MWC 2025 live: all the news from the world's greatest mobile show
Mobile World Congress' 2025 edition is well underway – and T3 is on the ground to cover every major announcement
Hola from Barcelona
A warm – well, warmish (the weather, not our enthusiasm!) – welcome from Barcelona, where the T3 team have been touching down across the weekend. We've got our phone-tracking noses at the ready and will be bringing you plenty of news over the coming days, through to Wednesday 5 March.
Samsung is first out the blocks
We're off to a running start, as Samsung has already revealed its latest mid-ranger, the Galaxy A56, which upgrades the earlier Galaxy A55 model. A good option if you're seeking an affordable phone, no doubt.
Ahead of the reveal, which also includes the A36, A26 and ultra-budget A16 in some regions, T3's Tech Editor, Mike Lowe, got his hands on the device – you can read about his first impressions here.
The Galaxy A56's design is an interesting one, as it differentiates itself from the Galaxy S25 flagship series, by opting for a 'camera island' look – which harks back to the S22 design era somewhat.
Sunday releases
Good afternoon from Barcelona, it’s Mat Gallagher here and I’m heading to Xiaomi’s press conference right now for its big announcements.
Expect the news to come thick and fast this afternoon, as we have a number mobile phone manufacturers planning to hold conferences today, including Xiaomi and Honor.
Xiaomi 15
Xiaomi has announced its 15 and 15 Ultra, with both models pushing its photography tie in with Leica. The 15 Ultra offers a quad-camera array with a 1-inch main camera sensor and a 200MP telephoto. Meanwhile the Xiaomi 15 offers a triple 50MP camera set up and a smaller 6.3-inch display.
Sometimes the Wi-Fi gods are with you, and sometimes they’re not. This is Staff Writer Max Freeman-Mills; I’ve been at Honor's big MWC press conference for the last few hours hearing about its various announcements, but haven’t quite been able to share anything until now.
Still, where there’s a will there’s a way, and I’m finally connected. So, what’s Honor been chatting about? Well, you might be shocked to hear this, but it’s going all in on AI. Its new plan for an AI-first transformation is called the Honor Alpha Plan, and is all about building devices that help people interface with AI systems, apparently. It’ll invest $10 billion in the next five years to make it happen, which is quite a number.
Let’s be honest, though, AI pitches are everywhere – so what about the hardware? At this year’s MWC, Honor is launching a few new bits and pieces, as well as some AI features for the previously unveiled Honor Magic 7 Pro.
The new headliner is arguably the Honor Watch 5 Ultra, which looks like a really impressive new contender for those seeking out a top-class smartwatch. It’s got a snazzy titanium design with sapphire glass, and should look at home if you’re dressed up, but also brings the expected fitness smarts for workouts and runs.
Honor says the watch will get up to 15 days on a charge, which is great for a watch of this sort. We don’t know what chipset’s powering it, but it looks like a nice upgrade.
It also announced the new Honor Pad V9, which looks for all the world like it could contend with the iPad as a solid and extremely usable tablet for the masses.
It’s got 2.8K resolution on its display, a 144hz refresh rate, and is actually thinner than the current entry-level iPad at 6.1mm – with a bigger battery, over 10,000mAh in size. Those are some great specs for a consumer tablet.
Finally, there’s also the OLED-toting Honor MagicBook Pro 14, which (stop me if I’m repeating myself) looks directly intended to compete with a MacBook. It’s got a lovely design, weighs in at 1.37kg and will come in grey and white. That snazzy display will be 3120x2080 with an Intel Core Ultra 9 Processor 285H to power it all.
Honor says the laptop will last for over 12 hours in endurance testing, and far more in normal use, which sounds impressive and is largely down to that efficient chip.
Xiaomi MOS
The Xiaomi Modular Optical System or XMOS, was revealed in the closing moments of Xiaomi's keynote yesterday but I got the chance to give it a try last night. You can read the full hands on, but it does look impressive, if not a completely new idea.
Lenovo's wild concepts
Lenovo has a great track record of delivering some impressive and sometimes outlandish concepts for MWC, and this year it hasn't let us down. Its 2025 concepts include a solar charging laptop, a flip-folding laptop display, dual monitor add-ons for a three display set up on the move, and a 3D laptop controlled via a smart ring.
Nothing to see here
Nothing just can't help itself. While the official launch is tomorrow, the Nothing Phone (3a) and (3a) Pro Android handsets have been officially revealed to the public already.
They've appeared in a glass case on the Qualcomm stand at MWC 2025, which T3's editor-in-chief managed to photograph on his visit.
You can clearly see the main difference between the two devices, with the camera unit on the Pro model being more complex. Other than that, we're not expecting many other differentiators.
You can find out much more tomorrow when Nothing finally launches the two new phones – unless there are additional reveals in the build up.
Barcelona sign two bargains
HMD and FC Barcelona have partnered for a couple of themed phones coming in mid-April.
The HMD Barça 3210 is a version of the Nokia 3210 feature phone released in spring last year, while the HMD Barça Fusion adds team customisation to the manufacturer's entry-level Android device.
The latter comes with the signatures of 11 current Barcelona players etched into the back, which glow when exposed to UV lighting. The 3210 comes in red or blue – like the colours of the team strip – and has 12 bespoke wallpapers to style the handset further.
Neither device will break the bank, with the HMD Barça Fusion costing £229 / €299 and the HMD Barça 3210 priced at £79 / €79.
Solar-powered
Infinix might not be a household name in the UK and US but it's proving to be one of the most innovative brands at this year's MWC.
On the eve of the show, it announced two mobile phone technologies that are a bit different to the norm – its SolarEnergy-Reserving Technology and E-Color Shift 2.0.
The first combines perovskite photovoltaic technology with AI algorithms to effectively allow a phone to extend its battery life through light capture. It's only a proof of concept for now, but could be utilised on devices in the near future.
The only tech it showed during the Showstoppers event prior to MWC's doors opening is E-Color Shift 2.0 – a personalisation system that can adapt the rear of your phone to a design and colour of your choosing. It takes Nothing's Glyph technology to a whole new level, basically.
This is more likely to be seen on an actual handset sooner.
All about that AI... or is it?
As with this year's CES show in January, MWC is heavily dominated by AI. Just about every company has some kind of AI message, whether their products use real artificial intelligence or not.
Honor though demoed something more interesting than most, as T3 tech writer Max Freeman-Mills found out – it has an AI tech dedicated to spotting AI tech.
Announced last year, the technology is much more advanced today and can detect the likes of deepfake videos in real-time. It can take just a few seconds to make its judgement, which then leaves it to you to decide whether to continue to watch or not.
The only thing left to ponder is whether there will be an AI created to watch the AI watching the AI. Yeah, that makes my brain hurt too.
Not just mobile phones
Mobile World Congress is predominantly about phones and networks, but other devices have also launched there over the years. We've even been treated to demos of in-car infotainment systems in the past.
Headphones and especially earbuds also regularly appear at the show and HMD is keeping the tradition alive by announcing its Amped Buds.
Priced at £169, they won't break the bank and actually offer something rather unique – you can use the case to charge your phone wirelessly if you need a rapid top-up.
You can read more about them here.
AI'll be having some of that
Good afternoon, Mike here taking over the live blog after a busy day tracking down all the best MWC products for T3's impending Best of Show awards.
It's now time for the Oppo AI Summit, held off site away from the Fira Gran Via where the show takes place. I'm here nice and early before it fills up!
The brand, having recently revealed the Oppo Find N5, will be going into more detail about its artificial intelligence mission.
Oppo's message is clear: "Putting AI experience in the heart of everything we do.
"Bringing leading innovation at the heart of the AI experience and delivering the very best.
"The best AI experience must achieve three key things: be comprehensive, evolving, and safe."
That's going to be leveraged by a Google partnership, integrating Oppo apps with Gemini integration for a seamless native AI integration for its native apps.
There's more to come from Oppo, too, with ColorOS 15 due to get monthly updates for AI.
Forthcoming features will include AI Call Translator for real-time translation during calls – and in multiple languages.
A new VoiceScribe feature will also add transcription from speech into Notes.
So plenty to look forward to. But that's a wrap – a quick 30-minute Summit from Oppo.
It's a new day...
MWC has opened its doors for day two and the T3 team will once again be trudging the halls looking for the latest and greatest devices to report back on.
Join us for the rest of today to see what we've found lurking in the recesses of Fira de Barcelona – the huge exhibition centre hosting the show.
Flippin' marvelous!
Infinix is having a great show. Not only did it reveal a few new technologies it hopes to bring to future phones (as you can see if you scroll down this page), it has unveiled a concept flip phone that could be even more pocket-friendly than the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip series.
The Infinix Zero Series Mini Tri-Fold has two hinges allowing the device to fold even smaller, yet presents what we believe to be a 7-inch display when unfurled.
It's just a concept device for now, but the company does hint that we could see a production model somewhere down the line.
Nothing Phone (3a) and (3a) Pro official at last!
After weeks of company teases and drip fed information, including a public display on the Qualcomm stand at MWC (see below), Nothing has finally unveiled its two new Android handsets, the Nothing Phone (3a) and (3a) Pro.
The biggest difference between the two devices comes in the form of the camera, with the standard model sporting a 50-megapixel telephoto cam on the rear, while the Pro has a periscope zoom lens using Sony's LYTIA 600 sensor.
Both have 50-megapixel main sensors too.
Read our opinions on the Nothing Phone (3a) and Nothing Phone (3a) Pro. You can also find out all the differences between the two models here.
What about Apple?
Apple hasn't had anything to do with MWC for many years, but often uses the show's timing to announce a new device or two.
As well as the iPhone 16e, which went on sale last week, the company is expected to unveil a new version of the MacBook Air – one running Apple's M4 silicon.
We know this because Tim Cook himself tweeted a strong hint late yesterday. Watch this space.
This week. pic.twitter.com/uXqQaGNkSkMarch 3, 2025
Thin is in
Tecno is usually associated with mobile phones that sport high-end looks and features, but that are a lot more affordable than most rivals. Its Phantom V Flip devices take on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6, for example.
However, this MWC it has shown a concept device that actually takes things one step closer. Its Spark Slim phone is just 5.75mm thick and therefore thinner than a pencil, which is even better than the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, it's claimed.
It's worth noting that we don't know yet whether it'll make it to market, and the rumoured Apple iPhone 17 Air is reportedly even thinner, at 5.5mm, but Tecno has certainly made a statement.
The best of MWC 2025
As is traditional, we have chosen the very best products we've seen during this year's Mobile World Congress and listed them in our Best of MWC 2025 Awards.
It includes phones (of course), but also a smartwatch, innovations and a laptop. If you have any of them on your wishlist, you can rest assured that they come with our stamp of approval.
As sure as eggs is eggs...
As we mentioned a little while earlier, Apple likes to gazump the goings-on at MWC each year, and this one is no exception.
Although it's not at the show itself, the company has announced a new version of the iPad Air – this time powered by the M3 chip.
Starting at just £599 / $599 for the 11-inch model (there's a 13-incher, too), it's very reasonably priced for the spec. Apple has also upgraded its entry-level iPad too, making it a fair bit faster.