Cell World Congress—or simply MWC—isn’t one in every of our favourite commerce exhibits simply because it’s located within the stunning metropolis of Barcelona throughout a seasonally applicable time of yr. (Low cost cava and tapas don’t have something to do with it both.) No, this present is a favourite as a result of it’s one of many best to navigate, and there’s all the time loads of attention-grabbing, enjoyable, or simply plain loopy tech to scavenge by way of.
This yr, such bounty consists of transparent laptops, bendable telephones, a Barbie flip cellphone, and extra. Listed below are the highlights.
Particular supply for Gear readers: Get WIRED for just $5 ($25 off). This consists of limitless entry to WIRED.com, full Gear protection, and subscriber-only newsletters. Subscriptions assist fund the work we do each day.
HMD Rebrands (Form of) and Teases a Barbie Cellphone
HMD was imagined to be the rebirth of Nokia telephones again when it made a splash at MWC 2017, but it surely wasn’t lengthy earlier than the corporate misplaced steam and it was clear that the Nokia model identify wouldn’t actually compete with the likes of Samsung and Apple anymore. HMD as an alternative put its give attention to funds Android telephones over the previous few years and its characteristic cellphone enterprise. At MWC, it introduced that 2023 was the corporate’s first worthwhile yr, and now it’s making an attempt to vary issues up with a rebrand. First is the identify—it’s leaning extra on “Human Cell Units” (the complete model of its acronym) as an alternative of HMD. This yr’s lineup of units will embrace an HMD cellphone, an iconic Nokia cellphone, plus a Barbie flip cellphone.
Yep, you heard that proper. HMD is collaborating with Mattel to launch a Barbie characteristic flip cellphone. It’ll be coming this summer time, will clearly be pink, and is being touted as a digital detox system. That’s all we all know. The one photos of all of the teased telephones had been pixelated.
What we do find out about HMD’s different cellphone is that it’ll revolve round a system known as HMD Fusion. Much like Motorola’s Moto Mods or Google’s long-lost Project Ara, it seems like a system of modular elements that builders can construct for the smartphone, from an prolonged battery and a barcode scanner to a cost terminal to medical tools. It launched a toolkit that developers can use to get began.
HMD additionally had a giant give attention to repairability—it expects half of its units launched globally this yr to be repairable. However this summer time, it says it’ll have a system that dramatically reduces the variety of steps it takes to repair a cracked display.
Motorola Bends a Cellphone, and Debuts Good Join
.jpg)
Late final yr at Lenovo’s Tech World occasion, Motorola unveiled a bendable idea cellphone known as the Adaptive Show. I acquired an opportunity to mess around with it at MWC. It seems and appears like its Razr folding telephones, besides as an alternative of getting a hinge that snaps the cellphone closed exactly in half, you may bend the entire thing backward.
