Top tech of MWC 2025: the best gadgets we saw on the showfloor

jtimes 4 hours ago

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Mobile World Congress 2025 has taken the tech world by storm, with major brands choosing the huge trade show to reveal all-new mobile products, hardware that’s just around the corner, and exciting concepts which give us a glimpse of the future.

Digital Trends has been covering MWC 2025 on the ground and remotely, getting hands-on time with the latest tech, and interviewing key figures in the industry. After much writing, testing, and deliberation, we have settled on a final list of the best tech at MWC 2025.

Xiaomi 15 Ultra

Xiaomi / Digital Trends

Is the Xiaomi 15 Ultra the best camera phone of the year? It’s definitely a very strong contender, and we gave it a highly respectable 8/10 in our comprehensive review. The 15 Ultra has a multi-lens camera system designed to replicate the array of lens options a professional photographer would keep in their bag, just all wrapped up in a pocketable package. It even looks like a camera from the back.

Xiaomi came to MWC 2025 with a wide array of new mobile products, including the standard Xiaomi 15, the Xiaomi Watch S4, and even a concept device where camera lenses can be magnetically attached to the back of a smartphone. Interestingly, it wasn’t the only one with such a crazy concept, as you’ll see shortly.

Nothing Phone 3a Pro

The Nothing Phone 3a Pro is arguably the star device at MWC 2025 because of its general affordability, as it costs less than half the price of the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, and it’ll be sold in the U.S. too. The great thing is, the phone looks and performs brilliantly, and it has proven to be a rock solid partner in Barcelona, capturing the event and city on its excellent camera.

It’s joined by the Nothing Phone 3a, which doesn’t have quite the same crazy design on the back, and the camera isn’t as versatile either. However, the rest is very similar including the software, which is a real Nothing phone benefit. There’s some AI added in, of course, but it’s intriguing and useful. Whether you choose the Phone 3a or Phone 3a Pro, we think you’re going to be very happy with your decision.

Lenovo ThinkBook Flip AI PC Concept

The Lenovo ThinkBook Flip concept is one of the most unique takes on a folding laptop design. Rather than the book-style foldable that phones and Lenovo’s folding laptop have taken, it uses a vertical design that is essentially two 13-inch screens stacked on top of each other.

When folded backwards, the outer display can be used to mirror the other screen, which makes it perfect for meetings and presentations. There’s a few nifty software tricks, including being able to display the outer display and swiping across the hinge to “fling” content to the outer display. The trackpad is also one of the most unique I’ve ever seen, as it features three different modes that offer access to a number pad and quick settings.

– Nirave Gondhia

Realme Ultra Concept

The Realme Ultra concept phone is exactly the kind of madness we want at MWC. At first it’s a normal looking smartphone, but attach an adaptor plate to the camera module and it’ll accept a normal camera lens, creating a crazy phone/camera hybrid like nothing else. It’s as unwieldy as it is impressive, and it actually works too.

We took some pretty remarkable photos with the Realme Ultra concept, but it was a challenge getting to grips with the manual focus and back-to-basics stabilization. However, just the fact it exists at all means it belongs on this list, but we’ll have to wait and see whether it ever becomes a product we can buy or not.

HMD Fusion X1

Could the HMD Fusion X1 be the first smartphone tech fans will want to buy for their kids, and that your kids will be satisfied with? That’s HMD’s goal, and it’s working with online safety experts Xplora to help create a safety-first environment that is only as restrictive as you want it to be, letting your child grow with their phone, and avoiding pointless bans or content blockers.

The Fusion X1 is just the first step in a wider strategy for HMD too, which is far more than just a project to grab headlines and appease concerned parents. It’s not a flagship to rival the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, but it’s arguably the device which will pave the way for younger generations to own a full flagship phone in the future, and understand much more about maintaining a safe and healthy relationship with mobile tech along the way.

TCL Nxtpaper 11 Plus

TCL’s Nxtpaper 11 Plus tablet isn’t on the list because it’s a tablet, but because of the screen technology it uses. The Nxtpaper panel is designed to minimize eye strain and make extended use more comfortable, which it does by switching between full color and e-paper-style monochrome, getting rid of damaging blue light in the process.

TCL has made switching between the screens simple with a new button, and the 4th generation screen is almost indistinguishable from a “regular” OLED. It’s an interesting device which could take the place of your laptop and e-reader for some trips or excursions, and we always love a multi-function product.

Honor Earbuds Open

I consider myself a bit of an audiophile, though not quite to the degree that makes me annoying at parties. I appreciate good sounding music and normally gravitate toward in-ear earbud designs for daily use. Having spent a time with the Honor Earbuds Open, I find myself mystified at how it gets so much of the sound right with its open-ear design.

In terms of design they strike a balance between sleek aesthetics and practicality, while I’m still a bit surprised at how much I dig the sound considering the sit on the outside of the ear.

– Jason Howell

Tecno Phantom Ultimate 2

Samsung teased us with a tri-fold silhouette during the Galaxy S25 launch earlier this year, but Tecno isn’t hanging around, showing off its tri-fold phone at MWC – the Tecno Phantom Ultimate 2.

And it’s certainly a head turner, with a super slim frame making it thinner than the Huawei Mate XT Ultimate (the only tri-fold you can currently buy – in China and Malaysia). Unfolded, it’s also thinner than the supremely svelte Oppo Find N5 and Honor Magic V3 book-style foldables.

If this has got you salivating for a foldable phone which can open out to a super slim 10-inch tablet, wait a moment. The Phantom Ultimate 2 is just a concept for now, with no word on when/if it will be commercially available.

– Jason Howell