The biggest announcements from MWC Barcelona 2022
Earlier this month, the 51Degrees team were in Spain for the return of MWC Barcelona (previously known as Mobile World Congress). The event drew in over 60,000 attendees and 1,900 exhibitors who all gathered in one place to see the unveiling of new devices and discuss the hot topics of 5G and the metaverse.
We were all exhausted by the end of the fourth day, but it was worth it to meet with so many lovely people. Overall, there weren’t too many exclusive MWC22 device releases, but a couple of new devices caught our eye as we browsed the halls.
Honor Magic series
On day one of MWC22, Honor unveiled the Honor Magic4 series: the Magic4 and the Magic4 Pro.
Due for public release in late March and early April 2022, the two new devices boast enhanced CPU and GPU performance thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip. And the higher-spec Magic4 Pro allows for wireless charging – when placed on a compatible Honor charging pad, the battery can be fully charged in just 30 minutes.
During the presentation given by George Zhao, CEO of Honor Device, he compared the Honor Magic4Pro to the Apple iPhone 13 Pro. While that could be true in terms of device capabilities and specifications, only time will tell whether Honor can establish themselves as a leading smartphone provider since their separation from Huawei.
Huawei
Huawei dominated at MWC22, filling up half of Hall 1 with their enormous exhibition stand.
During the event, they announced PC versions of Huawei Mobile Cloud, AI Search, and AppGallery, alongside displaying their Ecosystems and Smart Office innovations. But for us, we were particularly interested in the various smartphones, smartwatches, and laptops on display.
On sale within China at the end of 2021, the foldable Huawei P50 Pocket was given an international release in January 2022. The rival to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 (which was also on display at Samsung’s stand) was especially eye-catching with its unique design created collaboration with fashion designer Iris Van Herpen.
Overall, it seems Huawei used their presence at MWC22 to solidify their presence as one of the largest mobile ecosystems, rather than to announce any upcoming new devices.
Robot bartenders and cyber dogs
The tagline for MWC22 was ‘connectivity unleashed’ and this was represented by many of the exhibitors.
A glimpse into an autonomous future was presented via all-things robotic, including a 5G robot bartender from Telefónica and not one, but two (!) different robot dogs from Xiaomi and IBM (in collaboration with Boston Dynamics).
New innovations in products and high-tech gadgets were represented through VR and interestingly from Xiaomi, the transparent Mi TV LUX, first unveiled in 2020. This product caught the eye of our Marketing team as they passed the Xiaomi stand – a transparent TV seems like it could work in theory, but in practice? We’re still not sold.
For a complete round-up of the biggest news and products from MWC22, check out Mobile World Live.
Great Britain and Northern Ireland Pavillion
This year, 51Degrees exhibited with the Great Britain and Northen Ireland Pavillion in Hall 7. One of the biggest highlights from MWC22 includes our CEO James Rosewell meeting Minister Mike Freer to discuss Movement for an Open Web, SWAN, and the role of the ICO.
We enjoyed meeting so many individuals and learning more about the other exhibitors. After the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, it felt great to be able to meet people in person again.
Our Data team are always busy ensuring new devices are added to our device database, giving our customers the latest device data as soon as the devices hit the market.
For now, the Marketing team are riding the wave of connectivity and contacting our numerous opportunities made at the event. And in a blink of an eye, we’ll be at our next in-person event! More information will be announced in the next few months, and we'll have another opportunitiy to see you in person soon.