy S26, for example, debuted earlier this week at an event in San Francisco. However, Samsung is an MWC exhibitor, so there will probably be opportunities to check out the S26 and Galaxy Z TriFold. Google is also listed as an exhibitor; it'll probably have its latest Pixels on hand.

Apple does not have a formal presence at these shows. The battle for your face has begun. We've been following the rise of smart glasses, and most recently reviewed the Meta Ray-Ban Display. But Meta's not the only game in town. We expect many companies to showcase their own smart specs in Barcelona. OCR Studio, for example, will show off document-scanning smart glasses. But there will probably be some consumer-facing solutions similar to the Samsung Galaxy XR or Apple Vision Pro.

For better or worse, AI isn't going anywhere. At this point, it would probably new newsworthy if someone introduced new technology that didn't incorporate artificial intelligence. Lenovo, for example, says it will "showcase our latest AI-powered innovations across devices, infrastructure, and solutions, and I'm betting we'll also hear a lot about AI agents. In theory, they're supposed to make your life easier; hopefully, whatever comes out of MWC won't delete all your emails.

I'll be in Barcelona this week with PCMag's Eric Zeman and Angela Moscaritolo, and we'll keep you updated on the latest news from the show.

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