MWC 2026 day 1: the 8 best gadgets we’ve seen today, from super-slim foldables to high-end wireless earbuds
The MWC (Mobile World Congress) tech expo is undoubtedly one of the biggest of the year. It brings together the biggest names in technology, throngs of people working in the industry, and journalists aplenty — including the hard-working TechRadar team.
Every year the Barcelona-based event is used to show off a wide range of gadgets and other tech, and we’ve been busy taking in all the news and announcements. What you’ll find below are our picks for the best pieces of hardware we’ve come across so far.
1. Nothing Phone 4a
Nothing smartphones can usually be relied upon to be affordable, innovative, and stylish, and the Nothing Phone 4a series looks set to continue those traditions. We’ve been given our first proper look at the handset at MWC, and the four colors it will be available in.
There’s only so much you can tell about a phone when it’s behind a glass case, so we’re hoping that we can get some hands-on time with it sooner rather than later. In the meantime, see if you can pick your favorite shade: black, blue, white, or pink. It’s due to get a full announcement on March 5.
2. Honor Robot Phone
The Honor Robot Phone is definitely one of the more unusual handsets that we’ve come across in Barcelona — or indeed anywhere else. It has a built-in camera on a small robotic arm, which can extend out whenever you want to capture some photos or videos.
Thanks to that robotic arm, the camera can follow you and whatever you’re doing, so it’s like a high-end webcam or vlogging camera you can take with you anywhere. Think a DJI Pocket 4 built into your phone. We’re still waiting to find out when it’ll go on sale or how much it’s going to cost, however.
3. Snapdragon Wear Elite
We always get a chipset story or three at MWC, and for 2026 Qualcomm has unveiled the Snapdragon Wear Elite. This premium bit of silicon will soon be appearing in all sorts of different wearables, most likely including smartwatches and various AI-powered gadgets.
What makes the Snapdragon Wear Elite special is the amount of processing it can do on its own, without sending anything back to the cloud — and that means faster response times for whatever it is you’re doing. It also brings with it upgrades in power and efficiency.
4. Lenovo Legion Go Fold concept
We’ve never had it so good in terms of gaming handhelds as we do now, and Lenovo is hoping to capture a slice of the market with the new Lenovo Legion Go Fold — though for now this remains a concept product rather than something you can actually buy.
As the name gives away, this particular handheld folds: it boasts a 7.7-inch screen when it’s closed, and a 11.6-inch screen when it’s opened up. You then snap controllers to each side, and away you go. There are also some rather decent specs under the hood.
5. Leica Leitzphone
Camera veteran Leica has unveiled the Leitzphone, made in partnership with Xiaomi. It’s the first Leica handset to get a global release — though it looks as though the US might miss out, unfortunately — and it’s sure to appeal to serious mobile photographers.
The main camera on the back of the Leitzphone has a 50-megapixel, 1-inch sensor, as well as LOFIC tech that should ensure more natural snaps. There’s also a manual ring around the camera, which we really like, giving you a way to manually adjust the camera settings.
6. Honor Magic V6
We’ve seen foldable phones before, but the Honor Magic V6 raises the bar again. Not only is it the thinnest foldable to launch to date, it also comes with an IP69 rating for excellent water and dust protection — no easy feat for a handset that has a folding hinge in it.
The other specs you’ll want to know about are the 6,660mAh battery, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset from Qualcomm, and the support for a stylus. With an inner screen that measures 7.95 inches corner to corner, it’s a genuine Samsung Galaxy Z Fold rival.
7. Moto Buds 2
Motorola has taken the opportunity of MWC in Barcelona to launch the Moto Buds 2 and Moto Buds 2 Plus wireless earbuds, and there’s a lot to like about them — including the audio quality engineered in partnership with Bose that you get with the Plus earbuds.
We’ve got Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) on both models, and these earbuds come at a price point that’s very reasonable indeed (though we’re still waiting on full details of availability). Battery life is another highlight, both with and without the charging cases.
8. ThinkBook Modular AI PC concept
Back to Lenovo, and the company has also been demoing a ThinkBook Modular AI PC concept here at MWC. It comes with not one but two screens, and they’re detachable — so multiple different display configurations are possible, not just the standard laptop one.
You’ve basically got two mini monitors to go along with your keyboard (and the rest of the laptop), and it’s sure to appeal to those looking for more flexibility on the go. For the time being though, it’s not certain that this intriguing concept will ever go into production.
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