Mobile phones turning into bracelets, see-through laptops and smart rings as MWC tries to guess the future
You never know if the things you see at Mobile World Congress will be on sale or if you’ll be able to touch them again. Many of the devices shown in Barcelona these days are simple prototypes of technologies that are still concepts and demonstrate capabilities whose usefulness is sometimes questionable.
Motorola, for example, used the fair to show off a mobile phone that can be folded into a bracelet that the user can place on the wrist and then unfold to become a traditional mobile phone again. Why did they make this acrobat mobile? To demonstrate the extent to which they can control the folding of their screens.
Lenovo, for its part, has turned heads with a prototype laptop with a transparent screen that sacrifices privacy for the wow factor. The result is impressive: a laptop that looks like something out of a sci-fi movie, with a bezel-less, infinity-edge and transparent screen. However, again, its usefulness is relative.
New company Humane used the event to showcase a device that takes advantage of conversational artificial intelligence (ChatGPT). create hardware that tries to adapt to the new reality. The result is dubious: a pin that the user wears on their lapel and must communicate with by voice. The Humane AI Pin doesn’t have a screen, but is designed to replace traditional smartphones, so it uses lasers to project images onto the user’s palm. In short, it’s a device that aims to usher in a new mode of human-machine interaction, but it doesn’t provide anything that the current phone can’t offer better with a simple app.
But it is also true that there are many other technologies that we once could only see on shop windows, but today are an increasingly advanced reality. And at this MWC 2024 too are using increasingly thin foldable mobile phones“smartphones” with cameras of quality that were once impossible, and phones with increasingly reliable batteries that can last for days and fast charging that provides enough power to last a whole day in seconds.
In addition to mobile phones, the exhibition again featured autonomous drones capable of carrying multiple passengers, robot dogs, mechanical arms capable of serving coffee and many other futuristic inventions, promising a utopian future that advances in the field of artificial and mixed reality. closer than ever.
Mobile World Congress 2024 Highlights
Tekno Pocket Go This is a game console without a game console. Everything you need to enjoy the best games on an incredible 200+ inch screen is integrated into the glasses and controller. Dual micro OLED panels, an AMD Ryzen 7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and up to 1TB of storage make this set the perfect portable console.
Xiaomi smart lamp It is able to recognize the user’s gestures thanks to its sensors and respond accordingly. Simply opening or clenching your fist turns the light on or off, and the brightness can be dimmed or raised with a simple two-finger gesture. What’s more, this once inanimate object now accepts petting and dancing if we ask, turning into an impromptu pet.
Xiaomi electric car. This was also seen in Barcelona. With an aggressive, sporty design that promises minimal wind resistance for increased acceleration and speed, the SU7 could be the longest-running electric car on the market, promising up to 800 kilometers on a single charge. At the moment they have not revealed the launch date in Spain or the price.
Samsung, which already unveiled its S24 a few months ago, has kept an ace up its sleeve: the smart ring. At the moment, little is known about its characteristics. On display were three models in black, gold and silver, available in nine sizes. Its main function will be similar to that of a smartwatch: monitoring parameters such as heart rate, steps or sleep.
Honor turned out to be one of the few manufacturers who remained true to the essence of Mobile World Congress and presented a new smartphone. Magic 6 Pro This is a premium phone that excels in all specifications, but stands out above all in the photography section thanks to its 180MP telephoto lens with up to 100x zoom.
Xiaomi has once again chosen MWC as the stage to showcase the best phone it can produce. Xiaomi 14 Ultra This is a beast that doesn’t skimp on any section, but focuses its heavy artillery on the photographic section with a quad 50MP module in collaboration with Leica, which has little to envy to many pro teams.
ZTE introduced the second generation of Nubia Pad 3D tablets, an iPad-like device with a unique feature: a panel that can create a 3D effect without the need for glasses. The front cameras are responsible for recording the user’s eye movements to create an effect that projects depth and makes objects stand out on the screen.
ThinkPad X1 folds This is a laptop with a huge 16-inch screen with a 4:3 aspect ratio that can be folded in half for better portability. This particular computer has a stand that allows you to hold the screen horizontally or vertically, as well as a keyboard and mouse to complete the package. Its cost of over 5,000 euros makes it affordable to only a few.