What to expect at MWC 2026: Best phones I’m anticipating from Xiaomi, Motorola, and more

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Mobile World Congress (MWC) is shaping up to be an exciting one this year. Off the heels of Samsung and Google’s recent phone launches, the Barcelona trade show will shine a brighter spotlight on the trends and innovations we’ll see for the rest of 2026.

As always, leading global brands, including Xiaomi, Honor, and TCL, will be present — and they’ll likely occupy a large part of the show floor. Google and Samsung are also expected to have a presence, but the likelihood of major announcements is slim. And there’s almost always a showstopper that no one sees coming.

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At MWC 2026, expect to see all of that, both in market-ready products and concepts that, while unconventional, may be just buzz-worthy enough to influence future business decisions. Here’s a rundown of what’s coming at this year’s trade show.

When is MWC 2026?

This year’s MWC will occur from March 2 to March 5, but manufacturers typically make announcements as early as the weekend before, so you’ll likely hear more about the event starting tomorrow. While the trade show was built around members of the press, analysts, business partners, and brands, anyone can access the show floor by purchasing a ticket, which costs about $1,028.

What are we expecting at MWC 2026?

Google

The Android maker typically doesn’t launch any new hardware at MWC. Instead, it often reserves the alleyways between show floors to demonstrate its latest software tools and partners — you could say it’s one big metaphor for how intertwined Google’s services are with everything else at MWC.

Also: The best Android phones to buy in 2026

This year’s demos will likely center around AI, cloud computing, and other productivity tools. With the Formula 1 season kicking off soon, I wouldn’t be surprised if a McLaren F1 car bearing Chrome branding is parked in the lot.

Samsung

Samsung made the biggest flex at MWC last year when it showcased the then-unreleased Galaxy S25 Edge to the public. This year, the company has the opportunity to pull off something even bigger with the Galaxy Z TriFold, which has launched in select markets so far but may see a larger global debut at the most prominent mobile show of the year.

Samsung may also showcase the just-announced Galaxy S26 series, giving attendees an early taste of the company’s flagship smartphone line.

Nothing

London-based tech company Nothing hasn’t made much effort to keep its upcoming phone release, the 4a series, under wraps; it’s essentially unveiled the full design ahead of the March 5 launch, leaving little to the imagination.

That said, if our experiences testing Nothing products are any indication, the devil is in the details with the new Nothing Phone 4a, especially in the software experience. We’ll learn more about the new phone very soon.

Xiaomi

At a time when the US smartphone market has seemingly settled into safe play and iterative changes targeted toward the every-four-to-five-year upgrader, manufacturers overseas — like Xiaomi — are continuing to push the envelope, whether it’s through 200-megapixel periscopic lenses or AI capabilities centered around on-device computing versus hybrid or full-on, cloud-based processes.

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At MWC 2026, Xiaomi is expected to launch the 16 Ultra, the successor to one of the most capable camera phones we tested last year, alongside other products in its mobile portfolio. The Xiaomi 16 Ultra has technically launched in China already, but the global release may see some changes to its specifications, as often happens with these cycles, making the new phone just as noteworthy.

Honor

Going into MWC, Honor has been teasing the release of the Magic V6 foldable phone, alongside the MagicPad 4 and MagicBook Pro 14. Ultimately, the three devices will likely be promoted for their cross-platform interoperability, including synchronization with Apple devices, as they were last year.

That’s to say, I’m very excited to see exactly how reliable these new software features are, knowing how difficult it can be to dial into Apple’s operating systems. Honor may also showcase its Robot AI phone, which debuted at CES in January.

Motorola

When I was at CES earlier this year, I had the chance to check out Motorola’s first-ever phone-to-tablet foldable. While the briefing was light on details, and Motorola showcased the device with prerelease software, it was a sign of more ambitious things to come from the Razr maker. Here’s hoping Motorola has another trick up its sleeve for Barcelona.

TCL

While TCL has been a longstanding contender in the budget smartphone space, I’d argue that its Nxtpaper technology, which emphasizes vision health and reducing eye strain, is the best value proposition of the mobile lineup. The company unveiled the TCL Note A1 at CES in January, and it’ll likely showcase similar tablet and phone models at MWC.

Stay tuned

While MWC doesn’t start until Monday, March 2, expect news and product rollouts as early as this weekend, as companies like Honor and Xiaomi are slated to deliver keynotes on Saturday and Sunday. ZDNET’s team of mobile experts will be on the ground, going hands-on with everything new and reporting on the innovations and concepts that will likely shape the smartphones we use in the future.