The 2025 Mobile World Congress (MWC) has completed its first day, and already we’ve seen some amazing new devices and concepts.
For instance, we’ve checked out a phone powered by the sun, a modular camera phone with magnetic lenses and a laptop that can flip open to reveal an 18-inch display.
This is only the start of MWC, and there’s more on the horizon for all you tech fans. If you want to keep up to date, check out our MWC 2025 live blog for all the latest news.
However, for those looking for a more quick breakdown, here’s the 7 most amazing gadgets from MWC Day 1.
Lenovo’s ThinkBook “Codename Flip” concept is a 2-in-1 breakthrough
Last year, it was the transparent laptop concept. But for 2025, Lenovo has gone big with the ThinkBook “Codename Flip” — a simple, unassuming 13-inch notebook that you can literally flip open into a gigantic 18-inch vertical OLED panel.
From standing proudly without needing a kickstand (unlike the Asus Zenbook Duo), the versatility of ways you can use that 18.1-inch 2000 x 2664-pixel 3:4 aspect ratio display, to the attention paid to ergonomics in that touchpad, there’s a lot to love here.
Of course, this alongside the solar-powered laptop and monitor with AI built-in are only concepts. But if Lenovo wants to launch this device, I’m all for it!
Could solar powered phones be the wave of the future?
Solar power has a lot of benefits, and we’ve seen it added to everything from cars to homes. However, MWC 2025 has revealed what could be the first phone that uses solar power to constantly charge itself.
The device in question comes from Infinix, and our Tom Pritchard got to spend some time with the phone to see how well the idea works.
The tech is currently limited to only 2W, so it isn’t going to be replacing a charger anytime soon. However, Infinix says the point of this concept is to collect the energy needed to extend the phone’s own standby time, or as a “practical backup” if more traditional forms of power are out of commission.
Sadly, Infinix isn’t planning on selling the concept device yet, but the mere fact it exists is potentially great news for anyone who wants a phone that limits their energy footprint.
Xiaomi is looking to change smartphone cameras we know it
If there’s one common complaint about smartphones, it’s that the camera bumps have been getting bigger and bigger. Admittedly, no phone’s reached the level of the Galaxy S4 Zoom, but still it’s a problem. However, Xiaomi unveiled something that could change how we view cameras on our phones: the Modular Optic System, or MOS.
Tom’s Guide’s Tom Pritchard got to see what, exactly, this new system is meant to do and how it’s meant to work. The concept model seen at the event allowed users to attach a small, compact camera to the magnetic ring on the back of a phone. In theory, this would mean users could have far more options than just the cameras on the device.
In a brief hands-on, Tom said that the phone felt pretty comfortable to hold and wasn’t too heavy. He also noted that the connection process was seamless and didn’t require any special case or attachment to work. MOS is an interesting concept, and hopefully Xiaomi continues it in the future.
Samsung is bringing back the A-series in a strong way
Samsung has officially announced the Galaxy A56, Galaxy A36 and the Galaxy A26. All three of these phones have a shot of making our best cheap phones list, and they all offer a fair amount for shoppers on a budget.
The Galaxy A56 is the clear standout, with a 6.7-inch display and 120Hz refresh rate. It’s also got a 50MP main camera, a 12MP wide angle lens and a 5MP Macro. All of this is powered by a 5,000mAh battery that allows for 45W wired charging.
If you’re worried all this might mean a price increase, have no fear, as the Galaxy A56 is launching with the same $499 price tag as the previous phones. That’s $100 less than the iPhone 16e.
Admittedly, the Galaxy A36 and the Galaxy A26 are a little less impressive, although they do feature full HD displays with 120Hz refresh rates. Unfortunately, both phones are still running a single 50MP main lens, alongside an 8MP ultrawide and a 5MP macro.
However, prices for the A36 and A26 start at $399 and $299, respectively.
TCL is improving its augmented reality glasses with the TCL RayNeo X3
Augmented reality glasses are slowly getting better and better, and could soon reach a combination of peak design and impressive features. TCL is looking to take a huge step in that direction with the TCL RayNeo X3 Pro, the follow-up to the TCL RayNeo X2 shown off at last year’s MWC.
TCL has clearly taken some of the audience reactions to heart, having slimmed down the frames so that they’re much less noticeable. The TCL RayNeo X3 Pro also features a gorgeous micro-LED display with a brightness of up to 2,500 nits. However, the big addition is actually useful multimodal AI assistance.
Unfortunately, the battery life does leave something to be desired, especially as most of the features stop working as soon as the glasses reach 10%. Jason had to constantly charge the glasses up to 20%, but the low battery warning would flash after only 10 minutes of use.
Honor announces its latest smartwatch: The Honor Magic 5 Ultra
Honor used the first day of MWC to reveal several products, as well as its plans for AI. What has us most excited was the official announcement of the Honor Watch 5 Ultra.
While standing out in the smartwatch market is pretty difficult, the Ultra Watch 5 impressed us so much we gave it a score of 4.5 stars in our review.
Part of the reason for this score is the overall design of the Honor Magic 5 Ultra, which easily matches any of the best smartwatches on the market. It’s sleek, stylish and features a large, clear AMOLED display and a comfortable watch band.
Honor has also worked to improve both the sleep and fitness tracking on the watch. Last but not least, the Honor Watch 5 Ultra is rated for 15 days of battery life.
While Honor has announced that the phone will cost €279 at release, there’s no word on U.S. availability or pricing.
Xiaomi 15 Ultra offer a stylish design, but not for everyone
Speaking of new releases, Xiaomi took the time during MWC to finally announce the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, which will launch March 4. We scored the phone an amazing 4.5 stars in our just published review due to several pretty fantastic features.
The Xiaomi 15 Ultra sports a nostalgic design with a lovely bright screen. This retro look hides the actual power of the phone, which comes with the Snapdragon 8 Elite and 16GB of RAM.
However, all of this doesn’t come cheap as the Xiaomi 15 Ultra will set you back a minimum of €1,499.
While there’s a lot to love about the phone, there are some issues with it. The most pressing is that the Xiaomi 15 Ultra likely won’t release in the U.S. We do expect the phone to appear in the UK and European markets.
